One of my writing gigs is as an Amazon Vine Voice. They send me free books (and other products) and I share my honest opinion. If you go to Amazon, you’ll find a label (Vine Voice) by my name, as you will with all of the other Vine reviewers. It just means we accept the responsibility to share our thoughts as objectively as possible.
When I log into my Vine account, I find a list of a couple hundred books to choose from. I can pick the genre so I don’t end up reading a travel book when I’d prefer a thriller, but, it’s not an exact science. More often than expected, I’ve been surprised. For example, Richard Bausch‘s fantastic new book that I’d consider more brainwork than I normally subscribe to is included under thrillers–which is usually reserved for plot-driven, non-stop action stories. This is my long way of explaining how I’ve stumbled on and enjoyed several paranormal novels which normally I would have skipped such as Heather Graham’s Krewe of Hunters series and Carsten Stroud’s Niceville trilogy.
WiseGeek defines paranormal this way:
Paranormal stories encompass elements of the paranormal such as ghosts, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, and any sort of magical or otherworldly creatures. This type of fiction often goes beyond fact and logical explanations to speculate about the things that cannot be seen or proved, such as extrasensory perception (ESP) and alien life.
If you’re a paranormal author or reader, here’s what you’d expect out of your story:
- paranormal is not fantasy, though it may be similar. The characters include ghosts, vampires, psychics–that sort–set in a real-world setting. Here’s a test: If you can remove the paranormal creatures and what remains is a world much like what you see around you, it’s paranormal rather than fantasy.
- create a solid mythology. It doesn’t have to match what the standard opinion of vampires or werewolves is, but it needs to be believable.
- include a strong female lead. From what I understand from my paranormal-writing friends, this is the current trend and a popular one.
- the main character may or may not have supernatural abilities–or they may be hidden–but should include a core of goodness that directs his/her actions.
- include lots of conflict between the supernatural world and the human world.
- the villain is likely darker and more powerful than the main character.
- if you include a romance as a main plot point or subplot, you’re probably writing for the sub-genre, paranormal romance.
If you write paranormal, what would you add to this list? How can I explain it better?
More on genre writing:
14 Tips for Young Adult Writers
Can You Mix Genres in Your Writing?
Tips on how to write 23 different genres
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is the author/editor of over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. You can find her book at her publisher’s website, Structured Learning.
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Reblogged this on quirkywritingcorner.
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Hi Jacqui! Per your earlier permission, I scheduled this article to be featured as a guest post on June 25th! Thanks.
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I’ll have to come by and visit, Ryan. Thanks!
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You bet!
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Thank you for the tips. I’m indeed writing a paranormal romance. But I would not have known it was exactly ‘paranormal’ until a blogger friend told me last week. This confirms it in your post 🙂
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Those are the best kind. The para is so naturally folded into the normal, you almost miss it.
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If I had to choose between paranormal and fantasy, paranormal would win a high five though I have read and enjoyed fantasy.
Interesting points you make about the difference between them. 😀
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That’s a tough choice. I don’t know which I’d pick. I’ve read good–and bad–of both.
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I’m a spur-of-the-moment sometimes. With me, what I choose to read isn’t written in stone. 😀 😀 I’m flighty that way.
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I am unfamiliar with this genre, but it so nice of you to share this.
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Think Harry Potter set in a normal school. Supernatural skills layered atop of the normal world.
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Smiling. Got it.
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You asked what I would add to this list. I’ve noticed some writers who write about this genre are not including ghosts, shape-shifters, psychic abilities, etc. Yet that’s what I think of as paranormal. Has the term broadened that much?
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It is broader, but those are traditional. The two I read both included ghosts.
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Reblogged this on Don Massenzio's Blog and commented:
If you write in the paranormal genre, here are some great tips.
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Thanks for the reblog, Don.
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I’m not familiar with this genre from personal experience, but I appreciate your definition. I do like a bit of magical realism, a la Isabelle Allende, but not sure that qualifies as paranormal. Also loved A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle, about the dead., but it’s called fantasy. At least this genre likes strong female characters.
