Help plotting a paranormal romance . . . I'm smashing my head

kylekiller · Apr 6, 2014

I'm penning a gay YA Paranormal Romance novel about incubi/sucubi. It's set in a big city (a fictional city) during the winter. The protagonist is 17 but his love interest is 19, so they're not going to be meeting in school. I want the novel to take place mainly at night, and the main conflict comes mainly from the fact that an incubi and a human can't be together for long without it killing the mortal, and also the fact that the other incubi are dead-set against it, and want the protag dead.

The protag's father is dead, and his death sent the mother into an alcoholic spiral, so parental supervision/intervention isn't really a big deal. My main problem is how to get them to meet, and where to go from there. I'd like them to be around each other naturally a few times, but it's hard to plot it out because there isn't anywhere I'd imagine them running into each other more than once, and since they're not in school together, they wouldn't meet there.

A bit of background: my incubi/sucubi feed on lust and dreams, so they're not running around eating people or anything. They have horns and wings, and slitted eyes, but those are hidden by a glamour when around mortals.

So my question is basically, how do I go about getting them together in a way that feels natural without resorting to cliches.

Sage · Apr 6, 2014

kylekiller said:
I'm penning a gay YA Paranormal Romance novel about incubi/sucubi. It's set in a big city (a fictional city) during the winter. The protagonist is 17 but his love interest is 19, so they're not going to be meeting in school. I want the novel to take place mainly at night, and the main conflict comes mainly from the fact that an incubi and a human can't be together for long without it killing the mortal, and also the fact that the other incubi are dead-set against it, and want the protag dead.

The protag's father is dead, and his death sent the mother into an alcoholic spiral, so parental supervision/intervention isn't really a big deal. My main problem is how to get them to meet, and where to go from there. I'd like them to be around each other naturally a few times, but it's hard to plot it out because there isn't anywhere I'd imagine them running into each other more than once, and since they're not in school together, they wouldn't meet there.

A bit of background: my incubi/sucubi feed on lust and dreams, so they're not running around eating people or anything. They have horns and wings, and slitted eyes, but those are hidden by a glamour when around mortals.

So my question is basically, how do I go about getting them together in a way that feels natural without resorting to cliches.

I quoted your post simply to make it legible.

Kerosene · Apr 6, 2014

Yeah, small font makes it almost unreadable.

What cliche are you trying to avoid? The characters meeting at school? Because you've detailed no good reason why they are of different age, so why not have them meet at school?
You could always use an outside driver to push them together. This is, for example, when the human's mother/father has some connect to the baddies and the love interest is forced on them to protect/kill (before they turn) the MC. Just like that, you can have these two come together through outside forces at work.

Also, the romance genre is one of the coincidental and unnatural genre out there. Real world romance does not work like it does in book. The point is to make the reader believe it's natural and could happen.

Cathy C · Apr 6, 2014

AW's own Dragonjax did something similar with her Hell On Earth series. She had the characters meet by the succubus being "assigned" to the hero to tempt him to his downfall into hell. Does your incubi/succubi have any sort of loose organization that can force a similar meeting?

kylekiller · Apr 6, 2014

Sage said:
I quoted your post simply to make it legible.

Sorry 'bout that! I just fixed the font size, didn't realize how small it would be!

kylekiller · Apr 6, 2014

WillSauger said:
Yeah, small font makes it almost unreadable.

What cliche are you trying to avoid? The characters meeting at school? Because you've detailed no good reason why they are of different age, so why not have them meet at school?
You could always use an outside driver to push them together. This is, for example, when the human's mother/father has some connect to the baddies and the love interest is forced on them to protect/kill (before they turn) the MC. Just like that, you can have these two come together through outside forces at work.

Also, the romance genre is one of the coincidental and unnatural genre out there. Real world romance does not work like it does in book. The point is to make the reader believe it's natural and could happen.

It's not about them meeting at school, so much as having a lot of action take place in school. I find the setting of high school overdone and boring. I plan on setting a few quick scenes in school, but for the most part I want the action to take place away from there.

The love interest is a bit older just to give him some independence and allow him to stray from the supernatural community. Also, the humans dead dad does have a bit to do with the supernatural community, and this does leave the incubi/sucubi unnaturally drawn towards the protag.

Sage · Apr 6, 2014

You could always set it in a world where school isn't an issue. Or during summer vacation.

Have them meet at some non-school activity. Does the 17yo have any clubs, any sports? Does he sneak into nightclubs? Does he love to shop or go to movies? What does he do after school?

Becca C. · Apr 6, 2014

You say they feed on dreams... where do people dream a lot? Do you mean "hopes and dreams" kind of dreams, or like sleeping dreams? If it's the hoping-and-wishing kind, maybe the movies, an art gallery, or book shop. If it's the sleep kind, maybe a sleep study center?

Wilde_at_heart · Apr 7, 2014

Back when I was in high school (and with lax parents), I had a part-time evening job, I took a night class (where some of the kids were older, since some of them were drop-outs), had friends I hung out with at coffee shops and for a tiny bit did Improv as well. There are plenty of hobbies people join outside school - theatre groups, team sports, rock bands, arts clubs, political activist groups, etc. I went to movies as well, especially repertory cinemas. In all those places I met people who were a few years older too.
Really, even when I was in high school most of my life was outside of it.

kenpochick · Apr 7, 2014

Pick something completely different. What interests does the human have? Where would he go assuming he doesn't want to be home. If you think school is over done I would avoid nightclubs too. Everyone in urban fantasies seem to meet in night clubs.

