How To Write A Paranormal Story

What is a paranormal story? We define a paranormal story – with examples – and we give tips on how to write a paranormal story.

Supernatural and paranormal are not the same thing.

The Supernatural Story

The prefix, ‘super’ means means ‘above, beyond, or greater than’. So ‘supernatural’ means ‘greater than nature’. As the supernatural doesn’t operate within the rules of the real world, science will never be able to explain it.

Supernatural stories revolve around gods, demons, the soul, angels, death, the afterlife, and resurrection. While supernatural stories are usually horror stories, they aren’t restricted to that genre. For example, within the supernatural genre you can find:

1. Ghosts – The film Last Christmas is both a romance and a comedy.
2. Gothic stories – Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë has both madness and disembodied voices.
3. The macabre side of horror – Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates
4. Supernatural horror – Pet Sematary by Stephen King
5. The dark side of miracles – Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a prime example of a dark miracle, that of bringing a being made of many ‘someones’ back to life without medical intervention.

The Paranormal Story

The paranormal also can’t be explained by science as it operates outside of the rules of the natural world. However, it could, theoretically, be explained by science at some point in the future. The prefix, ‘para’ means ‘alongside, abnormal’. While paranormal tales could have supernatural elements, the characters are mostly based on:

1. Folklore characters – Circe by Madeline Miller
2. Fairy tales – Fairest of All by Serena Valentino- a retelling of Snow White
3. Aliens and UFOs – The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
4. Werewolves, and other shape shifters. The ‘were’ in werewolf means ‘man’, making a werewolf a man wolf. – Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
5. Vampires – and other ‘undead’ beings. This includes beings that never die except under specific conditions. Think zombies, the Highlander, or Wolverine. – Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks.
6. Creatures with ‘other’ powers – all the X-men characters for example.

Paranormal doesn’t only refer to creatures though. It also includes things like:

1. Time travel
2. Telepathy
3. Telekinesis or Psychokinesis
4. Pyrokinesis
5. Extra Sensory Perception
6. Psychometry

Any genre can have both supernatural, and or paranormal elements within them. Doctor Who, for example, is science fiction with paranormal elements. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is a time-travelling historical romance.

Just like supernatural stories, there is no default genre for paranormal stories either. They can be horror, romance, or comedy.

How To Write A Paranormal Story

1. Everything is fine. For now.

On the outside everything, and everyone, seems completely normal. While Wolverine may look a trifle eccentric, what with the weird hairstyle and gruff attitude, you’d never know he had adamantium claws that grow out from between his knuckles. Unless you seriously annoyed him.

And Dracula? On first meeting you’d think that pale skin and not having a day job just means he’s a rather well-dressed night owl who spends most of his time writing code or playing video games.

Both Wolverine and Dracula have ‘a very particular set of skills’ which don’t make an appearance until the circumstances are right.

2. Your characters don’t usually play nicely with others.

Paranormal characters often shun society, or keep their distance, emotionally at least, from others, especially humans.

3. Do the research.

Don’t decide your characters are wyverns just because you liked the word. Although a wyvern looks like a dragon, there are a lot of differences, and you need to know them. 

4. Stick to the rules.

A fair amount of worldbuilding is required when you’re writing a paranormal story. Things to consider include:

1. The right conditions – If you choose to stick with the traditional rules, then a full moon is required for a human to become a werewolf. You can’t have him suddenly turn into a werewolf just because there was a power failure and the lights went out.
2. If you are going to change their ‘operating system’, stick to it consistently, and make the change seem reasonable. In Twilight, the vampires could come out during the day because direct sunlight didn’t kill them. But it did reveal their secret as it made them sparkle.
3. If you’re going to completely flip the story on its head, then make it a reasonable flip that makes sense. In the TV series Once Upon A Time, Red Riding Hood’s grandmother always locked in her room at the full moon to keep her safe from the ‘big, bad wolf’. We discover later that Red Riding Hood is the wolf and was being locked in to protect everyone else. It’s a particularly bloody and heart-breaking reveal when we, and Red Riding Hood, discover the truth. But it also makes sense.
4. Use foreshadowing. Even in comedy paranormal, foreshadowing is a great tool to hook readers in and point them in the right direction.
5. Don’t over-explain – that’s telling, not showing. Let the reader work it out for themselves.
6. Avoid clichés – great advice no matter what genre you’re writing.
7. Add realistic details to keep your story grounded and feel real as well as more plausible.
8. Be a visual storyteller. If your story is about monsters, readers will want to know what the monsters look like. Is your monster a swaying hulk, a small man demanding you spin straw into gold, or a tutu-wearing opera dancer?

5. Build relatable characters.

Even if, or especially if, they’re monsters. No cardboard cut-out monsters lurching mindlessly across the room. Without motive, emotion, or purpose, your monster and your story will be less effective, and less interesting.

Less interesting characters and stories need to be avoided like the full moon.

The Last Word

Paranormal stories can be fun to write. They are worth the effort to get them right!

If you’d like to write for children, young adults, or adults, why not sign up for one of the rich and in-depth courses and workbooks that Writers Write offers to learn how to write the best book you possibly can.

by Elaine Dodge. Author of The Harcourts of Canada series and The Device Hunter, Elaine trained as a graphic designer, then worked in design, advertising, and broadcast television. She now creates content, mostly in written form, including ghost writing business books, for clients across the globe, but would much rather be drafting her books and short stories.

More Posts From Elaine

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4. The 5 Pillars Of Speculative Fiction
5. The 4 Pillars Of Women’s Fiction
6. The 6 Pillars Of Westerns
7. How To Write A Bestselling Book
8. How To Be Authentic As A Writer
9. How To Use Contrast In Writing
10. What Is Memory? & How To Use Memory In Writing

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