Writing the Paranormal Novel: Techniques and Exercises for Weaving Supernatural Elements Into Your Story.

by Steven Harper

Vampires, werewolves, and zombies, oh my!Writing a paranormal novel takes more than casting an alluring vampire or arming your hero with a magic wand. It takes an original idea, believable characters, a compelling plot, and surprising twists, not to mention great writing.This helpful guide gives you everything you need to successfully introduce supernatural elements into any story without shattering the believability of your fictional world or falling victim to common cliches.You'll learn how    • Choose supernatural elements and decide what impact the supernatural will have on your fictional world   • Create engaging and relatable characters from supernatural protagonists and antagonists to supporting players (both human and non-human)   • Develop strong plots and complementary subplots   • Write believable fight scenes and flashbacks   • Create realistic dialogue   • And much moreComplete with tips for researching your novel and strategies for getting published, Writing the Paranormal Novel gives you everything you need to craft a novel where even the most unusual twist is not only possible - it's believable.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Horror, Crafts

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 15, 2011

About the author

A pseudonym of Steven Piziks

Steven Harper Piziks was born with a name that no one can reliably spell or pronounce, so he often writes under the pen name Steven Harper. He lives in Michigan with his family. When not at the keyboard, he plays the folk harp, fiddles with video games, and pretends he doesn’t talk to the household cats. In the past, he’s held jobs as a reporter, theater producer, secretary, and substitute teacher. He maintains that the most interesting thing about him is that he writes books.

Steven is the creator of The Silent Empire series, the Clockwork Empire steampunk series, and the Books of Blood and Iron series for Roc Books. All four Silent Empire novels were finalists for the Spectrum Award, a first!

Reviews

[Kimberly [Come Hither Books] · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was both interesting and useful. As a focused writing book, it didn't waste a lot of time addressing general issues that can be found in a hundred other writing books. Instead, it got right to the point and focused on the unique problems that arise specifically when your characters have special powers and your world includes non-humans. Although the focus was on paranormal characters, much of the information would also be helpful with fantasy or magical realism settings.

Writing the Paranormal Novel would also be interesting to craft-conscious genre readers. Examples are drawn from a wide variety of prominent genre novels, and it made the lessons enjoyable as a reader too. The insight I gained changed my awareness of some quirks of the genre, and it will make my next read fun on a new level.

Recommended for writers using characters with special powers of any kind, and readers of paranormal or fantasy who enjoy thinking about craft and technique while they read.

[Thomas Edmund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harper's Writing the Paranormal novel provides solid advice on creating fantasy novels full of witches, werewolves, dragons and daywalkers. The first part provides the best information focussing on how to incorporate supernatural elements into a story without overwhelming the audience.

The later chapters were interesting enough, however started to slip into general writing advice (not bad advice mind but not specific to the paranormal which one would read this book for.) Overall this book was an enjoyable read - not mind blowing, but by no means a waste of time either.

[BLynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The information was good, but I felt like this book was missing or lacking on some paranormal aspects. In some instances, I felt that the information was more connected to the fantasy genre.

[Zora · Rating 3 out of 5]

For beginning writers. At first, I liked the casual, friendly tone, but then it seemed the organization was a bit too casual too, making it come off like a second draft. 2.5 stars rounded up because I'm trying to be nicer this week. ; )

[Tarl · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to write books are a dime a dozen these days. It's really hard to find one that not only presents good ideas, but is also a pleasure to read. This book manages to provide a large number of good ideas as well as being a sheer pleasure to read. Add into it a number of good exercises that help you understand what Harper is talking about, and you've got yourself a wonderful read that will teach you a number of things about not only writing in the paranormal genre, but also writing as a whole.

Harper does an amazing job with this book and brings a lot of examples to his writing. These work extreamly well within each chapter, one of my favorites being the examples of Voice and the differences between different authors' writing voices.

All in all, pick this book up, it's a wonderful read and insanely helpful.

[LKM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book.

Had plenty of common sense advice, though, so I suppose it'd be good for newbies to writing and to the genre.

Liked the checklists, the exercises were interesting.

Just about the only thing I didn't agree with was the using social networks advice and the part that said that using the internet "couldn't hurt" (uh, yes it can: become one of those writers who lash out at negative criticism on your book and it'll hurt you. :P)

Also liked when it went on the part of research and interviewing people, because most books I've read so far didn't touch the interviewing part so much, while this one did.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic reference book for ANY author. It breaks down each part of the paranormal novel from theme to characters and everything in between. There are exercises in the book within each section to help get the point across which I did not do this time around but when I use the book as a reference, and I will I am going to do the exercises if I get stuck. I highly recommend this book for any author looking to weave the supernatural into their writing.

