Vampires: How Are You Sinking Your Fangs In?

I've written several vampire stories. ^^

Anywhere from Twilight-esque vampires, to 30 days of night-esque vampires. They're all fun to write.

I'm working on a story now (off NaNo) in which a journalist who is desperate for love finds it in the serial killer who send her letters after every kill he makes. He is one of those types who drinks the blood of his victims, and other vampirical things. He believes himself a victorian-aged gentleman.

My main character muses about "Why is it so appealing in books for a vampire to be a love interest, but in real life, murderers are classified as monsters?" He's not actually a vampire, but it's still a vampirical concept.

I was just getting really tired of vampires being shown as amazing beings capable of doing nothing wrong, and never being imperfect. I wanted to have a Ted Bundy of vampires. ^^

If you've read Amelia Atwater-Rhodes old stuff, those are my favourite vampire adaptations, with Anne Rice and Stephanie Meyer closely following. I can't help but -read- the romantic stuff, even if I write the gory stuff. ^^

Title: Charlie
Genre: Psychological Horror/Thriller/Suspense

I wrote about vampires in last year's nano. It's still not finished, but it is defintely a pet project. I also like the idea of imperfect vampires albeit powerful; my MC in that story was an ancient vampire that was turned when he was only 11. His favorite "food" are pedophiles - so easy to bait & catch... no release, ofc. :)

I also have a "thing" for magna style vampires - tall and pretty with long hair *sighs dreamily* but ofc, one can't have all the characters looking like that. :)

2006 - Immortal Child (22,000) lost
2007 - Que Sera Sera (55,955) WON
2008 - Que Sera Sera (the movie)
2008 - Riddle's Legend (working title)OR The Goddess of War (working title)

My story is going to be very much from the vampire POV - probably more a psychological thriller than outright horror. My characters will be a variety of ages - I think it'll be really interesting to explore the effects that being alive for a great length of time would have on the psyche. Two of my female characters will be young girls turned during the Victoria era who have basically been locked in a room ever since - basically a time capsule.

They'll also be of different classes - the vampire society I'm imagining at the moment is quite complex, with the pure blooded ruling class at the top, all the way down to the mixed-blooded "mongrels" who are basically the bottom rung of the ladder, not affiliated with any ruling family, who make their living as hired killers, prosititutes, con artists and other less than salubrious activities.

I'm not planning on having a lot of gore but there will definitely be moments of it - my main male character is basically a sadistic arsehole who kills for pleasure as well as to feed. He's one of the older vampires - around five hundred years old is what I'm planning - and all his humanity is basically gone.

I'm already thinking he's going to be a lot of fun to write....

Sadistic arsehole vampires are always FUN to write! :D

One of these days, that would be my main focus... and to see how I can both repulse and attract the readers to that sadistic character. :D

2006 - Immortal Child (22,000) lost
2007 - Que Sera Sera (55,955) WON
2008 - Que Sera Sera (the movie)
2008 - Riddle's Legend (working title)OR The Goddess of War (working title)

I have a love affair with vampires in general....they have been in every NaNo I have ever done. They are fun, you canput them in a variety of situations and things will happen - good bad,...it moves the plot....this is GREAT!!!!

I have a variety of them this year - my setting is modern day and they have blended in with society....but are monitored. THey have certain quota's....there are blood banks set up for them....it's all nuts. But this is the first time I am letting vampires explore the humanity that is left in them.

I am also involving Lycans, witches, warlocks, necromancy.....*sighs*

Is it any wonder I have charts to make on who goes where and why???

But my vampire muses span the spectrum on moods....abilities....temperment....It all depends. Although they rarely brood. They all tend to think it's stereotypical....and they hate the thought that they turn into bats...*shrugs*

They are vampires I let them be crazy.

So I write....and I lose my plot....and sometimes I find plot - but it isn't the same as it was when I lost it....but I pretend it is anyway...
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2006 - Wayward Bloodlust
2005 - Revolutions' Chaos
2004 - Demonic Overtaking
2004 - COnfused Passion
2

Your story sounds fun! I wanna read it when you're done. :D

I prefer *itchy vampires to the broody types. My vampires, if they're a bit low on blood, exhibit the same signs as a woman who's PMS'ing. WAY fun to write (and imagine). And even funnier if they're male... *hehehe!!!*

2006 - Immortal Child (22,000) lost
2007 - Que Sera Sera (55,955) WON
2008 - Que Sera Sera (the movie)
2008 - Riddle's Legend (working title)OR The Goddess of War (working title)

Okay....that sounds fun!!

