Help! Novel is getting way too huge!

[Runemist]

Hey guys! So, here I am! I write fantasy...I like my long, complicated stories, though I'm still working on both those points. I have a horrible time getting past 20 pages, and I've almost been writing for ten years!
Anyways, I'm still laying the groundwork for this one story...I've got a magic system and some characters, but my main problem right now is the races of my wonderful fantasy world. You see, I have a thing for non-humans, and I tend to...fill up my world with them, I suppose. I've got so many choices, I don't even know where to start deciding! Perhaps someone could help me come up with a criteria for choosing?
The candidates are: Dragons, Unicorns, Gryphons, Naga, Cat-people, an intelligent bird race...and that's about it. Part of the problem is that, at some point, due to a war and some unfortunate shapeshifting accidents, we start also cropping up with some very intelligent normal animals. Sorry, long story, but it's kind of a big part of it. I need to sort out the races, though, so I can get this thing going. Any help is always appreciated!
Oh yeah...no, I don't have a proper plot. That, for me, comes a bit later! I'm building the world right now!

[Wyrd-Hotd]

Well, i personally would most defiantly put dragons in XD, but thats not what you asked... so if i were you, what have you used before, did you like it? if so implement them into the story (aka Race) also what race's do you enjoy writing about? and/or developing into complex civilizations, i think overall, who fits the story best then whatever you feel it would be nice to write about.  But im no literary god (in other words i really cannot write a story... well...haven't tried for a wile...) so those are just my two cents.  Good luck!

[Runemist]

Hey, thanks! You know, for some reason I never thought of my races in terms of "civilization." Technically speaking, a few of them wouldn't really have "civilized" culture the way we think of it, and I may be able to slip them in without making it get to complicated. Otherwise, I think it would be interesting to take the bunch of them and try out various cultures, see what I like best and what fits. Thank you!

[Wyrd-Hotd]

Hey, no problem.  all i know is sometimes a little exterior input can always shed new light on a conundrum, and im also a fantasy fan and you're story sounds like it would be interesting!

[Snowfox]

I've got much the same problem... with my writings, whenever I do a compilation of the more detailed characters, most of them are anthro's of some sort or another. One way I've dealt with this is Kin. Basic, non-magic (non-shifter) fur styled races are all pretty much one kind of creature, known as the Kin. What differs them, such as fox or wolf or leopard or such, is separated by clans, rather than each separate breed of anthro being a completely different race altogether. That simplifies it a bit... though of course then you get into intelligent animals or ferals, and shapeshifters... which both have their own categories.

For me, Dragons and Griffins both have the ability to shapeshift, depending on their age and natural ability. This means that under one setting, I can have both more wild dragons that don't shift for whatever reason, to ones that hide themselves amongst various kingdoms as either Kin, or humans or elves or such.

One other thing that I find helps, is to have a diverse world... My own has a number of areas that are... well, pretty much sealed off for whatever reason. So you have a character or two that are really strange, or out there, or just don't fit into a racial category? It becomes pretty simple when they came from some place crazy-far-away from where ever the story takes place. Other side of a desert, or magical/wartorn wasteland, or even demon-infested forest or dangerous mountains. Things like that.