Paranormal fiction takes the readers into an alternate Earth where ghosts and other ghoulish creatures prowl in the night – or day, in some cases. When it is well done, it makes the readers afraid of what’s to come for the protagonist and other characters in the novel. However, paranormal stories rarely inspire such fear in the readers because they know from the start that what they’re reading can’t happen in real life. From the beginning, they know they are reading a story that couldn’t possibly be set in the real world. There is a way to bypass this – by integrating the real world as much as possible in your paranormal fiction novel. Below, you will be able to find several ways how to do this.
1. Search locally
Every writer knows the phrase “write what you know.” And there is nothing you know better than the house or the city you grew up in or are currently living. You know there is a story behind the house with no inhabitants in your neighborhood – but have you ever asked? Paranormal stories that are based on real world stories have a better opportunity to scare the readers than paranormal stories without a real world basis. It doesn’t even have to be an actual story – sometimes, even just the fact that the events of the book take place in a real world place will make the reading experience that more scary for the readers.
2. Know the facts
When you’re researching real life paranormal stories make sure you get all the facts right. You shouldn’t use the actual facts in your story, but you need to know exactly what happened before continuing. Even the smallest details most people overlook can become important clues or world building elements in your own story. Additionally, you need to understand what happened to know how you can use that in your story – and whether you should use it. Remember, some stories are better left untold.
3. Myths and legends
Nothing is scarier than urban legends coming to life in a story. Urban myths and urban legends always have an origin story, and there are plenty of urban myths all over the world. It makes it easier for the readers to suspend disbelief – in fact, the more elements you infuse from the original story, the better, because it will make your story seem that more real. Changing the setting from the origin story to your own needs to be done carefully and you might need to create an alternate history of the city or town where your story takes place, in order to make it plausible. Remember, the goal is to create a paranormal story that has enough real elements to scare the readers and make them feel as if it can really happen.
4. Unresolved mysteries
There are numerous unresolved mysteries in the world. They might not have supernatural elements or origins that belong in the horror and paranormal genre, but no one has been able to solve them. Plenty of mystery novels revolve around such mysteries, because they offer plenty of opportunities for the writer to interpret them in a unique way. However, remember that when you’re using actual events that happened to real people, you will need to get permission to write about them, or only use the general facts about the mystery and adapt them in your own way.
5. Offer answers and make it believable
When you’re using myths, legends and unexplained mysteries in your paranormal fiction, make sure to offer answers. The paranormal aspect of your story offers plenty of different ways to resolve the mysteries. But what makes a story truly believable is the human aspect – you need to put yourself in your characters’ shoes and experience their fear and show it on the page. Make the readers feel as if the paranormal events could happen to them just as much as they happened to your characters. Don’t stray too far from the real world and create paranormal elements that are unbelievable. If you do that, then you’re writing fantasy, and not paranormal realism.
Image credit: 826 PARANORMAL on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0
Georgina Roy wants to live in a world filled with magic. As an art student, she’s moonlighting as a writer and is content to fill notebooks and sketchbooks with magical creatures and amazing new worlds. When she is not at school, or scribbling away in a notebook, you can usually find her curled up, reading a good urban fantasy novel, or writing on her laptop, trying to create her own.