[Ms. Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would highly recommend this read to anyone having trouble with their paranormal world, the do's and don'ts of your character's supernatural powers, ways to add more conflict, and picking a flaw for your hero to overcome. The book has so much more, but those were the basics I was looking for. This read started at the idea stage for those just getting to the brainstorming stage and his writing was very easy to understand. Again a great tool that is now filled with sticky-noted pages.

[Kenya Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great and helpful book! Ir rocks!

[Sue Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great tips for stories. Great inspiration for those that want to write paranormal books. The book gives you plenty to think about which helps improve your story.

[Donna Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! It gives so many great examples and excellent knowledge to help you. Highly recommend this one.

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful, funny, and with actually useful exercises in it. You can tell Mr. Harper has a background as a teacher, and he uses it to his advantage here to explain and expand on the elements that make up paranormal novels (and a lot of fiction in general). Some of the advice is rather basic, but none of it feels sloggish to get through, and Mr. Harper's voice is distinctly casual and approachable. He doesn't talk down to you, he doesn't judge, and he offers copious examples to show you what he means at every turn.

On the cons, you can tell he's a high school teacher as a lot of what he talks about is very basic and somewhat generic, and I would have liked more in depth talk about the paranormal genre itself and what sets it apart from other styles of fiction writing.

I'll still be coming back to this when I'm ready to revise and pick apart my own writing, and I definitely recommend it to others trying to write stories with supernatural themes, characters, and plots, but be warned that if you read a lot of writing help books, you'll probably have moments like back in your high school English classes where your eyes glaze over while he spends a chapter talking about Character Building 101.

3.5 out of 5 stars for me.

[L.B. Holding · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ebook from Writer's Digest, this is one of the best "how to's" on writing that I've read, and I've read a lot, most of which I don't log on Goodreads because I don't want to hurt the authors' feelings online. Writing paranormal has been a completely new thing for me, but since I've been editing in this genre for a few years, I thought I'd give it a shot with a witch cozy. It's been fun so far, and the more cozies/vampire romances/were borderline erotica I read, the more I come away saying, "hmmph! I could do that!" Harper talks about building worlds, how you have to pay attention to the rules of your magic, how to not disappoint your reader by breaking said rules...but more importantly, he doesn't stop at paranormal; his advice is universal, and this reader appreciated his insight.

[PRJ Greenwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful book in regards to dealing with the world of publishing and rejection and so on, but with any of these "how-to" works, I question the end result of following them. What kind of writing does a new author expect to have once they've finished with this book, and adhered to the advice within? Do they see it for the learned opinion it is, or is it a kind of bible? Do they think all of the "quirks" of their style/word usage will be ironed out once they take the advice on board?

Not the author's fault how it is used, of course, just my general view on writing guides to begin with. Advice on how to deal with the industry is invaluable - advice on how to place one English word after the other on paper or a screen is going to be opinion and purely subjective no matter who is the author.

[Claudio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un excelente libro sobre cómo incorporar el elemento sobrenatural a la novela, y no quedarse en un simple reemplazo (novio matón por un hombre lobo, como dice otra reseñadora). Hace un muy buen repaso a los tipos de seres que se pueden usar y sus características, los personajes clichés (y cómo evitarlos), los arquetipos de protagonistas y antagonistas, la importancia de definir el sistema de magia/poderes y sus límites, y mucho mas.
Es un excelente complemento sobre cómo escribir novelas.

[Ronel Janse van Vuuren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great primer on what has to go into a paranormal novel, no matter the other genres involved (e.g. romance) and how to write it. Though mostly focusing on certain supernatural creatures, it is something that can be applied as easily to a werehyena as to a werewolf.

A must-have in the library of anyone writing in the paranormal spectrum.

[Joana Stoyanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! I am not strictly a paranormal writer myself but I have a new(this time paranormal) story in mind and I decided to check it out. I was not disappointed at all. And the part about the publishing process was so unexpectedly detailed and clear that I feel like a veil has been lifted :D

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've owned this book for years but am currently a bit stuck in my WIP so thought it couldn't hurt to have another read through. This is a really useful book for anyone writing paranormal fiction and I would highly recommend it

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of the info in this book is applicable for all writers and not just the ones who are into the paranormal. I'm not disappointed; I just thought it would be something different.

[J. Dorner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Lots of cool tips and tricks. Glad I read this one.

[Yvonne Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book.
Has a lot of advice and has exercises to help you in your writing.

