Be honest, can you even count how many times you've picked up a paranormal book and read the summary, "Anna was a loner until she met the dark, mysterious Victor, who carried a heavy secret: he was a vampire." Or, "Eddy was plagued by his telepathy, but all of that would change when..."?

In other words, all that the paranormal has going for them is that they're a paranormal. We don't know anything about them. This is absolutely silly, since the vast majority of paranormals that we have in literature evolved from mythology and folklore. Let's look at the ways to avoid overused tropes. We'll do it by building a character—a witch named Rowen.

Step One: Research

Let's take a look at Rowen #1. First, we'll look at her trope:

"Rowen was born in Salem, Massachusetts. Her ancestors barely survived the Salem Witch Trials of the Puritan days. With her long, black hair, curvy stature and affinity for dark clothes, Salem natives often jest that she would fit right in the cells that her ancestors were held in. Little do they know, she's hiding the same powers that led to the death of those that came before her. Afraid of letting the people around her discover her abilities, Rowen avoids close contact with people and is very careful to never connect with anybody."

Would that be an interesting story? Sure. But, if you like to read about witches, I'm sure you've read a million just like it. Let's try a different method. I've decided that I'm not going to associate her with anywhere that you would think of a witch coming from. Instead, I picked my grandfather's homeland, Sicily.

Upon researching Sicilian witches, I found two interesting folklores: one speaking about a group of creatures called 'donas de fuera' (women from outside) that could charm people into doing whatever they wanted and one group of creatures called 'folleti', impish creatures that lived in Sicily and would change the weather constantly, usually just because they could. So let's have another go at Rowen.

"Rowen was born in the mountains of Sicily. With her heavy frame, round face and mess of curls, she would have otherwise gone unnoticed. Still, there was an underlying charm, just in the way she smiled and her eyes would flash, that made the men of the village drop everything they were doing to oblige her every want or need when she came to town. Occasionally, one would fall short and her temper was known to bring on the most crippling droughts or the most treacherous rains that would destroy the farmers' crops. Most people knew it was in their best interest to keep the Strega dell'Madunii pleased."

Step Two: Humanize

So now we have the origins of our new character. Let's build Rowen #1's personality, shall we?

~

Rowen tiptoed through town, keeping her eyes averted. Occasionally, an acquaintance would greet her, and she would smile and nod, not daring to look them in the eyes. What if they saw that she was a freak with these strange powers? Would they chase her out of town? Call for her head?

"Row! There you are!" a blessedly familiar voice rang out from a nearby street. She looked up to see her friend, Mary Billey approaching. She gave Rowen a small pinch on her shoulder as she joined her side.

"Turn any boys in to toads today?" Mary joked. She was the only person outside of Rowen's family that knew her secret.

Rowen donned her usual solemn expression. "I've not done it yet," she said. She knew Mary meant well, but the worry that the day would come when her powers revealed themselves to everybody else was a real fear of hers.

~

Too often do we see characters that are plagued by their paranormal abilities that we forget there should be a character in them. If you've ever read Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, you know that the characters are definitely affected by their status, but they're also still very human. They have things that move and compel them other than just being a vampire. Giving your character a purpose other than being a paranormal is what makes the story compelling.

Now let's try out Rowen #2.

~

"Good morning, Rowen," Fritz, the old baker, greeted in his German accent as she stepped into his store. "Tell me, was last night's rainstorm a project of yours?"

"Herr, I assure you, if that was me, your building wouldn't have a roof," she said in a playful voice. The old man was one of her favourites since he had immigrated to Sicily nearly three decades ago. "But speaking of which, is Gustav around? I have a terrible crack in my roof and I need—" Her voice stopped when the old man's eyes fell with his smile.

He shook his head and busied himself with some dough.

"Herr Fritz," she said with a chiding voice. "What is going on? Where is Gustav?"

Fritz lowered the dough and didn't bother to raise his eyes. "Antonio's boys came asking for him the other day. They didn't say what they wanted, but I knew. They're trying to get him to work for them, and... well, liebschen, you know what happens when you tell them no. They pour out blood like you do rain. Gustav ran off, not wanting to give them the chance."

Rowen bit her lip. The mafiusu was moving into this village. She would not allow it.

~

Obviously, Rowen is a paranormal. But it doesn't seem to define her story. She worries about other things; in this case, the Mafia moving into the tiny village by her mountain. You see that she has more of a purpose now than just surviving as a paranormal. She now has to protect her village, and I'm sure her status as a witch will make that both challenging and easier at the same time. One story will be about coming to terms with being a witch, while the other story will be about protecting her village from a growing threat.

Again, which sounds like one you've read a million times and which sounds like a new take on the hero story?

Step 3: Make Rules and Keep Them

Again, Rowen #1, whose weakness is water, in a rainstorm:

~

Rowen raised her hands and concentrated her energy amidst the downpour of water. She didn't expect it to work, and was stunned when the blade on the ground in front of her slid smoothly to her hand. How had she done it in the rain?

~

Perhaps one of the most groan-worthy plot devices seen in overused tropes, the hero overcomes some paranormal block just in time to be convenient and save the day. Unless you have worked out exactly why Rowen cannot use her powers in the rain and shown us to satisfaction that she has overcome that reason, stick to the idea that she can't use the powers. You may think you've painted yourself into a corner, but you, like Rowen, just have to be clever about how you get around this problem. And then, guess what?

You've created a challenge in which your paranormal has still succeeded, even without her powers. You've given her some street cred. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. The block that your character struggles with has now led them to grow realistically and led to some great character development!

Once again, let's visit with Rowen #2 , whose weakness is fire, in a burning building:

~

Rowen tried to call on the rain, but nothing came. She felt her power and her breath dwindling. She tried to force herself to her feet, but her strength had long-since given way.

Instead, she dragged herself, by sheer will, toward the door. The rough stone cut into her knees, legs and torso as she pressed forward. Her mind was dimming from the lack of oxygen and her sight became blurry. When she finally reached the door, she pulled herself up and began slamming her shoulder into the wood. She mustered the last of her waning strength just as her mind began fading to black.

It finally gave way. The fresh air rejuvenated her enough to let her crawl out. Once outside, she was able to pull herself halfway to her feet and stumble into the grass to safety.

~

So, tell me, which one of these characters do you think accomplished some sort of character development? Rowen #1, who was inexplicably lucky and had the safety net of her powers to get her out of trouble, even though she shouldn't have? Or Rowen #2, who was hardcore because she had no powers to fall back on this time?

Conclusion

Writing a story is easy. Writing a unique story takes a lot of research, editing and cleverness. Following the advice here you will be able to build characters that break the clichés and stay fresh in a reader's mind long after the story is finished.

Now go bring your story to life in a brand new way!