The 5 keys that every urban fantasy author must know

1. Choose your type of fantasy a. Classic western mythology: vamps, weres, witches, biblical b. Classic non-western mythology: south american, egyptian / arabic, far east c. Neo-mythology: epic fantasy based / weird 2. Integration level a. Secrecy by rarity: real magic/fantastic elements are rare enough that their strangeness is absorbed in the background b. Secrecy by pact: There are enough magical beings that they have a council or ruling body that enforces secrecy c. In the open: The world is a blend of fantastic and mundane without secrecy at all. 3. Organisations a. Academic / religious b. Government (normal and paranormal) c. Ad hoc (hunters, protectors) 4. Characters a. sane b. insane c. good d. evil 5. Conflict Primary underlying conflict: avoid good/evil that's rubbish in urban fantasy. a. change vs stagnation b. redemption c. love vs fear d. mundane vs supernatural