Urban Fantasy/Paranormal writers

[Jan74]

I just thought I would start a thread for those of us who are writing urban fantasy/paranormal novels. The two seem closely related that's why I put both in the title. I'm working on a novel now that centers around a witch who lives in a fictional town in Vermont, although I never say Vermont in my book. I took a few days off my novel writing since it was starting to go in a direction I never intended, so I thought a mini break would be good. My kids are on march break so I will return to it on Monday with fresh eyes.

Today I sketched my MC house. I love drawing. I was having problems with the angles and how to actually draw it, so I googled and found the general house I was looking for which really helped me to draw it. First I did free hand and then re-discovered that little thing called a ruler and wow... a few straight lines and bam my sketch looks a million times better. I find when I'm struggling with writing I need to still be creative so I turn to drawing.

Ok so I hope to hook up with others in my genre. If not then this thread will eventually fall to the bottom over time.

 

[PeteMC]

*waves*

 

[Jan74]

Hello Pete!

 

[LilyJade]

I write Urban Fantasy. The current series is set in modern "London". Quotation marks because while I do try to keep it very close to the real deal, it is an alternate version of the city. I mean, my main character owns a bar there that doesn't actually exist in reality so yea.

I just recently made some character boards on Pinterest. Needed to take a break from the writing and remember why I loved this world and characters so much.

 

[Jan74]

Hi Lily, sometimes a break is good. I took the march break off and it was good for me. I love Pinterest but have taken a break from there, I spent way too much time scrolling! My novel is set in current times but in a fake town, I love drawing and sketching so it allows me the freedom to be creative when it's a town I get to design.

I'm struggling with naming two of my characters. My MC is fine I like her name, but there are two supporting characters I'm struggling with, I've given them names for now but may have to change them later on, which will be a royal pain, so I'm hoping sooner than later I figure them out. The male names I found so easy and they came to me super quick, but the girls I'm having a much harder time with.

 

[Frankie007]

fellow U/F'er here! (thanx to those that helped point that out to me about my current novel i'm working on.)

when i'm not creating stories, i'm playing PC games and creating cities or Sims houses!

so, nice to meet y'all!

 

[Jan74]

Hi Frankie Welcome!

 

[cathyfreeze]

I write and read PNR and UF. Alt-worlds like LilyJade (and lots of my favorite pubbed authors.) I prefer magic and magical beings to be out of the closet, so they'd have influenced society around them.

 

[JulianneQJohnson]

I mostly write paranormal. Mine are in the closet though, lol. Ghosts and witches are my favorite.

 

[Simpson17866]

I love stories about Muggles discovering the secret existence of magic and becoming wizards, and I love stories about villain protagonists. I've never read a story about villain protagonist Muggles discovering the secret existence of magic and becoming dark wizards, but I'm 41k words into mine

 

[Jerboa]

I write both. The novel in my sig is paranormal. The one I'm working on at the mo is urban fantasy - MCs are an immortal, a fairy, a werewolf and a leprechaun and it's based in various locations throughout the west country (where I'm from).

 

[Jan74]

Hi Everyone

I write and read PNR and UF. Alt-worlds like LilyJade (and lots of my favorite pubbed authors.) I prefer magic and magical beings to be out of the closet, so they'd have influenced society around them.

Interesting, is it like X-men where the rest of society that is non-magic views them as a threat?

I mostly write paranormal. Mine are in the closet though, lol. Ghosts and witches are my favorite.

Ghost are the scariest, I don't have any ghosts in my novel, but I could see one in my future for sure.

I love stories about Muggles discovering the secret existence of magic and becoming wizards, and I love stories about villain protagonists. I've never read a story about villain protagonist Muggles discovering the secret existence of magic and becoming dark wizards, but I'm 41k words into mine

That sounds great! So the villain is your mc then?