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It’s easy for genres to trend on each other. That’s why there are so many sub-genres. It’s hard to tell which rules for what to follow!
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I like paranormal, Jacqui but I really don’t read enough of it (this post is a great reminder for me). Two of my stories touch on the paranormal and I absolutely loved writing them because it was a great way to really stretch my imagination 😀
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I think it’s harder than it sounds. You get to make up the world, but it has to make sense.
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Reblogged this on Jessica Marie Baumgartner and commented:
This hits it on the head, and I should know, I write this kinda stuff
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And thanks for the reblog!
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As a paranormal romance writer, this is SPOT ON! great tips
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Thanks for weighing in, Jessica. That means a lot!
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I can barely handle normal. Paranormal is beyond me.
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Boy do I understand that, Andrew.
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Great to read right now because I’m almost ready to pass my medical thriller off to beta readers and it has a touch of paranormal in it. My lead is a man this time around, but he has a strong female sidekick, so maybe I’m covered there. I never thought I’d write paranormal elements, but I had an idea and I went with it. There are a lot of medical thrillers out there, so I try to add another layer to mine, whether a theme like my last one or a subgenre.
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I think the ‘reluctant paranormalist’ is perfect for me. The books I mentioned seemed that way: They weren’t so much a paranormal story as the paranormal kept intruding on the reality of life. That made it believable to me.
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Yes, that’s exactly what mine is. I have a very pragmatic protagonist who can’t quite buy into what’s happening.
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Paranormal writers could learn a lot by looking at the writing of many of the Central and South American authors (though I think they’d be offended at applying the genre to their work.) Some cultures just have a wider spectrum of sensory input than others. For them, the spirits of the dead are ever-present in the day-to-day of living. Maybe they are correct. I’ve often wondered if the influence of our departed loved ones doesn’t shape our actions–maybe as much through how we (our characters) internalize life’s lessons as through actual paranormal interference, but it is still the impact of the “dead hand” in any event.
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Interesting observations. You’d enjoy both Stroud and Graham. All of the books I read by both dealt with family members that couldn’t rest because their deaths weren’t settled.
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I’m generally a straight science kind of gal, but, in my own experience, I have had contact with ghosts, spirits, whatever you want to call them. I know that “witness testimony” is dubious, but it’s tough to discount multiple, verifiable connections. As a result, on the paranormal spectrum, I move through the universe with an open mind.
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Jacqui,
I had the privilege when I first started to review books to read a trilogy from a writer out of the United Kingdom who wrote paranormal, Merlin Fraser. He wrote a beautiful trilogy that I believe you would love. They were my first contact with this genre and his books also paved the way for me to like well-crafted paranormal books.
All of the points you have mentioned, I agree with. Paranormal is not fantasy and not romance either.
Great article.
Shalom,
Patricia
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I’ll look up Merlin Fraser on Amazon. I’m currently reading James Runcie’s cozy mystery series “Grantchester Mysteries”, but it’s only four books long. I’ll be on the hunt for the next read soon.
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I’ve never read in the paranormal genre, Jacqui.
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Believe me, I wouldn’t consciously pick one up. I read Stroud when he wrote military fiction. What a surprise to see the huge change of genre!
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I don’t read much in this genre but I note your comment about a strong female lead – that seems to be the case for many genres nowadays, don’t you think? Police & crime particularly. Also I find children have the lead role in many contemporary fiction novels – another recent change.
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I agree. One thing the agents I’ve chatted with like about my thriller is my strong female lead (not that they picked me but that’s a whole nuther story).
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Nice to meet a fellow Vine Voice out here in the wilderness. *secret society handshake*
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Hello there! I rarely run into our group. It is fun, innit?
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A genre I have stayed away from. But, the way you describe it, might actually be fun to read. Perhaps time to try it out 🙂
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I’m with you, Ankur. I was never interested in paranormal. What a surprise that I enjoyed Stroud’s series!
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