Wednesday, May 13, 2009

what IS paranormal anyway?

Paranormal is anything that is considered "above" normal (thank you Ghost Hunters). But pretty much anything can be considered above normal if you think about it. A door slamming, a strange wind. de javu. If you put spooky enough music behind it, anything can be paranormal.

Since so many things can be weird and spooky, for me, to be classified as paranormal it has to be really outstanding. Ghosts? Yes, but they have to be verifiable GH style. Ware Wolves? Tons of history to back it up, yes! Vampires? Gross (what with all the blood drinking), but yeah, paranormal. Aliens landing? Absolutely qualifies.

But lets face it, paranormal is becoming mainstream. Every day there is a new book or tv show about what used to be considered paranormal. Some are real, some aren't. And with each one that comes out, it's a little less para, and a hell of a lot more normal. We've taken the weirdness out of it. And I'm not too sure that's a good thing. Vamps are done to death (pun intended). Wares have been done from every angle from different species (ware cat) to a WOLF that turns into a HUMAN every full moon. With as many B-grade movies that have come out in recent years, even ghosts are on their way to being passe.

So lets have a resurgence of the old school Para!! Remember the stories your grandparents told you about brownies? Write them down. Are garden Gnomes really the passive observers they appear to be? Who knows!! Know what a "house weight" is? These are part of our paranormal heritage. Something we should keep alive and well!

Though it did start out with a ware wolf main character, my story deals more with paranormal races, rather than the usual vamps and wares. So instead of dealing with just one or two types of Supes, I have almost an unlimited army to choose from. Elves, Drow, Faries. Trolls, ogres, and Imps, Oh MY! I didn't know just how many para-races there are till I started to research it. (currently enamored on a little thing called a Pooka, Still trying to figure out how to work it into the story.)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have to ask, Heather. What is a house weight? Is that like a house elf? Now I want to write a good elven tale and read Eragon again. Ever hear of the "Death Gate series"? There are several para- races included in them, but the books are definitely fantasy.

Sandra Sookoo said...

lol I've written about all of them at one time or another. So fun!

Unknown said...

yes, a house weight is like a house elf. or brownies. they help run the household. I've got a bunch of books i can reccomend