I write both. The novel in my sig is paranormal. The one I'm working on at the mo is urban fantasy - MCs are an immortal, a fairy, a werewolf and a leprechaun and it's based in various locations throughout the west country (where I'm from).

they are immortal, are they witches then too?

I'm struggling with my characters and where I want them to go. My MC is a new witch but while some of the "muggles" if I can use that term, are aware of magic they have a blind eye to it. They may suspect the paranormal (some of them, the intuitive ones) but most are oblivious to it. Also I have my MC at 16 but now I'm second guessing that.

Glad to see people posting and sharing!

 

[Simpson17866]

That sounds great! So the villain is your mc then?

Thanks! I have a group of 4 protagonists (3 of whom are villains, one of whom is kept in the dark because he would be horrified to learn what kind of people his sister and her friends are), a group of 3 villain antagonists (a loan shark and his two bodyguards that my protagonists owe a small fortune), and a wild card villain who goes back and forth between helping the protagonists, helping the antagonists, screwing them both over, and/or just enjoying the show from the sidelines.

I don't suppose you're interested in MyersBriggs Personalities and/or Dungeons & Dragons alignments by any chance, are you? I've tried coming up with characters without using those two systems, but the characters I come up with are never as interesting as the characters I come up with by starting with those two systems and filling in the blanks later on (and occasionally changing my mind completely )

"muggles" if I can use that term

You can always use that term on internet discussions, and you can even use it in your fiction if you make it clear that you're using the word primarily to set your story in the "real world" where JK Rowling is such a legendary superstar that her word replaced a lot of the words that people used to use for non-mages

 

[Jan74]

Thanks! I have a group of 4 protagonists (3 of whom are villains, one of whom is kept in the dark because he would be horrified to learn what kind of people his sister and her friends are), a group of 3 villain antagonists (a loan shark and his two bodyguards that my protagonists owe a small fortune), and a wild card villain who goes back and forth between helping the protagonists, helping the antagonists, screwing them both over, and/or just enjoying the show from the sidelines.

I don't suppose you're interested in MyersBriggs Personalities and/or Dungeons & Dragons alignments by any chance, are you? I've tried coming up with characters without using those two systems, but the characters I come up with are never as interesting as the characters I come up with by starting with those two systems and filling in the blanks later on (and occasionally changing my mind completely )

When my twins were toddlers I took an office job for a few years and we did a MyerrsBriggs type test, but I'm unfamiliar with the D&D alignment. So what do you do with these systems regarding your book writing? Your novel sounds great btw! I just figured out something with my villain I now know how I'm going to tie it together, unfortunately I might have to kill off a character that I really like.

 

[Simpson17866]

When my twins were toddlers I took an office job for a few years and we did a MyerrsBriggs type test, but I'm unfamiliar with the D&D alignment. So what do you do with these systems regarding your book writing? Your novel sounds great btw! I just figured out something with my villain I now know how I'm going to tie it together, unfortunately I might have to kill of a character that I really like.

The two D&D Alignment axes are

1) Lawful – Neutral – Chaotic (how much do you care about rules)
2) Good – Neutral – Evil (how much do you care about morality)

I myself would be Chaotic Neutral: I'm not one of the best people in the world and I'm not one of the worst people in the world, but I do noticeably dislike being controlled by other people without incredibly good reasons.

People claim that Alignment is limiting because 9 boxes (Lawful Good, Neutral Good, Chaotic Good, Lawful Neutral, True Neutral...) can't describe 7.4 billion people and that MyersBriggs is limiting because 16 boxes (INTP, INTJ, INFP, INFJ, ISTP...) can't either, but using both at the same time gives you 144 boxes

Describing characters with a unique adjective each (the greedy one, the reckless one, the quick-to-cry one...) only gives a single point of context for how any two characters would relate to one another. Using MB and Alignment together on the other hand gives 6 points of comparison and contrast:

• I myself am Chaotic Neutral INTP: antiauthoritarian, neither a saint nor a sociopath, asocial, theoretical, insensitive, disorganized
• My narrator Alec is Lawful Evil ESFP: authoritarian, sociopathic, social, practical, sensitive, disorganized
• My MC Charlie is Neutral Evil ISTJ: neither authoritarian nor antiauthoritarian, sociopathic, asocial, practical, insensitive, organized

I have one scene where my narrator Alec and my MC Charlie are walking into a bank together to make a withdrawal (their Chaotic Evil ESFJ friend is currently unconscious in the hospital after a bombing, her True Neutral INFJ brother is currently at her bedside).

