Questions tagged [paranormal]
for questions about the weird and un-explainable, the supernatural, and paranormal such as ghosts, UFOs, cosmic rays, and portals to other dimensions.
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Pronouns for a character that body hops?
I'm currently writing a paranormal thriller novel where people can inhabit other peoples' bodies -- regardless of sex, gender identity, or sexuality. I'm currently in moral turmoil over how to use ...
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The role of inexplicable events in hard science fiction
The modern world has few true mysteries, among them the fate of the Roanoke colonists and the crew of the Mary Celeste but do such happenings have a place in futuristic settings?
In settings with ...
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Is my work urban fantasy or paranormal romance?
I have been writing a story that for a long time I considered to be an urban fantasy, with supernatural elements in a recognizably modern setting. However, while I thought I was writing a rather ...
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How would authorities handle a disappearance caused by paranormal means?
A story of mine starts with a character disappearing in his radio studio while on air.
Nobody else was in the building with him.
A pair of sunglasses that he always kept in his shirt pocket was the ...
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How do I go about writing a biographical account of my father? [closed]
I want to write a book involving the life of my father. He's been a political activist during his youth and the events that he narrates are worthy to be recorded.
But I am confused as to what it ...
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Idea overflow in plotting?
I've been working on a paranormal/romance/mystery kind of novel for over 4 years now and still haven't finished it. It all started out as a fanfiction but I decided that it had too much potential (at ...
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The role of the supernatural in hard science fiction
The response to this question makes it clear to me that I haven't quite asked the question I had intended, the answers are useful but not quite what I'm looking for.
So different but related ...
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Spiritual elements in a science-fiction novel
Does using unexplained spiritual elements (soul, "spiritual"/non-physical beings, afterlife, God, etc.) in a story with a futuristic setting make it science fantasy rather than science fiction?
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The unknown and unexplained in science fiction
Science fiction has been defined as a genre where the "incredible" elements are "recognizable as not-true, but also as not-unlike-true, not-flatly- (and in the current state of knowledge) impossible" (...
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What are conventions of ghost stories?
When I realised I needed a ghost story for a class I found out that I don't know what the conventions of this genre are. Conversation with a colleague led to agreement that there needs to be a ghost ...
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Do I really need to have a scientific explanation for my premise?
So, in my post-apocalyptic novel, the world was caught up in an international war (basically WWIII), and all the world's nuclear superpowers launched their warheads and killed much of the global ...
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What are the Criteria that Distinguish a Thriller from Horror?
The criteria that come to mind are not exclusive to horror novels, so I'm a little confused and annoyed (annoyed because I find horror novels scary, and yet just cannot define it logically when I try ...
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Including something implausible in an otherwise realistic story [closed]
Let's say I'm writing a story that isn't a fantasy story, it's more of a realistic thriller. However, I want to include a character who has psychic powers like telepathy and psychokinesis.
Is it ...
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What is the structure of a paranormal horror story?
Building on the definition of a Paranormal Story (as opposed to Dark Fantasy) described in the answers here: What are most common tropes of a paranormal book and dark fantasy book?.
A paranormal ...
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How can I get readers to accept more than 1 "buy" in worldbuilding?
An alternative "Occult Universe"
I open my occult detective novel in what is ostensibly a "noir" style, but through worldbuilding I attempt to show that the story is set in an alternate occult ...
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What are most common tropes of a paranormal book and dark fantasy book?
I'm trying to decide what genre my novel should be. I wanna be more generic so the answers can help other people, so my question is: How to know if a story is a dark fantasy or a paranormal story? ...
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