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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/43768
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

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?](https://writing.stackexchange.com/q/31361/23253).

**A paranormal story is about a phenomenon that cannot be explained in-world.** It _defies natural laws_, probably logic and common sense, too. Borrowing a rule from the link, a story with an _incidental_ paranormal element isn't a story _about_ a paranormal element.

I don't want to be too narrow on defining what counts as _paranormal_. The genre is **Horror** so inclusive of traditional ghost stories, elements which are left intentionally ambiguous, and stories that evoke the supernatural even if it is rationally or psychologically explained.

The Paranormal Story can be a subplot or smaller section of a larger story. The question is about how to structure just the paranormal parts of the narrative, in practical terms, they way they might be plotted as story beats on a timeline.

## What is the structure of a Paranormal Story?

I was only able to think of 2 paranormal story structures:

1. **Evidence of the paranormal** – the phenomenon is incrementally introduced, allowing characters to discover, debate, and rationally reject each in turn. Circumstantial evidence and unreliable testimony build, creating conflict and division among the characters – or self-doubt in a single character. **The inevitable climax is a _confrontation_ or _direct encounter_ with the paranormal** , which resolves the conflict – either the supernatural is confirmed as true, it is rationally explained through a plot twist, or ambiguity is preserved.

2. **Descent and return** – when the phenomenon is unambiguous, it's presented as a _dark mirror_ or alternate reality to the normal world, with a threshold or barrier which can be circumvented, fails, or acts as a portal. The protagonist intentionally or accidentally _descends into the paranormal world_ which becomes stranger and more threatening the deeper they go. **The conflict is about _navigating back to the normal world_, or the _consequences of bringing back a compromised object or entity_ which should not exist in the normal world.**

I am able to think of many other structures for horror stories in general, and this feels broadly adaptable to co-exist with other horror themes, but when I thought critically about what keeps a paranormal story about the paranormal – as opposed to transitioning into a monster chase or some other type of horror story – these were the only ones I could think of.

Are there others?

Original score: 3