Fantasy adventure book. dragons talking or not?

[stevejk]

If the dragons speak, the writer has promoted them from creatures to a race. Speaking dragons will need to have individual characteristics and traits while non-speaking dragons can get by with general traits applying to the entire species. The question comes to whether the the writer wants to cast dragons as unique characters within the story.

And what if both dragon creatures and a race of dragons are in one's stories? That could be a fun twist. Or the plot itself?

 

[archangel2326]

thank you all for your input there have been some very good points made and a few along the lines I was planning just needed some other opinions, now I have another question to put to you all,
flashbacks and memories or have time jumping ahead sometimes by years?

 

[redzwritez]

I think both are interesting. Dragons and magical creatures are often rooted in our imagination so I think, like a lot of people have said here, it totally depends on which type of dragons suits your story.

 

[Swank]

Either a dragon is a character, or it is a wild beast and force of nature - like a tornado. So it isn't a choice of style as much as it is whether they are members of your dramatis personae or not.

Does the dragon have something important to say?
Does the dragon have agency?
Does communication from or to the dragon lead to a plot pivot?


I think those questions are just as important as the style communicated by the way the dragon interacts. And any sort of typical (talking dragons are funny) trope is worth defying. At least as a kid, talking Smog was so terrifyingly alien.