Regan Black

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.

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Kresley Cole, Lori Handeland, and Sherrilyn Kenyon write wildly different stories using settings within the ‘real’ world we know and recognize. All three of these talented paranormal romance authors have done the research that makes readers feel as if they’ve traveled along with the characters.

Still other authors use an entirely different world for their paranormal romance novels. While this may seem more challenging at first glance, there’s an infinite amount of freedom in the approach.

How do you convince a reader there’s life on the moon? Like maybe a werewolf colony that’s managed to hide themselves from every lunar landing and exploration. Building a brand new world for your paranormal romance can be fun.

The imagination is boundless! Other planets, lost cities, alternative histories and potential futures actually give authors plenty of new, undiscovered blocks to build the special world for their paranormal romance. As long as they stick to the rules of the world they create.

For example, if gravity’s important, explain how creatures cope or defy it. If you introduce a fuel cell, be sure your heroine doesn’t fill up the tank with unleaded on her way to catch the bad guy.

When you’re considering what sort of world to build for a paranormal romance novel, think about the specific strengths and weaknesses of your characters and/or creatures.

Build them a world that will challenge and surprise, as well as assist and comfort them on their journey through the story.

Also, writer know thyself. Consider the things you’re good at. Think about the voice that comes most naturally to you.

Do you have a penchant for the dark and angsty, or would a battle between good and evil land on the page sounding more like a walk through Central Park on a balmy June day?

Whether you’ve got supernatural creatures romping through the this world or humans trying to navigate an otherworld environment, there’s plenty of room for putting your own spin on the world you build for your paranormal romance novel.

Use your innate storytelling strengths as you build the right world for your paranormal romance. It’ll be more fun in both the writing and editing process and your readers will thank you later!

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Sherrilyn Kenyon is one example among many talented authors using the real world as the framework for building a paranormal romance novel. Her acclaimed Dark Hunter series is primarily set in real world, modern cities familiar to readers (i.e. New Orleans, Seattle, etc.).

She’s infused locations we can relate to (the French Quarter, Pike Place Market) with nightclubs, tabloids, and coffee shops unique to her characters, which coats the ‘real world’ setting to her desired effect and enhances the believability of her stories.

Her readers want to visit the locations she uses, and when they do, it’s easy to imagine their favorite characters moving through the shadows.

But Kenyon goes deeper into the process of world building for a paranormal romance novel. She layers what we know (or can vaguely recall from long-gone history and lit classes) with what is fresh from her imagination.

Using mythology, gods, and pantheons both familiar and not-so-familiar, she lends vivid depth to what our teachers and professors likely glossed over. She boldly claims and modifies what she’s clearly researched, using it to best advantage for both her plot development and her readership’s enjoyment.

This blurring of real and unreal worlds (combined with a preternatural understanding of men in all stages of development – an analysis for a different post), is what I believe makes Kenyon so popular within the genre of paranormal romance.

We could chalk up this talent for world building as intuition, but that does Kenyon and other paranormal romance writers a disservice. Effective, consuming world building for a paranormal romance stems from an author’s specific interests, passions, and ability to tell a story that transcends the ‘real world’ readers know.

When using the real world, especially well-known areas, a writer has a responsibility to do the research, check the facts, and justify any  exceptions. Kenyon has done this quite well as she’s built the world for her paranormal romance novels, a world her readers love to visit over and over again.

Live the adventure,

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