Alec asks if Charlie's going to get in line to give their demands to the teller while Alec waits in the back as reinforcements in case of a shoot-out: Charlie's "The Boss," she gets the most important role in the job if she wants it. Charlie then tells him that no, she's waiting in the back while he handles the teller because he's better with people than she is and better at thinking on his feet when they haven't had any good prep-time. Alec then does as he's told because She's The Boss.

 

[Jan74]

The two D&D Alignment axes are

1) Lawful – Neutral – Chaotic (how much do you care about rules)
2) Good – Neutral – Evil (how much do you care about morality)

I myself would be Chaotic Neutral: I'm not one of the best people in the world and I'm not one of the worst people in the world, but I do noticeably dislike being controlled by other people without incredibly good reasons.

People claim that Alignment is limiting because 9 boxes (Lawful Good, Neutral Good, Chaotic Good, Lawful Neutral, True Neutral...) can't describe 7.4 billion people and that MyersBriggs is limiting because 16 boxes (INTP, INTJ, INFP, INFJ, ISTP...) can't either, but using both at the same time gives you 144 boxes

Describing characters with a unique adjective each (the greedy one, the reckless one, the quick-to-cry one...) only gives a single point of context for how any two characters would relate to one another. Using MB and Alignment together on the other hand gives 6 points of comparison and contrast:

• I myself am Chaotic Neutral INTP: antiauthoritarian, neither a saint nor a sociopath, asocial, theoretical, insensitive, disorganized
• My narrator Alec is Lawful Evil ESFP: authoritarian, sociopathic, social, practical, sensitive, disorganized
• My MC Charlie is Neutral Evil ISTJ: neither authoritarian nor antiauthoritarian, sociopathic, asocial, practical, insensitive, organized

I have one scene where my narrator Alec and my MC Charlie are walking into a bank together to make a withdrawal (their Chaotic Evil ESFJ friend is currently unconscious in the hospital after a bombing, her True Neutral INFJ brother is currently at her bedside).

Alec asks if Charlie's going to get in line to give their demands to the teller while Alec waits in the back as reinforcements in case of a shoot-out: Charlie's "The Boss," she gets the most important role in the job if she wants it. Charlie then tells him that no, she's waiting in the back while he handles the teller because he's better with people than she is and better at thinking on his feet when they haven't had any good prep-time. Alec then does as he's told because She's The Boss.

I think that is a great way to map out characters. I have done my four main character personality traits based on the zodiac. Which until now I had completely forgotten about and will need to review my notes. I'll look into this other aspect of doing characters with D & D and see where that leads me too.

 

[TwistedTyping]

Hi everyone *waves*

To jump right in here: my main book is Urban Fantasy. It involves inter-dimensional travel beginning in Canada. Whether they remain in Canada or not is never specified, but they definitely start there. One thing I did in order to keep track of all the things my MCs learn is create a spreadsheet with all the info: which world, what items they have on them, and what main lesson they learned.

I hadn't thought of using D&D or Myers-Briggs, but those are some really awesome suggestions! I simply typed and typed and typed until I could feel the characters....then went back and revised a bit. Now I can hear the difference in their speech and whatnot and will correct it completely after I'm done the first draft.

