Is it paranormal? Fantasy?

What makes a story paranormal? How do you define the line between paranormal and fantasy? Do I really write paranormal? Or has it gone beyond the other and into the realms? And if I do write paranormal, how do I know I have enough to make the grade? All very good questions.

All my stories have at least some magical element in them. Maybe a hereditary witch or just a magical occurence. Vampires, all sorts of shifters and ghosts all fall into the category Paranormal. Don't they? But have you ever seen a fanged vampire of the legendary variety, or seen a man shift into a wolf or panther? (Not me, but that would be too cool.) So, then aren't they Fantasy? Or do we reserve that slot for dragons, wizards and other worlds.

If I set a story on earth in either this universe or an alternate reality and the main character/s have a super ability than overshadows their everyday lives I consider it paranormal. If I choose to plunk the same characters in a world three galaxies away where dragons bow down to frogs and they all talk, that's fantasy. Is it paranormal enought? Or should I be targeted places like Tor? Depends on the reader, writer and scores of others. When it comes down to it, write what you love. That's what you know best and your heart will tell you when its found the right home.

*Have a piece of Virtual strawberry cake with cream cheese icing. It's my b'day!"

*smiles*
Beth

Do I really write paranormal?

Have you noticed that vampires are a hot commodity these days?  My stories don't include vampires or weres of any kind.  They don't have fairies or elves.  No dragons or unicorns, either.

So do I really write paranormal?

I think so.

Of my main characters, one is a Lakota spirit guide.  He offers insight to my protagonist in ways that my "flesh-and-blood" characters can't.  But is it enough?

Between Stephanie Meyer and her Twilight series, Charlaine Harris and her Sookie Stackhouse books, and JR Ward and the Black Dagger Brotherhood, the market is full of vampires.  Come to think of it, each of  those series has a few token werewolves, as well.

So what do you think makes a story paranormal?  Does it count if "mythical" creatures aren't represented?  Or do ghosts and tarot cards in the story qualify?

I'd love to hear your opinions!

Blessings!

Nichole

Welcome Guest C.J. Ellisson

C.J. Ellisson is an avid reader of anything paranormal, fantasy and supernatural. She noticed there was decided lack in the genre for hot monogamy and decided to write a book revolving around a dedicated couple.

A married mother of two, C.J. is struggling, like most, to balance all aspects of her life. The fit seems to be a good one so far! Her passion comes through in her vibrant characters and their humorous outlook on life.

Visit The VV Inn located in Alaska, a resort for the undead and their companions. The hot married innkeepers manipulate the sexual escapades of the guests while trying to solve a murder. It’s a harried week of adventure to say the least! Come explore the world she creates and see if you aren’t drawn in too.http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/pages/CJ-Ellisson/76170436815http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/user_id/cjellissonhttp://cjellissondailygrind.blogspot.com/

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From Book Club to Writer

I’m a new writer in the paranormal genre – well, let me clarify further. I’m a new writer, period. I’ve always had ideas; I’ve always had visions of grandeur and I’ve always had dreams about writing a book.

My book club and one member changed that all for me.

This past January, near the end of the month, I attended a book club where the book discussed was ‘The Other Boleyn Girl.” I didn’t finish it, but watched the movie instead. I was much more interested in getting back to my fast-paced vampire and werewolf books; they always hold me, grip me by the throat, and drag me along to finish reading quickly.

What I did get out of the meeting was much more important than discussing the latest book, I heard two of my friends talking about the books they are writing. I was shocked. What could they know about this that I didn’t? Could it really be as easy as just writing stuff down?

One of them, Supriya, drove me home that night and we talked in my driveway for almost an hour about her book, writing and my ideas. She was incredibly enthusiastic and supportive – loved my concept, loved my opening line and told me to get to work. I thanked her profusely, but honestly thought she was just being kind.

She contacted me the next day. She was serious when she offered for us to get together to talk about writing. The email she left told me we would get together in a few days for lunch and she wanted to see an outline.

Holy Crap! An Outline?!?

Ideas started churning in my head and I started to think of the plot. I mean really try to figure out where it could go. A day or two later she called me to confirm, and as of yet, I had still done nothing. Her kindness and high energy just oozed through the line – it was contagious! She told me to skip the outline and start writing the first chapter, that I had so many ideas I should get them down on paper.

That was when I started to think maybe I could give it a try, and if it was bad, well, at least I gave it a shot.

On February 10th, I started to write. When Supriya and I met for lunch the following week I had the whole chapter done and she was the first after my husband to read it. She was floored!! She couldn’t stop saying enough good things and made my head so big I was lucky I ever came back to earth!

I started to write more in earnest, followed her sage advice to make sure I knew the end before I started, and began to outline my work. The outline had always been in my head, but now I put pen to paper and wrote three or four short sentences describing the action/movement of plotline in each one.

By the time I hit chapter nine in March, I knew I should get some feedback. What would happen if I kept going and it was all crap? Supriya had read some more and still raved about everything I wrote and offered me some of the best critiques on my pieces to date. But, well, honestly, at this point I started to think she was blowing some serious sunshine up my a**.

