World Building

As stated in my first post, I love paranormal's (both romances and urban fantasies) in an unnatural way.  They give me that taste I need for another place and time historical's once provided me, which is why I strive to write them myself.  I want to be able to transport you, the reader, to a place totally at odds with what you've been taught to believe.  I want you to believe in the unbelievable and for one minute, revert to childhood where anything was possible - even if my transportations take you to darker, more dangerous places, I want you to believe in what I "know".

But this is easier said than done.  I troll many sites, am a frequent visitor to blogs and boards, and recently, this problem plopped onto the screen by a fellow aspiring PR (paranormal romance) author.  She said:  "I've heard so many horror stories...about the amount of world building publishers prefer and how hard it is...that it gives me pause" (Go to:Discussion)

Now, this makes me think of my rejected piece.  Had I built my world thoroughly?  Had I thoroughly explained the rules for my supernatural beings? Did I mention the consequences for breaking rules early enough?

In my mind, I had, but as one of my readers pointed out, the details were slow to reveal themselves and she was distracted by the need to know.  I thought I was doing a good job of drawing these things out, of "revealing" as I went, but perhaps not.  I might have built up the anticipation in my mind because I knew what was coming and expected the reader to do the same without the same knowledge.

My bad!

What did this teach me?  Don't take fantasy for granted.  There's more leeway with conventional rules of our existence when building another "world", but  like all things, we want to know them early on.  Not in a big chunk, still a bit at a time, but maybe not as spaced out as I had done.  I'm definitely going to keep this in mind as I go through edits and rewrites.

Points of world building:

1. Identify rules for why things are and how they operate and make sure you adhere to them (making notes is a big YES in this case)
   
2. Even though many conventional thoughts can be set aside, keeping "real world" elements will definitely help your reader buy into what you're trying to sell (ex: cell phones are so prevalent now - I can't step out of the house without mine - but if your world doesn't allow them, should probably explain why)
3. You must believe in every aspect of your "world" in order to portray the elements honestly and concisely.  Trust me, it'll reflect in your words.

Happy writing!

~Hetal

Holding my nose, hoping to make a huge splash

Almost a year ago, I became absolutely obsessed with writing stories, and not just any, mind you, but those often scoffed at, surreptitiously read romances many of us love and secretly adore. I have been a fan since my adolescence. Started off on Kathleen Woodiwiss and Johanna Lindsey. I was a sucker for those historical settings and colorful characters you just don't meet anymore, and never failed to imagine the settings they painted for us. I loved the way they talked and dressed, their manners and double-entendres. The heroes were so heroic, the heroines so likable despite their helplessness. I was always sucked in.

So you'd think that when I started writing on my own, I would have gravitated toward the historicals. Not so, not for me. I'm more of a paranormal romance girl. Blame it on cultural superstitions which ruled my life as a child, but I can better imagine ghosts and fairies than men of the past, sad as it may seem. I strive to explain the unexplainable in new ways, and you know what I've found out? It ain't so easy.

Seems my new favorite authors have done the job for me in much better ways than I can imagine. Jennifer Rardin, JD Robb (Nora Roberts), Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Gena Showalter now rule my life and thoughts. I look to them for inspiration and direction, hopefully searching for the next great "other world" to coming knocking in my head.

Maybe I finally succeeded; most likely not. :P After a painstaking year of writing several short stories, reading, learning, researching, and studying, I made the leap. Last Sunday, Nov 1st, I submitted my first ever manuscript, a novella to an ePub for an anthology. I felt so sick and excited that for a whole two hours after, I couldn't sleep. My work, something I am highly proud of actually, is out there in the world. Being read by an editor, it's fate hangs in the balance.

Will it be accepted? Who knows, but I'll keep you posted. :)