I'm torn on my overall book: The struggle is internal, MCMax isn't human and he doesn't know this at the beginning of the book, each world he visits helps him to see just a bit more, and not all the information he's given is good. He needs to learn to come to terms with what he is and how it relates to him and his friend. But I keep hearing/reading there should be an external force as well, something for Max to vanquish after appearing as if he'd fail. But that would require significant re-writing....which I'm doing anyway after I print the first draft out....you see? Any suggestions?

 

[Simpson17866]

I think that is a great way to map out characters. I have done my four main character personality traits based on the zodiac. Which until now I had completely forgotten about and will need to review my notes. I'll look into this other aspect of doing characters with D & D and see where that leads me too.

I just like MyersBriggs and Alignment better because they're more straightforward: If I said that I'm a Gemini and another person is an Aries, then I would need to have done a lot of studying in order to process what that means about how we're similar and how we're different.

With MyersBriggs, on the other hand, everything you need to know is right there in the code itself so I can say that I'm INTP while my narrator is ESFP, and then I know instantly that I'm asocial and he's social, that I'm theoretical and he's practical, that I'm insensitive and he's sensitive, and that both of us are disorganized.

Hi everyone *waves*

Hi!

To jump right in here: my main book is Urban Fantasy. It involves inter-dimensional travel beginning in Canada. Whether they remain in Canada or not is never specified, but they definitely start there. One thing I did in order to keep track of all the things my MCs learn is create a spreadsheet with all the info: which world, what items they have on them, and what main lesson they learned.

My Urban Fantasy world has a lot of jumping from one realm to another, but I haven't worked out most of the important details yet either.

So I'm buying myself some time by having my books start out revolving entirely around the mortal world before gradually delving more into the supernatural realms as the series goes on

I hadn't thought of using D&D or Myers-Briggs, but those are some really awesome suggestions! I simply typed and typed and typed until I could feel the characters....then went back and revised a bit. Now I can hear the difference in their speech and whatnot and will correct it completely after I'm done the first draft.

Good to know!

Just remember that nobody's 100% of anything: I'm about 85% asocial, 85% theoretical, 65% insensitive, and 85% disorganized. Basically INTP, but my closest second is INFP

I'm torn on my overall book: The struggle is internal, MCMax isn't human and he doesn't know this at the beginning of the book, each world he visits helps him to see just a bit more, and not all the information he's given is good. He needs to learn to come to terms with what he is and how it relates to him and his friend. But I keep hearing/reading there should be an external force as well, something for Max to vanquish after appearing as if he'd fail. But that would require significant re-writing....which I'm doing anyway after I print the first draft out....you see? Any suggestions?

... Uh, not even remotely. Sorry I almost always start with an external conflict, then figure out what kind of people could be involved in each side of the conflict. Not sure I can help a lot on this one.

EDIT: What effect has Max's identity struggle had on the rest of his life?

 

[TwistedTyping]

What effect has Max's identity struggle had on the rest of his life?

It changes his world profoundly.

Basic synopsis: Max's grandfather dies, leaving him a letter detailing how to travel between dimensions. Until that point, Max had no idea this was even a possibility. His grandparents deliberately avoided giving any information about it for reasons that are revealed in the book. Through Max's travels with his friend Ben, Max learns he isn't human, what he needs to do to remain alive, what he can do that a normal human can't, and how he and Ben are interconnected. Max also learns there are others like him, but they were given instructions and information about the dimensions.

It will be book one in a series, the second book will be primarily about meeting the others like him and how he tries to fit into their world.

 

[Simpson17866]

It changes his world profoundly.

Basic synopsis: Max's grandfather dies, leaving him a letter detailing how to travel between dimensions. Until that point, Max had no idea this was even a possibility. His grandparents deliberately avoided giving any information about it for reasons that are revealed in the book. Through Max's travels with his friend Ben, Max learns he isn't human, what he needs to do to remain alive, what he can do that a normal human can't, and how he and Ben are interconnected. Max also learns there are others like him, but they were given instructions and information about the dimensions.

