talking to animals
by Mitch
(Missouri)
Question: So in this piece I'm writing, the main character is turned into a wolf by magic. He still has conscious human thought that I would like to give to other wolves. What would be the better technique for interacting with the wolves:
1. The Percy Jackson way--when talking to a horse he only hears whinnies and other horse sounds but mentally he understands actual words
2. The Narnia way--straight up, the wolf said, "blah blah blah" as if talking to another person. (The character will probably have a "What the hell is going on?" reaction)
Also, i have no intention of giving other animals conscious thought.
Answer: There's no absolute right or wrong answer. It's a matter of how you do it more than what you do.
I would point out that C.S. Lewis's books were written for a slightly younger audience (younger children have much less difficulty accepting the idea of talking animals). Also, he was writing in a time when talking animal stories were more acceptable. Today's children, especially those in the late middle-grade to young adult category, are a little more sophisticated and look for more plausible explanations.
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