BOO… Having Ghosts Haunt Your Mystery!

At a recent author event, I was asked what possessed me to include “ghosts” in my “mystery” novel. The gentleman who asked the question wrote murder mysteries, but veered away from ever using paranormal elements in his novels. He seemed truly dumbfounded as to why I would take a perfectly mainstream genre and muck it up with supernatural elements. What was perplexing to him was perfectly clear to me—using “ghosts” or any other kind of paranormal characters, offers authors incredible freedom in expanding the story in ways that would be impossible by only using “flesh and blood” human characters. Of course they can create a chilling tension, but more importantly, these otherworldly creatures lend depth and breadth to a story.

It really doesn’t matter whether or not you believe in the existence of ghosts, vampires or witches for the paranormal to be used as an effective device in writing. As a fiction writer, there isn’t a pre-requisite that states you need to be a medium, a certified “paranormal investigator,” or a Wiccan priestess to create a haunting landscape rich with creatures existing “outside” of everyday reality. Characters that defy the human limits of time, space, and the five senses can weave their way through a plot, dropping strategic clues for the protagonist to decipher. Ghosts from the past can appear with messages, warnings, and advice. Where physical boundaries, such as walls or great distances, obstruct humans, supernatural characters have a distinct advantage.

In my novel, Midnight Revelations, the ghosts that haunt its pages draw the main character, Sara, gradually toward a dark secret. She has to take a “leap of faith,” along with the reader, to piece together the “mystery” laid out by the ghosts from the past. Could the story have been told without the use of ghosts? Of course, but in this case, the plot was enriched by having the “back story” told by those who were “there.” The physical intrusion of the “ghosts” into Sara’s life propelled her toward the truth about her own identity.

Being able to suspend reality is the hurdle that all fiction takes, so enlisting the “supernatural” in the service of storytelling fits right in with that objective. If you look at the exponential growth of television programs, books and online websites devoted to paranormal events and “ghost hunting,” it would be a shame to pass up the opportunity to attract this audience in order to strictly stick to one of those “mainstream genres.”

Karen M Bence graduated with a bachelor of arts in Psychology from Dickinson College and a master's degree in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. A former social worker, psychotherapist and educator, Ms. Bence is also an avid equestrian and dog breeder.