It will be book one in a series, the second book will be primarily about meeting the others like him and how he tries to fit into their world.

And does Max's experiments with his powers get him into any trouble? I've generally found that an internal conflict and an external conflict that are about the same thing are more interesting than internal/external conflicts that are more distinct.

My own first novel is also about my protagonists discovering the existence of the supernatural, but more importantly about their focusing on the areas of the supernatural that tie in the most closely with what they were already trying to do in their Muggle lives.

 

[TwistedTyping]

And does Max's experiments with his powers get him into any trouble? I've generally found that an internal conflict and an external conflict that are about the same thing are more interesting than internal/external conflicts that are more distinct.

Yes and no, but I can make it so he does get into some trouble....I am their god after all

My own first novel is also about my protagonists discovering the existence of the supernatural, but more importantly about their focusing on the areas of the supernatural that tie in the most closely with what they were already trying to do in their Muggle lives.

I'm assuming 'Muggle' is a normal human? What kind of supernatural universe? Magic? Werewolves? Manipulating time? I know I'm being nosy, but have you posted any snippets for me to read?

 

[Simpson17866]

Yes and no, but I can make it so he does get into some trouble....I am their god after all

Like I said about personality: pick something at random, see if you like it or not, then keep the parts you like and change the parts you don't

I'm assuming 'Muggle' is a normal human?

... Oh. Yes.

What kind of supernatural universe? Magic? Werewolves? Manipulating time?

Pretty much "all of the above, but most people never have a chance to see everything in their own lifetimes." My basic conceit is that everything magic is artificial:

• Instead of one single "Magical Universe" that exists alongside our own, mages have created thousands of magical pocket-realms the size of large buildings, hundreds the size of cities, and a few dozen the size of small countries. I'm thinking that the combined population of all of the magical worlds is about 1 billion, and humans are a sizeable minority in the magical worlds (maybe 20-30%?) but the vast majority of the 7.4 billion humans in the mortal world are unaware of any of this.
• I'm still working out the details of The Masquerade, but I'm thinking that warring mages almost destroyed civilization thousands of years ago and that the magical community went into hiding to make sure that the only people who know about magic are the people who can be trusted to learn how to use it carefully. No more fear of a billion monkeys at a billion nuclear launch pads. (Imagine their disappointment when the Cold War took off)
• Humanity is the only sentient species that evolved naturally, but many mages specialize in shapeshifting rituals, and when a new form is created, the ritual is passed on so that other shapeshifters can experiment with the same form, and mages who procreate while shapeshifted into the new form create a generation of natural-born children of the new species.
• (There is also a huge-back and forth between fiction and reality in my world's reality Sometimes a mage creates a new species that captures the imagination of a story teller, but sometimes a mage is inspired to recreate the form of one of her favorite creatures from folklore. Orcs, for example, are such a recent species – the first experiments began around 1960, the first successful rituals were developed around 1965, and the first natural orc children were born around 1970 – that everybody still remembers that it was the storyteller who inspired the mages rather than the other way around. More well developed species like dragons, mermaids, harpies, minotaurs, and my personal favorite the psoglavs ... There's no one left alive who still remembers which came first for each.)

I know I'm being nosy, but have you posted any snippets for me to read?

Nothing about the magical worlds themselves, just some exposition about what some of my mages are doing secretly in the mortal world and about how their magic works.

