Ghosts, Time Travel, and Monsters Under the Bed: How Looking for Alternatives to Common Theories Can Really Spice Up Your Paranormal Tale
When I first started writing paranormal adventure fiction, some friends of mine told me that I was going to have a major issue that they didn’t think I’d be able to overcome. You see, I’m a Christian. And though my books aren’t “Christian Fiction” per se, they are still influenced and guided by my beliefs and I can’t go outside of what I know to be biblical Truth. And whether I wish things were different or not, there are aspects to the paranormal that just plain goes against everything I believe in. To add that content in my books would be irresponsible, if not altogether dangerous. So, what’s a writer, who is Christian, to do when it comes to writing about the paranormal?
The answer is…do what he does best. Be creative! The very thing that my friends said would turn out disastrous for me, is the very thing that will eventually set my books apart from all the others out there like it. Let me explain.
My novel, Primal Thirst, is the first installment of the ENIGMA Directive series. It follows the adventures of globetrotting cryptozoologist Dr. Obadiah “Jack” Jackson and his team as they investigate some of the nastiest monsters known to man. Now I chose cryptozoology for my first series of novels because cryptids, such as Sasquatch, Nessie, and the lesser known Lusca, were really as far removed from “paranormal” as I could get. In truth, if they exist, they are merely strange biological creatures that have remained hidden from human eyes for centuries.
But using “real” cryptids for the primary meanies in my novels was not an option. After all, if Sasquatch really does exist, I don’t want people being scared he’s suck their brains out from their eye sockets, do I? No way! So, I started taking real legends from various cultures and adapting them into real scary monsters that have no need to fear a mob of humans going out with pitchforks and torches. Hence, the first ENIGMA creature…the jenglot. The jenglot, in Malaysian folklore, is nothing more than a voodoo-like doll that is said to come alive at night and feed on human blood. You can buy them for a dime a dozen at any local bazaar…though I’m not sure why anyone would want a doll that could potentially bleed you dry in the middle of the night! But I took this legend, took away its doll-like features and made it nearly four feet tall…drawing heavily on the chupacabra cryptids of the Hispanic community. And wah-lah! Instant monster with absolutely no spiritual undertones.
But my third ENIGMA book (to be released later in 2011) presents an entirely different creature…one that could, if extant, be either physical or spiritual in nature. I’m referring to the Jersey Devil…the strange bi-pedal, winged creature that has a face of a horse and likes to walk on the rooftops of unsuspecting homeowners. Physical evidence suggests that this could actually be a real creature. There’s just been too many eyewitness reports of this creature to just be mere folklore. Yet it contains elements that seem to be supernatural too (the very legend of its birth is a perfect example…it was born a child of the devil himself). So what could I do? This is the fun part and we’re getting into the heart of this post right now…
You come up with possible alternatives to the supernatural…and oddly enough, find yourself with a much creepier story in the process. You see, as I started studying the Jersey Devil, certain characteristics of the creature kept reminding me of another creature of legend. One that would freeze the blood of anyone who happened to see it in its day…a creature that was one hundred percent biological (if real), yet infinitely scarier than some ethereal spirit (unfortunately, I can’t tell you what it is…it’d spoil the fun!).
The key here is coming up with alternative explanations for things too supernatural or unrealistic to use. No matter what you write about, take a look at the subject matter and turn it over and over and over in your head. Don’t look to the obvious. Come up with another way of looking at the subject and you will find a much more original and spine tingling story than if you had just gone with the “expected”. And by the way, this works just as well whether you have Christian convictions regarding a subject matter or not.
But let me give you one more example of what I’m talking about…and possibly a step-by-step guide to how I do it.
In my effort to market the ENIGMA Directive books, I’ve become entrenched within the paranormal investigating community. I know cryptozoologists. I know ghost hunters. And I’ve even started my own investigative team. My same naysaying friends have questioned my actions in this…especially in regards to ghosts. They say, of course, that ghosts are contrary to Scripture. They spout out verse after verse that I know all too well. And in truth, agree with completely. But you see, my friends have blinders on. They are only looking at ghosts from the traditional, classicist point of view…and to me, that’s just plain boring for any kind of good story! I want alternative explanations. I seek after different possibilities. In my own personal experiences, I definitely know that there is some strange phenomenon happening at many a haunted house. But if human spirits are not walking the creaking floorboards of these decrepit old structures…what is?
