It’s obvious, but often forgotten – the biggest perk of world building as a paranormal romance writer is that it’s your world.
You get to make the rules and exceptions, you get to put the spotlight on whatever excites you: cityscapes, creatures, legends, mythology or mystery. This is truly the power of creating great fiction in general and fabulous paranormal romance novels in particular.
Think of world building for your paranormal romance novel as setting the stage. It’s your job to present the best experience to the reader. You want to hone, polish and magnify that ever-important presentation.
Face it, as a paranormal romance writer, you probably have other things on your daily to-do list besides playing with your ‘invisible friends’. In doing those other things (be it a project for the day job or a dinner you put on the table) presentation matters.
So what props illustrate your paranormal romance novel to the best advantage? Where will you place the focus to help your reader dial in to the most important part of the journey your characters are taking?
Some paranormal romance writers keep the spotlight on the smallest of details. Others keep big, sweeping vistas (like space) in the front of their reader’s mind.
Building a new world for your paranormal romance, or re-building a familiar world with your unique perspective, can help your paranormal romance novel stand out from the pack of manuscripts clogging up slush piles and it will set you apart as a paranormal romance writer to follow when your book is finally on the store shelf.
Live the adventure!
