by Lisa Gail Green, @LisaGailGreen
Lending realism to paranormal. It sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? But allowing your readers to suspend their disbelief is vital if you’re writing in this genre or any other type of speculative fiction. Think of Harry Potter for a moment. What was it about an entire society of witches and wizards complete with schools, government and other fantastical creatures that allowed us to read on while hoping for an owl of our own?
I’ve broken down five features I believe are imperative to creating “realistic” paranormal.
1. The details.
It’s the small things that matter. If I buy into a world I want to be able to taste the food, feel the textures, hear the sounds – not just for the major things, but for the everyday bits as well. How does a werewolf shave? Does he laugh at the silliness of it?
2. The characters must be human.
I don’t mean literally. Your MC can be an alien with three heads for all I know. What I mean is that inside, the thoughts and feelings should be familiar to the reader. We have to be able to connect on a visceral level. So as long as we have that internal connection, the character will be much easier to accept.
3. The world must be complete in the author’s mind.
If you don’t understand your world, neither will your reader. You have to know how everything works and fits together if you want to have a hope of conveying it to others. Don’t gloss over parts you are having trouble with, make sure you have a reason and that it all fits together, otherwise fix it.
4. There must be no discrepancies.
If your vampire can’t see himself in a mirror, you better have a very good reason why the girl see’s him coming at the end through a reflection in the water. Make sure if there’s a rule, you carry through to the end. If your MC saves the day because of some hidden power, please build up to that reveal, so it feels natural and not like something you came up with to get yourself out of a corner you’ve written yourself into!
5. The rules must be based on universal truths.
I’m going to assume the laws of gravity apply unless otherwise stated. And even if you don’t reveal every last thing, you will find it helps to have a solid reason as to why things are the way they are. The logic will translate onto the page.
What do you think? Have I missed any key elements?
Lisa Gail Green writes paranormal and fantasy. Her newest publication is IDENTITY CRISIS in the anthology GODS OF JUSTICE.
Lisa is an active participant on EnchantedInkpot.com as well as ChildrensPublishing.blogspot.com. You can find Lisa most often on her own blog at paranormalpointofview.blogspot.com or Twitter as @LisaGailGreen. She would most definitely have a werewolf for a pet if she weren’t allergic.
It sounds brilliant actually, as does your advice Lisa. An excellent guest post filled with great advice. Thank you!
Thanks for coming by, Heather!
Elizabeth – Thanks for hosting Lisa.
Lisa – I think the key is that there has to be a way for the reader to identify with what’s happening in the story and feel drawn into it. And that’s not possible if there’s nothing that the reader can connect with and see as familiar. As you say, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a three-headed alien as the protagonist but there has to be something that “reaches” the reader.
Connecting on some level is so important to any story. Thanks for the comment, Margot!
I watched Enemy Mine again the other day, and what I really liked about it was it took the raciscm question to the extreme, but totally nailed the issues.
The world, the characters, the cultural issues, all were points I could identify with on a personal level. And that made the sci-fi aspect of the movie just another EEO story. Highly intriguing.
So I have to agree that “worlds” don’t matter, on what we can identify with on a personal level matter in stories. Aliens vs Humans could as easily be Christians vs Muslims. Same story, different setting.
……..dhole
Absolutely! That makes a great story. That’s probably why Avatar was so successful. I don’t think it was ALL special effects. :D
Really good post. These thoughts can be used for every genre. I particularly like the thought about keeping the rules going throughout the book. Definitely a good rule to remember.
Great points. Regarding the humanness of your characters, though – I would say it is okay to have one or two who are completely alien in their thoughts, feelings, actions, etc (as much as a human being can write a character completely alien), as long as they are consistent with themselves, and there are reasons we can comprehend as to why they are this way – whether it be a completely different species, or a character whose humanity has been stripped away for whatever reason, or something else, if it is reasonable and written well, it can add a lot of depth and contrast. And it usually doesn’t work for the main character, because we do need to be able to sympathize with the MC!
That’s a great point, Louise! I agree that as long as the MC is relatable, you have room to play. And it can add contrast.
