Guide to Writing

How to write... Paranormal

The Wattpad Profile: Paranormal

The Wattpad Definition: Paranormal is a form of fiction that occurs in a modern-day setting, but contains creatures or happenings that are beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding or "normal" human experience. Paranormal stories often explore a human protagonist within a paranormal world, as well as their encounter with paranormal beings or individuals with paranormal abilities, such as ghosts, angels, vampires, werewolves, clairvoyants, or telekinetics.

In plain English: Takes place in modern times, and any magical or fantasy elements are definitely considered "abnormal" by humans.

Famous Examples: The Mediator series by Meg Cabot; the Power of Five series by Anthony Horowitz; The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

Famous Film/ TV Examples: Shadowhunters; Charmed; The X Files

Paranormal fiction is a genre that can be written in so many different ways: from otherworldly romances, to wars between light and dark, to apocalyptic futures. It's a genre that has also gained massive prominence with the success of stories such as Twilight and The Mortal Instruments. As with all genres, though, there are some basic dos and don'ts of the genre that can help you all become better writers of paranormal fiction. Here are a few:

Do keep it realistic - By definition, paranormal fiction takes place in a modern-day setting. Therefore unlike in fantasy stories where everyone knows and accepts magical phenomena, it's important to remember that people in our world do not. This could bring up questions that you may need to answer at some point in the story, such as how people with abilities or different paranormal creatures haven't been noticed in today's technological age. Make sure it's clear to us how these figures fit into our society!

Don't be inconsistent - Following on from that, make sure the rules are established, and logistically make sense. If for example you have a rule that witches can only control one element, make it clear why it is that your lead can control four. If a character defies the norm (or at least what is considered "the norm" by your paranormal standards) then make the reason why obvious, otherwise readers will be scratching their heads wondering what makes the main so different.

Do know the lore - Even if you intend to twist and adapt it for your own needs, do understand the basic rules of the paranormal entities you're using. This is going to be all that people know, so messing up the basic details is likely to confuse readers. Only when you know the general myths can you then change and alter them to suit the needs of your story.

Don't make your characters unrelatable - A five hundred year old vampire is probably a difficult character to write. No one living could possibly relate to having lived through that much history, or dealing with the world changing around them so drastically. That said, we still need to relate to that character if they're one of the leads. This is something that can only be portrayed through the characterisation - even though readers may not relate to the experience of someone far older, they can relate to knowing someone that seems far more intelligent than them.

That said, don't make them so relatable that you ruin the integrity of the character. Using the above example, a five hundred year old vampire is unlikely to behave like a seventeen year old boy, despite their appearance. Portraying a character in such a way can ruin how realistic they are to the reader.

Do be unique! - Paranormal is a genre very similar to fantasy, only set in the modern world. Just as with fantasy, you can let your imagination run wild. You can put your own spin on various known paranormal creatures, make new ones, or look at paranormal creatures that are rarely touched upon to deliver something truly exciting. Like with all genres, nothing has to fit into a cookie-cut mould!

Misconception #1: Fantasy vs. Paranormal

Some people get confused when trying to tell the difference between the two genres. If you're struggling to work it out, the main focus is on the difference between the worlds. If your story is primarily set in the modern world, and humans would generally find it weird to see a witch, then it's paranormal. If you've created a whole new world or realm, and people wouldn't be shocked at that witch, it's fantasy.

Misconception #2: Romances

Paranormal romance has almost taken over the genre when it comes to teen fiction, but romance is not a compulsory element. If you want to write a story without love, that's your choice, and it's certainly not needed.

Misconception #3: Paranormal characters = school stereotypes

As mentioned above, making otherworldly creatures can be difficult to relate to. One common way teen fiction writers seem to combat this is by making certain creatures fall within particular school stereotypes, such as the gothic or "too cool for school" vampire, the wildly popular werewolves, the quirky/ awkward witches, the bad boy/ bad girl demon, etc. While it's understandable that certain traits are likely to fall into a certain stereotype in a high school setting, you're not obligated to do the same. Like any person, characters are not set stereotypes, so feel free to try something new with your characters!

Chosen by you: Top 10 paranormal clichés

As always, here are the top 10 clichés of the paranormal genre, as voted for by you on Wattpad. Thanks to all of you that contributed, and here they are, with number one being your most common cliché!

10. The paranormal lead character that is "good" whereas the rest of their kind is considered "bad"

9. Villain related to main

8. Forbidden romance

7. Destiny/ Fate

6. New kid at school

5. War

4. Love triangles (often between differing species)

3. Overpowered lead characters

2. "Normal" humans caught in the middle

1. Councils and/ or Secret corporations

Honourable mentions: oblivious best friends; curses; graveyards, ghosts and haunted houses; supernatural schools; paranormal apocalypses; science experiments

We hope this helps you all! What advice do you have on writing an awesome paranormal story?