 

[TwistedTyping]

My basic conceit is that everything magic is artificial:

• Instead of one single "Magical Universe" that exists alongside our own, mages have created thousands of magical pocket-realms the size of large buildings, hundreds the size of cities, and a few dozen the size of small countries. I'm thinking that the combined population of all of the magical worlds is about 1 billion, and humans are a sizeable minority in the magical worlds (maybe 20-30%?) but the vast majority of the 7.4 billion humans in the mortal world are unaware of any of this.
• I'm still working out the details of The Masquerade, but I'm thinking that warring mages almost destroyed civilization thousands of years ago and that the magical community went into hiding to make sure that the only people who know about magic are the people who can be trusted to learn how to use it carefully. No more fear of a billion monkeys at a billion nuclear launch pads. (Imagine their disappointment when the Cold War took off)
• Humanity is the only sentient species that evolved naturally, but many mages specialize in shapeshifting rituals, and when a new form is created, the ritual is passed on so that other shapeshifters can experiment with the same form, and mages who procreate while shapeshifted into the new form create a generation of natural-born children of the new species.
• (There is also a huge-back and forth between fiction and reality in my world's reality Sometimes a mage creates a new species that captures the imagination of a story teller, but sometimes a mage is inspired to recreate the form of one of her favorite creatures from folklore. Orcs, for example, are such a recent species – the first experiments began around 1960, the first successful rituals were developed around 1965, and the first natural orc children were born around 1970 – that everybody still remembers that it was the storyteller who inspired the mages rather than the other way around. More well developed species like dragons, mermaids, harpies, minotaurs, and my personal favorite the psoglavs ... There's no one left alive who still remembers which came first for each.)

That sounds really interesting, I'd be interested in reading the book

 

[Jan74]

I'm so glad you both are posting, I have to go make supper, but I'll be back later to read everything

So riddle me this....WHY do I get on a roll when I have to stop mid roll and make dinner I've been at it since 930 am... and I have it figured out and I'm rolling....and bam it's 5pm and for some reason kids always want supper. Ok I'll be back.

In the meantime please post a link to the site you are using where you plug in all this character info

 

[Jan74]

Hi everyone *waves*

To jump right in here: my main book is Urban Fantasy. It involves inter-dimensional travel beginning in Canada. Whether they remain in Canada or not is never specified, but they definitely start there. One thing I did in order to keep track of all the things my MCs learn is create a spreadsheet with all the info: which world, what items they have on them, and what main lesson they learned.

I hadn't thought of using D&D or Myers-Briggs, but those are some really awesome suggestions! I simply typed and typed and typed until I could feel the characters....then went back and revised a bit. Now I can hear the difference in their speech and whatnot and will correct it completely after I'm done the first draft.

I'm torn on my overall book: The struggle is internal, MCMax isn't human and he doesn't know this at the beginning of the book, each world he visits helps him to see just a bit more, and not all the information he's given is good. He needs to learn to come to terms with what he is and how it relates to him and his friend. But I keep hearing/reading there should be an external force as well, something for Max to vanquish after appearing as if he'd fail. But that would require significant re-writing....which I'm doing anyway after I print the first draft out....you see? Any suggestions?

I need to stew about this for awhile, I would hate to see you put something in your book that you don't feel belongs. I don't think he has to vanquish anything, maybe this book is what sets up the series for something later, maybe this is all about his development and discovery or maybe someone comes between him and Ben somehow. Maybe this book is just putting the wheels in motion for future obstacles. When he world hops what does he do when he arrives? What is his purpose?

Simpson17866-Will you have maps for each realm, I think I would get lost in all your worlds

For me the zodiac works nicely because 1) I understand it. 2.) It ties in with what I'm writing. But nobody knows what "sign" my witches are, I just use it as a guide for development. I know what an aries is like because I am one, and I'm married to one, but the other signs I've reviewed and it has really helped me guide them and how they would function together. That part I really enjoyed.

Today I discovered so much about my wip. I'm really excited, a new character emerged although she won't actually appear in the novel, but now I know this will be a series. I discovered some interesting things about my villain and will need to rework some previous chapters to change these developments, but I am leaving that because if I return to my first three chapters I think I will scream and smash my keyboard(ok I exaggerate but you get the point) I was feeling a bit of writers block and where I was headed, I think that is why I spent so much time editing my first few chapters, but now I'm excited again and see where I'm going. This new person has really brightened my spirits and will dramatically change my mc world... I'm excited for her