Or have the human do something heroic which catches the eye of the love interest.

oooooh · Apr 7, 2014

Does your fictional city celebrate a Christmas/New Year's equivalent? Since you said it's winter, maybe have them meet there, at a carnival or market fair type thing?

kylekiller · Apr 7, 2014

kenpochick said:
Pick something completely different. What interests does the human have? Where would he go assuming he doesn't want to be home. If you think school is over done I would avoid nightclubs too. Everyone in urban fantasies seem to meet in night clubs. Or have the human do something heroic which catches the eye of the love interest.

I was thinking the same about the night clubs. In a (very) early draft of a previous project of mine, the opening scene was a nightclub and the first thing I was always told was that it reminded people of City Of Bones.

Also, Hello Winchesters!

kylekiller · Apr 7, 2014

oooooh said:
Does your fictional city celebrate a Christmas/New Year's equivalent? Since you said it's winter, maybe have them meet there, at a carnival or market fair type thing?

There will definitely be a Carnival in the book. One of my first ideas for the project was a board-walk carnival scene including a fight.

I do like the idea of a holiday scene too. The main character is a photographer, so I'm sure he'll be out and about at night doing something with that.

frimble3 · Apr 7, 2014

Becca C. said:
You say they feed on dreams... where do people dream a lot? Do you mean "hopes and dreams" kind of dreams, or like sleeping dreams? If it's the hoping-and-wishing kind, maybe the movies, an art gallery, or book shop. If it's the sleep kind, maybe a sleep study center?

I like the 'sleep study' idea. Maybe your human protagonist has sleep problems, is referred to the center to try to figure out what's wrong. Your incubus is hanging out there, possibly pretending to have a job, when they meet. If you want to start with physical action, maybe one of the other subjects wakes up from a nightmare, lashing out at whatever was in his dreams, and your guys have to restrain him until staff arrives?
Or sports. Maybe one plays soccer and the other is a ref? Thus giving a setting for your background fight.

Prodigy · Apr 9, 2014

Okay sorry I am not going to be much help but i will say PLEASE write this book xD
I absolutely love the whole premise of it(plus i like Incubi) and it is a yA Gay novel<3

kylekiller said:
I'm penning a gay YA Paranormal Romance novel about incubi/sucubi. It's set in a big city (a fictional city) during the winter. The protagonist is 17 but his love interest is 19, so they're not going to be meeting in school. I want the novel to take place mainly at night, and the main conflict comes mainly from the fact that an incubi and a human can't be together for long without it killing the mortal, and also the fact that the other incubi are dead-set against it, and want the protag dead.

The protag's father is dead, and his death sent the mother into an alcoholic spiral, so parental supervision/intervention isn't really a big deal. My main problem is how to get them to meet, and where to go from there. I'd like them to be around each other naturally a few times, but it's hard to plot it out because there isn't anywhere I'd imagine them running into each other more than once, and since they're not in school together, they wouldn't meet there.

A bit of background: my incubi/sucubi feed on lust and dreams, so they're not running around eating people or anything. They have horns and wings, and slitted eyes, but those are hidden by a glamour when around mortals.

So my question is basically, how do I go about getting them together in a way that feels natural without resorting to cliches.

kylekiller · Apr 9, 2014

Prodigy said:
Okay sorry I am not going to be much help but i will say PLEASE write this book xD
I absolutely love the whole premise of it(plus i like Incubi) and it is a yA Gay novel<3

It will definitely get written

YA needs more gay protags, obviously. Especially in genres that AREN'T contemporary.

Prodigy · Apr 9, 2014

kylekiller said:
It will definitely get written YA needs more gay protags, obviously. Especially in genres that AREN'T contemporary.

Amen, Amen, Amen lol

Also you should check out a book called Alliance by Danyele Johnson(5 star read from me) that is Gay YA and centers around Incubi. It was a good read for me. Perhaps it can sort of give you some starting point?

CheG · Apr 13, 2014

Sarah Monette wrote a wonderful gay incubi story in her collection The Bone Key you might want to check out.

Help plotting a paranormal romance . . . I'm smashing my head

kylekiller

Sage

Supreme Guessinator

Kerosene

Your Pixie Queen

Cathy C

Ooo! Shiny new cover!

kylekiller

kylekiller

Sage

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Becca C.

Wilde_at_heart

υπείκωphobe

kenpochick

I should be writing, not on AW.:-)

oooooh

the owls are not what they seem

kylekiller

kylekiller

frimble3

Heckuva good sport

Prodigy

Mr. Incredible

kylekiller

Prodigy

Mr. Incredible

CheG

Help plotting a paranormal romance . . . I'm smashing my head

Supreme Guessinator

Your Pixie Queen

Ooo! Shiny new cover!

Supreme Guessinator

&#965;&#960;&#949;&#943;&#954;&#969;phobe

I should be writing, not on AW.:-)

the owls are not what they seem

Heckuva good sport

Mr. Incredible

Mr. Incredible

υπείκωphobe