“Literature (from Latin litterae (plural); letter) is the art
of written work. The word literature literally means "things made from
letters". Literature is commonly classified as having two major
forms—fiction & non-fiction—and two major techniques—poetry and prose.” [Wikipedia]
Writers write Literature, good writers understand that
different genres fit different people. Novels are always Fiction and saying ‘fictional
novel’ is redundant and unnecessary. Contemporary fiction generally takes place
AFTER World War 2. It’s been proven time and time again that reading is vital
to writing; although you may prefer one form of literature over another having
an understanding of the various types of stories can only enhance your ability
to write.
A genre consists of artistic works that fall within a certain
central theme; examples of genre include romance, mystery, crime, fantasy,
erotica, and adventure, among others. There are many genres of literary fiction,
here are a few that go beyond the “norm”; Paranormal includes elements beyond scientific
explanation, and may be a blend of themes from the genres of traditional
fantasy, science fiction, or horror:
“Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginative
content such as futuristic settings, futuristic science and technology, space
travel, parallel universes, extraterrestrial life, and paranormal abilities.”
SciFi relies on WHAT IF about scientific concepts.
“Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses
magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary plot element, theme, or
setting.” Fantasy can include wizards, witches, spells and occurrences there
may be no “logical” explanation for.
“Horror fiction, horror literature and also horror
fantasy is a genre of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to
frighten its readers, scare or startle viewers/readers by inducing feelings of horror
and terror.” This may contain both explainable and unexplainable elements that
are designed to frighten.
[all definitions are from Wikipedia]
The beauty of writing a paranormal is that you are not
confined to a set program – maybe your vampire doesn’t like the taste of blood
or enjoys sunning herself on the beach. Perhaps the Lycan parents are
disappointed that their son wants to be a vegetarian. Things do NOT have to be
what you expect them to be. You can make your paranormal character(s) anything
you want because only your imagination dictates the story.
Build your paranormal character – what is different about
him/her from those around him? Understand what your character’s abilities are
before fully developing the plot. How does your character interact with others?
How does the character’s abilities change the way things happen? (Remember the
old Bewitched series, Samantha could do the dishes like a “normal” housewife…
or she could just twitch her nose.) Just like any other character, you as the author
need to know the character’s background and the things that made the character
the way he is.
Your plot may sound otherwise like a normal story, the
paranormal elements though will alter the expected outcomes and create twists
and conflicts. There will be surprising reactions from the others who do not
share the same paranormal abilities. Time does not necessarily flow smoothly or
even in chronological order, communication may take simple thought only, things
may be seen that aren’t really there. Your paranormal story starts with
anything that doesn’t follow the normal/usual
way of thinking.
Writing exercise: Think about something that may have occurred
to you in the past that really had an unexpected outcome (such as a serious car
accident that you did NOT get hurt in). Write a paragraph or two telling what
happened and using a paranormal element to explain it. Let your imagination go.
Writing Prompt: Imagine that a ghost inhabits your house.
In 140 letters or less (approx 28 words) describe the ghost – Can you give your
ghost a name?