Great advice, as always, Lisa! I completely agree with the relatability of characters. That’s important in any genre, but especially paranormal and fantasy.
Thanks, Adrienne!
Great tips. For me the emotional/universal truth and the details in the world building, yeah, and I guess the relatability of the characters are all important. And I suspend disbelief pretty easily.
Thanks, Laura. I’m glad you stopped by!
Hi, Lisa, I like your tips.Even though we may know we are reading fantasy, we must believe in it all, or we’ll put the book down.
Teresa
Thanks, Teresa. You absolutely have to believe it while you’re reading it. :D
This is a brilliant post, especially the part about being human and the universal truths. If I can’t relate to the character because she don’t experience human qualities, I’m not going to care about her. And that’s important if I want to keep reading.
Thanks, Stina. I always enjoy being called brilliant. LOL! I’m glad you agreed with my points.
Thanks so much for coming by today, Lisa! I love reading how writers add realism to paranormal (and fantasy, too). These are great tips. I think readers want to feel the writers have been consistent with their worldbuilding and story…and that they’ve put some effort into making it real for the reader.
Elizabeth – thanks so much for hosting me! It’s such a treat to meet new people and talk about this subject. :D
Hi Lisa, thanks for sharing these tips. I spent the better part of last year working on a paranormal mystery (editing now), and what you have shared in this blog is right on. Luckily for me, my MC is very human – with a couple of unexpected quirks! ;) Still, I created a co-existing world with its own set of rules and “normalcy.” I realized early on to keep a spreadsheet of facts in an effort to keep items consistent. So far, so good.
Thanks again for your post, Lisa, and thanks to Elizabeth for hosting you here.
Sounds like you are right on top of it! That’s great. A spreadsheet is a good way to record the rules for the world.
Icess – I’m so glad it was useful to you. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Those points apply to a lot of other genres as well, like fantasy and science fiction.
Absolutely! Any genre really.
These are excellent points! I’ve had the joy of reading each of Lisa’s paranormal manuscripts, and she truly has a gift for this genre.
Awwww, Julie!!! Thanks. :D
Great advice, Lisa. Nothing bugs me more than when the rules are suddenly discarded for the convenience of the hero/heroine/author!
Oh it’s painful! I feel cheated as a reader when that happens.
The devil is definitely in the details. Making sure every word counts is so challenging, but so rewarding when you get it right. Great post, Lisa! And now I want to see a werewolf shave! :-)
I know! Me too, right? LOL! Now one of us has to do that…
Ah. I think I seen some of these tips all over the place, but it’s nice to see them in one place.
Thanks. Sometimes looking at the same info in a new way can trigger something.
Awesome post, Lisa! I agree with everything you’ve said here. Once I edited a MS where the paranormal characters had many non-cannonical behaviors. My only beef was there wasn’t enough consistency or explanation. That’s maybe another point. If your vampires walk around in the daytime, you need to explain that somehow. :o) <3
That would make me wonder if the author understood why herself. :D
That’s a true statement – if we don’t understand the world, our readers will be really lost.
So true. In my first manuscript I made that mistake. I just avoided the subject. BIG mistake. Luckily we learn from each try!
Excellent points. I don’t write paranormal, yet, but friends do. Tweeted and shared on my group page.
Thank for passing it along, Karen! I find I can use many tips from other genres if I apply them to mine. I hope you find something useful!
Yay, for a great post. You hit the nail on the head with making a world and characters relatable no matter if they are real or not. Even a dragon can have a bad day. I get that. I totally get that.
In GHOSTS ON THE RED LINE, I explore how commuters on Boston’s Red Line trains might encounter people whom they know had died while leaving (largely) unanswered whether the visitors are ghosts or hallucinations. Eventually a cause is determined for the visitations, but their true nature remains still (largely) unknown. I sought to tell the story in a way that is credible to someone who does not believe in ghosts, as I don’t. I don’t know whether I succeed in this but readers say they enjoy the book which is the main thing.
Now that’s an image that’s going to stick in my head: a werewolf shaving! Such excellent points esp. about being human (even when you are not).