Enter the Alternative Theory Brainstorm session.
I first start by thinking about all the different theories out there that are mundane. Human spirits unable to find rest. Demons playing with the gullibility of hope-seeking humans. Hallucinations. Psychological disorders. Even psychokinetic manipulation of an environment by a kid in the midst of puberty. I look at these theories, shake my head, and say, “Boring!” It’s all been done before. It’s all been explored. So what’s new? What alternative can I find?
Well, then I start looking at the ghostly phenomenon themselves. Looking at similarities. Examining differences. Searching for commonalities. Then, my eye catches one specific type of haunting and a lightbulb goes off in my head.
It’s called a “Residual Haunt.” If you’ve ever watched an episode of Ghosthunters, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The theory behind the residual haunt is that while someone is alive, part of their “essence” begins to attach itself to a place or an object of importance to them. An eighteenth century woman spends most of her day in the kitchen…cooking, preparing the evening meal, etc. Then she dies. But years later, this same woman can still be seen performing the same chores she did while alive…seemingly oblivious to the living on-lookers. The residual haunt suggests that this isn’t a “ghost” per se, but rather an after-image (like a ghost image on a TV set with bad reception) just going through the motions over and over again. Not a bad theory, right?
Well, just not good enough for me and not exactly spine tingling or adventurous enough for a good yarn either in my mind. We need to come up with an alternative explanation for this type of thing…and maybe, just maybe, it will provide the makings of a unique kind of ghost story never done before.
So my brain kicks in. I start turning the facts over in my mind. Looking at it from different angles. And an idea hits me in the head like a hammer.
What if the strange, ghostly female we see doing her chores in the kitchen isn’t dead? What if she’s very much still alive?
“Huh?” You might be asking. “Um, I’m pretty sure if I can look right through her, she’s probably dead and it’s probably a ghost.”
Oh, but use a little imagination! Think outside the box! What if there’s a better, more entertaining solution? What if “time” is, as has been suggested by certain physicists, actually like a nylon string? What if each point in time is somewhere along that string? Now, what happens if you take that string and wad it up into a ball? Different points on that string will touch each other, right? Or they’ll come very close to touching anyway.
Now imagine those points on the string as being dates in time. What would happen if the point for today’s date, 2010 touched the point for the same date in 1810? What would happen if these points on the string brushed lightly across each other? Would a person from today be able to catch a glimpse into the world of yesterday? Would a ghost hunter seeking the truth be able to see a living, breathing human being performing the chores in her kitchen in the time period in which she actually lived?
It doesn’t matter if this theory is true…at least for fictional reasons. With it, you have the start of one whopping good ghost story! You also have the makings of one fantastic time travel story as well. Plus, you eliminate the nasty little problem, if you’re a Christian, of writing about something that might be unscriptural.
And all it takes is seeking alternative solutions to common beliefs about the paranormal. Whether you have Christian objections to subject matter or not, this method could prove absolutely invaluable to you, as a writer, for coming up with completely original tales of the paranormal.
Kent brings up a great point and that is you write what you know. Though you may not want to translate your beliefs onto your character, in one form or another it typically happens. I see it time and time again though that readers 'bag' the author for trying to impose their beliefs upon them but the one thing that the reader needs to keep in mind is that these are works of fiction. Enjoy the piece for the writing - don't think that everyone is out to get you with their 'mind tricks'. Find out more about J. Kent Holloway at www.kenthollowayonline.webs.com or http://kenthollowayonline.blogspot.com.
Have you struggled with anything your characters have gone through? Have you ever looked past your beliefs to create a completely different character from what your beliefs are, and was it a soul-searching process second-guessing yourself that it was the right thing to do? Do you think it helped the book? And lastly, have you been told that you are 'thrusting your beliefs' upon others and what have you done about that to combat the negative impact it may have brought? As always, your input can win you a Variance e-book of your choice.
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