[Merenwen Inglorion · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, rounded up

Reasons for rounding up:
-Just enough writing exercises to give you a taste of the lessons; not so frequent that you felt like you had homework for the weekend
-A couple of chapters focused on editing had some great example paragraphs
-Handy dandy reference lists AND checklists (LISTS!!!!)
-This covered pretty much everything from beginning to end; from story development to publication (a tad dated, especially in regards to Indie publishing, but still applicable)!

What I didn't like so much:
-Honestly, the only thing that bugged me was he sort-of-kind-of paid Twilight a compliment a couple times. XD
-Also the fact that I didn't learn any new techniques (but the presentation and a couple reference books made up for that)

Overall a solid and succinct introduction to Fantasy/Paranormal writing. Will definitely be keeping this on my reference shelf, for those days when I get so lost in the process that I forget where I'm going.

[Mart Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing the Paranormal Novel is an excellent guide not only for writing a paranormal story, but it is also useful for writing fiction.

The book is broken into four parts: Gathering the Elements, Summoning the Characters, Casting the Words, and Banishing the Book. It covered lots more than I expected.

Not only does author Steven Harper go over the basics on how to add elements of paranormal and keeping it real, but he also touches base on important topics such as: How to present yourself when researching, interviews, clichés, writing believable fight scenes and flashbacks, and how to avoid two-dimensional protagonist and antagonists. Each chapter is very detailed and easy to follow. Great techniques and exercises for weaving supernatural elements into your story.

A nice little bonus is added in the last two chapters. In chapter 14, The Reality, he talks about the publishing world, what expect and strategies for getting published. He also shows you how to deal with scams, criticism, queries, rejections, pitch sessions and more. In the final chapter, Destruction and Creation, he shares how to build your career with a little hard work.

All in all, this book is packed to the rim with lots of great tips and info. Whether you're thinking about writing a paranormal novel or just want to learn more about writing, this book has it all.

A great read for aspiring novelists. Especially paranormal novelists.

Steven Harper Piziks was born in Saginaw, Michigan, but he moved around a lot. Currently he lives with his wife and three sons near Ann Arbor, Michigan. His novels include In the Company of Mind and Corporate Mentality, both science fiction published by Baen Books. Writing as Steven Harper for Roc Books, he has produced The Silent Empire series. He's also written movie novelizations and books based on Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and The Ghost Whisperer.

Mr. Piziks currently teaches English in southeast Michigan. When not writing, he plays the folk harp, dabbles in oral storytelling, and spends more time on-line than is probably good for him.

Reviewed by Martha Ramirez of Bookpleasures

[Rachel Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is divided into four parts. Each part has a quirky title with a supernatural theme which I found a lot of fun. They include gathering the elements, summoning the characters, casting the worlds, and banishing the book. The only one title that seemed out of place as a section name was banishing the book. This makes it seem like we are trying to get rid of it or punish it in some way. That section is all about getting it published. But, for me the name just seemed misplaced with all the other sections about bringing together and “summoning” the parts of the book.

Gathering the element talks about what makes a paranormal book paranormal. This is really great for knowing the difference between paranormal and fantasy/ science fiction. The next section, summoning the characters has a lot of great information about character building. Steven goes over everything from deciding what your characters background is to avoiding cliches in character development. Casting the worlds will be beneficial to new writer. This section covers plot, arc, fight scenes, language, and editing. It will not be the know all end all of information for how to write a book, but serves as an excellent introduction. Finally, in banish the book, Steven gets into the nitty gritty of publishing your book. He talks about resources for finding an agent, about avoiding emotional melt downs with rejections, and provides a brief mention about self publishing.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will give it 5 stars. It does everything it claims to do on the back cover. Each chapter is concise and provides questions, exercises, and food for thought. Extra did bits about publishing and editing which were not hinted at on the back cover are thrown into the end of the book as an added bonus.

The book might be too basic for more experienced writers, but if you are new to writing or new to supernatural writing then this book is great. I am using what I learned to plan my first YA supernatural book. Coming from a non fiction background this book is exactly what I needed to help me get started.

[Adrienna · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a few great points in the book where I shared in my Dream 4 More Firm and other author groups on Facebook.

Writing the Paranormal novel by Steve Harper says, "Write what you know (page 67)." This is usually what I go by and research things I'm not clear or unsure of.

"The main thing to remember about being in a writer's group is that it needs to help you improve your writing. If writing isn't getting any better (close to publication), book for another group (page 258)." I am still searching for one that meets this criteria and even tried test readers, but would love to meet them locally.

Professional organizations to find out about the markets, editors, agents.

