You’ll find books and articles galore as well as writers of paranormal romance novels who give workshops on world building (Sherrilyn Kenyon does a great one) so a short blog post might not be all you’ll ever need, but hopefully it can be a good start.
There are many factors to consider when you’re world building for a paranormal romance novel and I’ve covered a bunch of them in previous posts.
But at some point you have to wonder…does size matter? Is bigger the best way to go when you build a world for your paranormal romance novel? Should you go all out and make the world bigger than life?
Only if it’s necessary.
No that isn’t a cop out. When you read your favorite paranormal romance writers, is the setting – the world – the key ingredient? Think about it. It’s a backdrop and the best authors in the business make it as big a factor as it needs to be.
I recently read a paranormal romance set in post apocalyptic Chicago. I didn’t even know the city name until the second chapter – and that was fine, the focus was on the action and immediate conflict.
Even after I knew where (and when) they were, I didn’t see much of the city – didn’t need to. There were a few clues, enough to keep the story grounded, but more of the time element came from the characters and plot conflict.
It was ideal – to read only what mattered and advanced the plot. The author did a masterful job keeping the spotlight where it needed to be for the genre: on the characters involved in the paranormal plot and romantic plot.
That’s not to say I don’t enjoy seeing more of the world – when it makes a difference or has an impact on the choices characters make in the novel.
I can assure you, the author knew every nuance of the world her characters played in – that’s why it felt so seamless as a reader when she showed me only what I needed to see to enjoy the current story.
So while you have to do the background and research for world building no matter when or where you set your paranormal romance novel, you don’t have to feel obligated to include daunting passages of big description.
The detailed world building of your paranormal romance novel shouldn’t overshadow the excitement, fun, and romantic adventures of your characters.
Live the adventure!
