Writing the Paranormal Novel: Techniques and Exercises for Weaving Supernatural Elements Into Your Story. by Steven Harper Read Free Book Online

pressure or by a draconian police force. You probably won't need to work out every single rule or law that governs your paranormals, but work out enough so you know what restrictions your people work under — and how these laws will affect their behavior. For example, your mortal protagonist may be startled to discover that his new vampire girlfriend won't kill, or even nibble on, the muggers who try to knife them in a dark alley one night, even though she clearly has the strength of a small freight train. Only later does he learn that the Vampire Council has declared harming mortals a capital crime, since vampires need to avoid mortal scrutiny. As the author, of course, you knew this from the beginning.
ECONOMY
    Economy is based on ownership — who owns what (or whom). You probably learned in high school that we have three kinds of ownership. In a capitalist system, citizens own their own businesses and property and must buy what they need from each other. In a socialist system, the government provides most of the bigger services such as education and health care, and citizens own everything else. In a communist system, the government owns nearly everything, including housing and food production. In a stewardship system, all ownership is temporary; the world owns everything. If you can come up with a fifth kind for your paranormals to live under, use it. You'll probably win an award. But economics don't stop there.
    In an openly supernatural world, you may have to deal with the idea that different species find value in different things. Elves traditionally don't care about money, but do value undeveloped land — and the natural beauty that comes with it. Dwarves care about nothing but precious metals that they can work. And we all know what vampires want.
    In other words, economics are about more than money. Economics are about resources and how they are distributed. Resources can be physical objects like food, clothing, cars, wood, and computers, or they can be intangibles, such as services and diplomatic favors. Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman worked out a very strange barter economy between heaven and hell in their book Good Omens when both sides understood that infernal corruption and divine inspiration were both going to happen no matter what, and there was no reason for angels and demons to inconvenience each other. If a demon realized he was going to be on the same side of town where a mortal was scheduled to be inspired for a good deed, the demon could happily take care of it, provided his angelic counterpart was willing to make a man covet his neighbor's wife for a moment or two while the demon was tied up in traffic. The cosmic balance is maintained, angels and demons keep their schedules with a minimum of fuss, and everybody wins.
    Different species have different desires — and access to different resources — which can make for an interesting economy. What might vampires be willing to pay for dwarven blood? If elves play the most beautiful music ever heard, what would humans do in order to attend a concert? Might a modern-day dragon hoard classic cars instead of gold? Working with these elements adds depth and reality to your supernatural world.
SPIRITUALITY
    Spirituality is a powerful force in the real world, and there's no reason it shouldn't be one for your paranormals. This isn't to say that your werewolves must all worship the moon goddess and bow to a complex pantheon of forest spirits. But you should at least be aware of how your paranormals view eternity. Immortals don't fear old age, but many of them can still die, and they have a long time to think about what might happen afterward. Some paranormals have firsthand experience at it. Others — angels and demons leap to mind — have their origins in spirituality, and in that case, you need to know exactly how the spirituality works.
    Spirituality also lays down rules for behavior, which in turn develops character. Rules about good and evil,