"As a new writer, study other authors to learn from example (paraphrased, p. 256)." I tell authors and writers this all the time on my radio program or in speaking engagements! Do we read books that we want to write about, check the markets and see where they are listed on bookshelves is another notion I express and dear to my heart after being published over 7 years.

"Writing is an art, and no one has the power to say what's good and what's bad."

A couple other key points I taken from this book:
*Look at comments
*Improve writing but too many are worried about how long it will take for rewrites.

*I also took other insight, concepts, and writing advice for a supernatural thriller, apocalyptic thriller working on. This can also be considered under paranormal genre as well; they speak about angels/demons, and other elements in relation to my future upcoming novels.

[Bentley ★ Bookbastion.net · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my search to further expand my own skills as both a writer and a discerning reviewer of material written by other people, this book caught my eye the last time I was at the book store. I'm certainly glad that I picked it up!

This is an exhaustive guide with some great tips on developing your first novel for pretty much any new novelist attempting to break into the field. Of course, while this novel does place a lot of focus on writing the paranormal specifically, it also breaks down important aspects of any novel that a writer should be familiar with, such as theme, and voice, as well as plot and pacing. Much of what I read I was familiar with, but I did come across some new tips and tricks that I'd never heard before. Furthermore, there are some exercises and checklists provided in the pages of this guide that made it well worth the time to read.

I'd recommend this to any burgeoning new novelist looking to expand their knowledge base and comfort level as they begin to put together their first novel. For an already established author, I'm not sure that this guide would be so helpful, but for a first time author there is sure to be content within these pages that is worth your time.

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main theme of this book could best be described as: “Paranormal novels are so hot right now.”

While there’s plenty of helpful advice on world-building, race-building, and ensuring that the paranormal aspects of your story are authentic, the focus seems to be on taking an idea or a fully written piece of work, and tweaking it so it fits into the paranormal or urban fantasy genres. Got an aggressive boyfriend? Turn him into a werewolf! Wondering how to throw a spanner in the works of their romance? Turn one of them into a vampire! As a spec fic writer, I found this attitude borderline offensive, if understandable.

I wouldn’t say it was a bad book, and I certainly don’t regret reading it. There were some genuinely useful pieces of advice, including a how-to guide explaining how to contact professionals to research aspects of your book, from law enforcement officers to scientists. But the mix of extremely basic writing tips, combined with the idea that any book can be made more marketable with the careful application of magic, made me question the target audience of the book.

[Lena Loneson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great primer for writing a book that includes paranormal elements. It's not particularly deep, but it acts as a checklist of questions to ask and elements to address.

For example, what types of paranormal elements might you include in your story? What are the differences between a world where humans know about the supernatural and one where it's completely hidden? Where does magic come from in your world? How does it work?

I'd recommend it to someone who already has a good understanding of the paranormal genre from personal reading: if you love reading paranormals and are drawn to writing them, Harper's book will get you started.

I read it through first to get an overarching view of what I should be thinking about. Now, when I'm planning a new book, I go back to the table of contents and dip into the chapters I need. If I'm struggling with a particular element (for example, building a magic system for my wold) it gets me motivated and reboots my though process.

A definite asset for any new paranormal writer's library, I'm very glad I own a copy of this book.

[Bonnie McDaniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a lot of writing books in my house. I tend to overlook new ones, not because I think I don't have anything left to learn, but because I figure the books I already have cover every conceivable subject.

Then I ran across this little book, and realized I could make room for one more.

Paranormal/supernatural stories require some special skills and techniques not found in real-world fiction, and the author details them quite well. He also details the challenges inherent in fitting a supernatural creature into the modern-day world, covering everything from culture to government to technology. These subjects are not dealt with in excessive detail (if the author did that, the book would be two inches thick) but there's plenty in these little snippets to spark one's imagination.

Altogether, this is an entertaining, useful little book, and I'm glad I added it to my collection.

[Richard Leis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing the Paranormal Novel by Steven Harper covers beginning writing with a focus on paranormal genres. There are sections I particularly enjoyed and found helpful, including advice about how to conduct research, interview experts, etc (Chapters 4 and 10). There are sections that served as good review about elements of craft (the chapters in Part III) and getting published (Part IV.) It's always nice to be reminded that "writers write" and Harper provides lots of this kind of inspiration, with a healthy dash of humor. He uses several good examples from the works of other writers of the paranormal.

I think the book was a little long for this basic material, and at times repetitive. It also relies on platitudes and generalizations, a style that put me off a little. There isn't a lot of depth, but for beginners and those in need of a review, I think this book may be handy, and it will suggest to you topics you'll want to explore further elsewhere.