: Non-human protagonist - Good, bad, or up to the writing? In a novel I plan on writing soon, the main protagonist (and indeed nearly everyone else in the story as well) is an elf. Humans are

In a novel I plan on writing soon, the main protagonist (and indeed nearly everyone else in the story as well) is an elf. Humans are present, but they are far in the mountains, living in disorganized tribes, and barely ever mentioned.

Will my reader have trouble identifying with an elf at first, as opposed to a human?

It seems that in a lot of fantasy fiction containing humans and elves, the hero is always a human. As I see it, the reason is to help the reader identify with the hero. Even Frodo, who is technically a Hobbit, is not portrayed too differently from a human. He is short, but that is rarely mentioned as I recall.

My elf, on the other hand, can wield magic, looks different than a human, is skilled with the sword and bow, and is a lot more agile than a normal human.

Will having an elf-hero distance the reader? Or is how the reader sees my hero entirely up to my writing?

Note: I believe who the hero is doesn't determine how the reader sees him. I believe the writing decides that. I want to be sure though.

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@Eichhorn147

Elric of MelnibonÃ© by Michael Moorcock involved an elvish emperor who sacrificed his own people, and was frequently in conflict with human warriors. Elric's motivations and observations were described well by the author, such that the reader could relate.

Heaven's Reach by David Brin involved two non-human protagonists, one being a chimpanzee, the other being a member of the Jophur species. With both protagonists, the author used internal monologue to help the reader understand their unique impressions and motivations, and both were quite relatable.

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@Carla500

Up to the writing. If you create characters with whom your audience can identify in some fashion, someone to root for, then their species doesn't matter.

Diane Duane has many non-human protagonists and hero characters in her various books: sentient fish and trees in her Young Wizards series, Romulans and Vulcans in her Star Trek books, a series about sentient magic-wielding cats — it's all possible.

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: Non-human protagonist - Good, bad, or up to the writing? In a novel I plan on writing soon, the main protagonist (and indeed nearly everyone else in the story as well) is an elf. Humans are

More posts by @Heady158

: What is the correct formatting for actions taken before dialogue? What would be the correct way to format the following exchange in narrative prose? Is it: Alice sits on the bench, silent. Eventually,

: Superpowers in Writing - Cool for the sake of cool I originally started planning/writing a short story that was more or less based on a few popular trends in YA/Sci-Fi writing (interstellar

: How to write when thinking in multiple languages? When writing, scenes come to my mind in different languages mixed together. For example in a single scene a description will be in French, some

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