The two
hottest genres around at the moment are paranormal romance and
urban fantasy. Publishers can’t seem to get enough of them, and
just about everyone seems to be writing them.
But
what--if any--are the differences between the two? There’s
plenty of small differences, but the basic--and most
important--difference is the fact that one has its feet firmly
planted in the romance field, and the other firmly planted in
the fantasy field.
Basically, a paranormal romance is a romance with paranormal
characters and events. It follows the same rules that apply to
all romances and it has the build up of the romance as the heart
and main plot of the novel. The only real difference is that
either one or both of the main characters often aren’t human,
and the story itself can dip into darker waters plot-wise than a
regular romance. That said, the paranormal elements have
to be a believable, intricate part of your plot. If you can take
the paranormal elements out of your story (or swap them for
something else—like a disease or an addiction), then they’re not
‘true’ paranormal romances, but rather, ‘paranormal lights’. I’m
not personally keen on these type of paranormals, as they
usually don’t delve too deeply into the whole mythos behind the
paranormal element, but rather tend to keep to surface problems.
For example, the somewhat common I’m a werewolf or a vampire,
oh woe is me, how can anyone love such a monster? theme. Of
course, there is a whole boatload of books out there that could
be describe as paranormal lights, so there’s definitely a market
for them regardless of how I personally feel about them.
Like
regular romance, paranormal romance covers the whole genre
spectrum. They can be humorous, historical, futuristics,
contemporary, mystery, fantasy, urban fantasy, scifi, gothic,
erotica—basically, if the romance is front and center, then it’s
labeled a paranormal romance, regardless of the genre.
Urban
fantasy, on the other hand, is fantasy that is set in a modern,
urban environment (for example,
Melbourne,
New York, or even some
made up city) and it can contain any and all paranormal or
fantasy elements (such as vampires, weres, shifters, demons,
succubus, magi etc). But in urban fantasy, romance and romantic
entanglements are not the main plot element, though they are
often present as a sub-plot.
Dark
urban fantasy contains the same elements as urban fantasy, but
usually has serious leanings towards horror elements. Dark and
bloody events can and do happen in these novels, and a happy
ended is not a necessity.
But if
you’re going to write an urban or dark urban fantasy, please do
your homework and make the world work. World building is even
more important in urban and dark urban fantasy than it is in
paranormal romance. In romance, the romance is the key, and
while the world building has to be believable and real, it often
doesn’t have to be as multi layered as what’s required in the
fantasy genre. While in many ways it is easier to set a fantasy
story in a modern day setting, you still have to integrate the
fantasy and paranormal elements into your world in a very
believable and realistic way. One key element to believability
is making sure you include the history of your paranormal
elements into the history of the real world. Make sure the
paranormal or fantasy elements not only have a history of their
own, but that their history entwines within the past as we know
it. For example, in Full Moon Rising, I have an off-the-cuff
mention of the Olympics, and how paranormal creatures have been
competing in them since the birth of the Olympics—and that in
modern day times, the paranormal were forced to have their own
Olympics to offset their unfair advantage against humans. A
tidbit like this mightn’t seem like much, but it gives the
overall story a depth and richness that helps the reader
believe.
Another
important rule to remember is that there has to be limits. A
hero or heroine—be they a wizard, vampire or a shapeshifter—who
is capable of anything and who wins every battle not only
strains our credibility, but often become boring. Unlimited or
untouchable prowess robs the story of tension and suspense.
Readers need to be worried about the outcome as they read, and
if the odds are stacked in favor of your hero, then why would
they worry, let alone continue to read? Make your characters
doubt, make them make mistakes. Make them hurt. And don’t
be afraid to inflict tragic results for weaknesses and poor
choices—especially if you’re writing dark urban fantasy. Trust
me, readers of these types of novel want and expect gore!
Keri Arthur
is Australia's first New York Times bestseller in urban fantasy.
She's published over 18 books, with Tempting Evil, the
third novel in the Riley Jenson series, debuting at #14
on the NYT bestseller list. Her books will soon be available in
Australia. Visit her
website
for more information.
|