Top 10 Tips for Writing Paranormal Fiction by Krys Kingston

17 May 2016

Atmosphere. The setting will have a large part to play in the atmosphere of your story. There is a reason a lot of paranormal fiction takes place in remote castles, derelict mansion, stormy sees, or fog bound streets. The setting of each scene is like a casing, shaping the mood and tone of the words within.

Krys Kingston by Marek Chorzepa

Ambiguity. Don't give everything away. Keep your readers guessing . Part of what makes paranormal fiction so successful is the allure and fear of the unknown.

Create suspense. As with the above elements of fear and suspense are what keep your readers on their toes, eagerly flipping to that next page, greedily wanting to know what happens next.

Question what is real. Being faced with things that go against our notion of what is real and possible plays a major role in paranormal fiction.

Have rules. It can be tempting to take complete literary freedom, and write with the notion that anything and everything is possible. Whether your subject matter is that of ghosts, vampires, werewolves etc., a writer must understand that these subjects have a strong foothold not only in folklore but also in literary tradition itself. In order for your story to avoid bordering on absurdity, establish a set of rules for your supernatural being and stick to them. Traditional traits are often easiest to digest by readers.

Keep your story closely tied to reality. My preference will always be for those stories that are strongly fused with reality with only a hint of supernatural. The more I believe the events unfolding could actually happen, the more drawn into the story I become.

Psychological or sexual conflict. Inner turmoil, mixed emotions or moralistic conflict not only acts as a catalyst for major plot elements, but they can also be the result of the supernatural elements of your story. The protagonist is usually pushed to the point of questioning either his or her own sanity or their own 'goodness'.

Read. The more you read the better your grasp of the written word will be. Your writing style develops as you ingest the words of other writers of the same or similar genres. I find reading works written in the period I am writing in helps me in writing dialogue and describing the world my characters are living in.

Research. Whether you are writing a historical or period piece or writing a story that takes place in modern time, it is extremely wise to research the location of your book, the time period, dialogue styles and any folklore or mythology linked to your paranormal subject matter.

Write what you would like to read. And lastly you need to love your characters and the story you are creating for them. If you are not writing about something you are passionate about, or would not like to you yourself read, then you are going to loose interest very quickly.