First workshop: Bree Despain, author of THE DARK DIVINE, Egmont, 2009
Paranormal Fiction: Delving into the Unknown.
Bree's workshop was standing room only and I was squished into a corner to the side so I couldn't see her Power Point very well, but here are some notes.
Paranormal Fiction: Delving into the Unknown.
Bree's workshop was standing room only and I was squished into a corner to the side so I couldn't see her Power Point very well, but here are some notes.
The best Paranormal works on two levels: The Real and the Magical worlds work in parallel, reaching a climax as the story progresses between the two worlds.
What makes Twilight so engrossing and so popular? It's all about the YEARNING.
A Paranormal story adds danger and a complication to an otherwise ordinary teen romance
THE MAGICAL ELEMENTS PARALLEL what's happening in the character's regular lives. It's a METAPHOR for real life.
Think about these three things:
Think about these three things:
a. What are you trying to say? What is your theme? (In The Dark Divine, Bree's inspiration was the story of the Prodigal Son)
b. Your MC and the “love interest” have some sort of inner demon
c. There needs to be some kind of element that keeps them apart so there is the Yearning.
Bree asked Allison Weiss at HC to give her thoughts about Paranormal books, which are still selling like hotcakes and editors are still buying even as the genre is evolving from vampires and werewolves to angels and demons and zombies and faeries and mermaids.
Bree asked Allison Weiss at HC to give her thoughts about Paranormal books, which are still selling like hotcakes and editors are still buying even as the genre is evolving from vampires and werewolves to angels and demons and zombies and faeries and mermaids.
Allison Weiss at Harper/Collins says:
1. Make sure your romance has the chops - is hot!
2. Make your novel incredibly well-written
3. No Formulas
4. Take the Story somewhere New and Exciting!
5. Say and do something Different.
Bree was a real sweetie and here are some pictures from her book signing. I'm in the middle between Bree on the right and Aprilynne Pike on the left.
And we all got a bottle of purple nail polish at the book signing! (My fave color!) Thanks, Bree!
Bree was a real sweetie and here are some pictures from her book signing. I'm in the middle between Bree on the right and Aprilynne Pike on the left.
And we all got a bottle of purple nail polish at the book signing! (My fave color!) Thanks, Bree!
2 comments:
Thanks so much for these notes. I got to the class late and the line was out the door. I gave it up but had hoped to find a breakdown. Congrats again on your book deal, I'm very excited for you.
Thanks, Josi! I'm glad these few notes helped. There were so many great workshops to choose from. I always wanted to go to two or three or more at the same time! It's too bad we can't get notes from them all. :-)
Post a Comment