Who the hell am I? I have no background in writing, I’m just some schmoe that decided to give it a go. She gave me some great direction – take some classes, join a critique group, join some writing guilds and learn to hone the craft.

I joined several guilds, two crit groups, two critiquing sites and then started to market myself everywhere I could think of. I have a sales background, so this part was easier for me then writing.

Now, here I am in May and I’m on chapter 15! Yes, I slowed down with all the re-write distractions, critiquing and self promoting, but I’m firmly back on track. I have a following on Facebook, which still shocks me, and am signed up for my first writing class next month.

I met Bethany in a crit group and she invited me here – for which I feel very honored. This truly is a Frightening Journey, the road to becoming published and I’m grateful to be included among such talent.

Thanks – I’m happy to be here,
C.J. Ellisson

World building & believing

I’ve written in a lot of different genres, but I have to say doing the paranormal thing is by far the most satisfying genre I do. Why? I have the freedom to write about whatever I want in whichever setting my mind can dream up. It’s an awesome feeling.

Prime example: Just sold a vampire book in which the bulk of the setting takes place in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Park. It’s a beautiful place, all full of woods, sandy lakeshore, marshes, hilly dunes, walking trails and history. I thought it would be the perfect place for a regular woman to encounter the paranormal world: vampires, fairies, a goat man, a werewolf. I even incorporated some local ghost story lore into the mix.

Awesome. It’s amazing what your imagination can come up with if you give it half the chance. Of course, that being said, it totally creeps me out to be in the woods after dark—for no other reason because of my overactive imagination. The worlds I create seem to taunt and tease me.

For its sequel, the paranormal once again comes sneaking into real life. A marriage councilor is a gypsy, an attorney is in reality a dragon, a disgruntled mermaid who spends her time in a rusted out school bus in a golf course lake, and a pixie with an attitude that lives in an upstairs linen closet. If you can dream it, you can write it.

My point? I guess I don’t really have one today, but if you should have any questions, please ask. I’ll be back—every Thursday—unless the things that go bump in the night get me first…

Once again, of course, I'm running horribly late. Thankfully I'm at least getting the Blog in on the right day.

I've written before about how my characters don't seem to want to go where I want them to go. It's a constant source of frustration for me. And finally this week, I'd had enough. I decided if the damn things didn't want to go where I wanted them to go, then I'd sit back and let them lead me.

And something wonderful happened.

Wanda suddenly became Olivia. There were no vampires. No ware wolves. Instead, an entirely new creature emerged, something I'd only read about once or twice. Something akin to the Dunadane ( I know I didn't spell that right) from Lord Of The Rings. Olivia and Steven (as they will now be known) showed me that the story I started out with was a good jumping off point, but the one they would finish would be so much better.

So I'm sorry that the Blog entry is a little late today, but I have a good reason...


I was writing.

Skeletons in the Closet...

Do you run your characters lives like a special op? Need to know basis only? How much information is too much? No writer wants the dreaded "info dump" yanking their readers out of the story, but without some information how can the reader identify with your heroine or hero?

Every hero and heroine, even the secondary characters, need a few skeletons in the closet. A past is important to the whys and whats of the now. The hero lost a wife and child, or the heroine is abused by her ex. These types of things make your characters breathe and strive to fight through the current mess you put them in, but please don't give me the graphic detail of past wrongs. Do we care as readers if Howl's cousin ten times removed tossed his mother-in-law off a bridge because she insulted his potato salad and his dog on his birthday? LOL Of course not, as a writer it's important to know. How else could we understand why our characters do what they do?

Watch Fridays for new guest bloggers. Up this week is C.J. Ellison.

Blessings,
Beth

A little bit of history, a little bit of mystery

For you writers out there, how well do you know your characters before you write them?

For you readers, how much of the character's past do you really want to know?

I get the idea that authors need to know their characters.  Unfortunately, I have a tendency to want to share all that I know!  So how much history do readers want?  Do you want to know what makes my antagonist do what he or she does?  What makes them into murderers and such?  Or is it enough to know why my protagonist feels the need to help bring the killer to justice?

To be honest, I don't always know what motivates my characters.  Maybe that's why I want to share the things I do know.  As a writer, it's enough for me to know what makes my antagonist act at the moment.  As a reader, I am usually OK with that, as well.  I want to know how and why the crime was  committed, but I don't necessarily need to know everything that led the "perp" to that moment.

Its almost like a balancing on a tightrope, this fine line between what to give a reader and what I need to know as the author.  Give the reader enough information to care -- to show that even the "bad guy" isn't all bad, and the "good guy" has some issues to work out -- but not so much information that the story lags.  

And I know most of it before I start.  Maybe its because I write mysteries, but I feel like I need to at least know who the antagonist is before I write the first words of the story.  I couldn't imagine having my characters decide they needed to change their past on me!  YIKES!

But I do want to know.  Do you, as a reader, want to know their whole pasts?  Or just enough to make the story flow?  

Blessings!

Nichole