Writing a Paranormal, Fantasy or UF Novel?

Write a Paranormal, Fantasy or UF Novel Using Existing Myths for Worldbuilding ~ SavvyAuthors will be offering this course starting on March 7th. The instructor is Marcy Weydemuller. Here's a little about the course (Copied from the site):

Do you have an interesting twist on an old myth or mystical world?Do the worldbuilding elements take over when you write and you lose the story?Do you want to learn how to better incorporate existing mythology into your worldbuilding?

Join us for this Masters Level course where you will learn to better incorporate existing mythology into your worldbuilding. Build better worlds based upon existing myths and history as you spend a year exploring your world and writing your novel with hands-on help from Marcy Wydemuller and your peers.

Through reading, writing and analysis of literature surrounding their novel's myths and history, participants will hone techniques to produce the type of myth-based novels that speak through metaphor, symbolism, allusion and echo. Excerpts from novels and movies will be deconstructed to provide workable models for your own research and story.

Writing produced during the course will be critiqued weekly in small peer groups. In addition to daily instructor feedback to lectures and assignments, authors will post a full chapter or scene weekly with professional edits during the first three quarters. A personal analysis will be returned to the student only. Once a month, the middle Wednesday, there will be an open class discussion online. During the final quarter, each student will have a private one hour, one-on-one with the instructor regarding their novel and any specific questions they may still have regarding final polish and marketability.

Course Objectives:

* to complete a draft of your novel with daily and weekly goals.
* to apply mythic impact appropriate to your narrative.
* to create a fully developed believable world for your genre.
* to deepen analytical skills through study and discussion of various myth-building techniques through assigned readings and movies.
* to develop critique instincts and revision skills in peer groups.
* to create a polished submission package.

TRACK
Masters Level – Will cover topics in detail, with the assumption that the student has more than a basic understanding of the craft elements of writing fiction.


WHEN: Mar 7, 2011 - Feb 18, 2012

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I've been thinking about writing an urban fantasy lately, and this course caught my eye. I used an existing 'myth' for my paranormal series, so I know how difficult some aspects can be. Remember, this is a master's course, so keep that in mind if you choose to sign up.

Urban Fantasy and Breaking The Rules

So I'm biting the bullet and going with my daughters to see the new Twilight movie. One is on Team Edward, and the other is all for Team Jacob. I'm a big fan of vamps, but I think I'm leaning toward Team Jacob, even though he looks like a child to me. Yeah. Feeling kinda dirty here, and not in a good cougar way.

So many people have blogged about how crappy the movies/books are, and that Bella whines too much, blah blah blah. Listen, Stephanie Meyer is laughing her ass off all the way to the bank, so I'm not jumping on the 'this sucks' bandwagon. I am, however, going to focus on the drama of a love triangle. Something I've never put into my books until recently.

While I was writing my last book, I had a slight problemo. By the end of the book there were two heroes, and I'm still not sure which one to go with. I can still remember reading the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris and being shocked to my core when Sookie and Bill broke it off and she had sex with Eric. A die-hard romance fan at the time, I hadn't yet read a book where the main romance was questioned. Sure there were 'misunderstandings.' The heroine might think the hero was sleeping with someone else, but it just so happened he was rescuing his sister from the prostitution ring and got caught by the heroine while untangling himself from two naked prostitutes. However, he wasn't there to score. LOL And once the 'misunderstanding' is resolved, you have your HEA. But with the Stackhouse series, Sookie actually WENT there. And that HEA was destroyed (for me, anyway). But like a trooper I read on, and then I was hooked on Eric as the hero. How easily I am led.

So I went on to edit my WIP, and my heroine has now slept with both men in the book. I know, right?? I'm not supposed to do that. My creative side is just going with the story as it unfolds, while my 'you-can't-do-this-in-a-HEA-romance' side cringes. So I guess I'm writing an urban fantasy. At least that's what my crit partner said.

I think authors can get stuck in that 'rule' side, and they write their stories accordingly. Then you have other authors who shout, screw the rules!, and they write best sellers. (Um, not saying this WIP is going to be a best seller, just saying I threw away the rules lol) Take JR Ward, for example. M/M books are hot in the e-book rounds. But she took the M/M subplot in her book to New York, and holy hell are readers gobbling it up. I'm all for Team Blay/Qhuinn. I had never read a M/M book before, but I'm all for reading theirs.

So, back to my problemo. Originally I had decided to pick one hero and stick with him. Then I sat back and asked myself - why? Why can't the heroine be torn between two heroes? Hell, that's a pretty awesome place to be - having two alphas fight over you. Isn't that what all the tweens are drooling over in the Twilight saga? Team Edward VS Team Jacob. Of course, Bella doesn't sleep with them both. This is a YA. Instead of sex, we get angst. Which works when you're dealing with tweens.

So why am I fighting the funk? If I throw away the 'rules' I have endless possibilities. She could go with what's behind door #1 - the first hero. Door #2 - the second hero. Or door #3 - Not a HEA, but an urban fantasy.

Urban fantasy is centered around the female protagonists. UF's are normally told in first person, but not always. I went to a panel comprised of urban fantasy authors at RT, and they all had different elements in their books. Some heroines had only one hero, and each book followed them through another conflict. Another UF author had a few heroes thrown in her books, just like the Stackhouse series. Hell, Jessa Slade has a kick-ass UF series out, and each book has a different H/H.

UF...let me count thy ways...

So, I'm not so freaked out about my problemo. I'm going to go with it and see where the heroes take me...er, the heroine. I meant heroine.