I saw this quote “Knowledge is power, community is strength and positive attitude is everything.” from Lance Armstrong.
Immediately I thought how apropos for world building! Next I wondered why I’m on a Lance kick, but since there are worse habits to have, I didn’t spend a lot of time analyzing it.
Applying that quote to world building for a paranormal romance novel felt as natural as breathing. When you’re creating a world with new rules, uniquely talented characters, or fresh twists on old patterns, knowledge is power. Think of the ‘fish out of water’ premise with a character who stumbles into powers or a community and doesn’t know the rules. TROUBLE and chaos ensue and in the hands of a talented paranormal romance writer, the end result is often a great book.
Community is strength is a common truth when world building for paranormal romance novels. Those who live inside or outside the paranormal realm of the book have (and often exercise) strength in numbers philosophy. Whether it’s villagers trying to defeat a plague of vampires or vampires trying to defeat a plague of thin-blooded villagers, community lends values, structure, and resources to the world of your novel. And that doesn’t even take into consideration the pack mentality of werewolves, demons, or mermaids.
As for attitude… well that depends a lot on the story, the message and the characters the paranormal romance writer chooses to portray.
However, the author’s positive attitude is everything when it comes to the success of any book, both before and after publication. There are few things in publishing that paranormal romance writers can control, fortunately attitude is one of them. It’s imperative for a paranormal romance writer to stay positive during the creation of the paranormal romance novel, on the road to publishing that novel, and during the ongoing promotion of the finished product.
Live the adventure!
…there’s still time to register at From the Shadows for the Veil of Justice giveaway!