PMS-ing vamps is AWESOME!!!!

So I write....and I lose my plot....and sometimes I find plot - but it isn't the same as it was when I lost it....but I pretend it is anyway...
~~
2006 - Wayward Bloodlust
2005 - Revolutions' Chaos
2004 - Demonic Overtaking
2004 - COnfused Passion
2

I also love vampire stories, any type of vampires really. This, naturally, is my second Vampire themed Nano.

My vampires vary in personality. But they mostly try to blend in with humans, until feeding time. after an extended period of time without feeding, they get nervous tics. Some claw and bite themselves, others get jittery and jumpy.

I love vampire stories, and i wrote one or two but just never really liked them, but really one tip if you write a vampire story you gotta have the rule that they cant enter a house without being invited, its just so off the wall its a fun plot device i might add.

Hi, How Are You?

I love that plot device! It works so well....especailly with new vampires who aren't QUITE used to it yet....making them fall on there butts.....priceless

So I write....and I lose my plot....and sometimes I find plot - but it isn't the same as it was when I lost it....but I pretend it is anyway...
~~
2006 - Wayward Bloodlust
2005 - Revolutions' Chaos
2004 - Demonic Overtaking
2004 - COnfused Passion
2

My favorite subject!

...and yet much as I love the vamps, this is my first time doing an original story with them. My major inspiration here is Near Dark, Lost Boys, and the Renquist books - thank you, Mick Farren, for demonstrating that the monsters can be the narrators while still staying monstrous. I'm trying to stay away from all the gothic romance, keep it about blood and death and violence.

My main character's sadistic, manic, and self-destructive, is built like a scarecrow and looks like a homeless bum. He's just now reaching the age when all the people he grew up with have just about died out, so between that and the way he lives as a drifter out on the edges of society, there's going to be a lot on the subject of isolation and aimlessness and burnout.

I'm gonna try and throw in a few of the old folklore bits, like the weird obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and give them logical explanations; if one of my vampires dislikes crosses, it just means he's got issues with religion. (Actually, one of my vamps gets her kicks by posing as a nun.) They're dead but they live forever, they drink blood and they burn in the sunlight - those are the limit of the supernatural here.

I'm writing a post-apocalyptic vampire novel - that's also an erotic romance. Have I got enough genres going together or what? My vampires are going to be more of the Buffy variety, although I hate all of that soul gobbelydegook that tries to explain whether a vampire is 'good' or 'bad'. My vampires are going to be responsible for their own morality - although of course they have incredible bloodlust, so whether they're good or bad depends on how well they fight their bloodlust and overcome their baser instincts. Kind of like humans, come to think of it.

My vampires are going to mostly be pretty, or at least sexy. I really can't resist that - to me vampirism is very sexual, and of course I AM writing romance.

My vampires can see the memories in the blood of the victims they're drinking from - which, for them, justifies killing. For example, if they bite someone and they see in his memories he or she is a pedophile... welp! buh-bye, scum of society! Hello, stuffed trash can! I have a few vampires that have a real dislike of lawyers, for some reason... can't quite figure them out.

Then again, when they take a life of their own (especially in my mind) I can't control them - they're literally their own persons, who just happen to live in my head. XD

2006 - Immortal Child (22,000) lost
2007 - Que Sera Sera (55,955) WON
2008 - Que Sera Sera (the movie)
2008 - Riddle's Legend (working title)OR The Goddess of War (working title)

My vampires are pretty varied. I have the well-mannered ones who can mimic humans almost perfectly down to the crazed ones who lurk in the shadows to bring death to unsuspecting passersby. ;) And an entire organization dedicated to dealing with them.

Many of them aren't evil, and don't even kill humans to take their blood (some survive solely on blood bank blood), but just as many couldn't care less about human lives. They can live to outstanding ages, but the longer they live the higher the likelihood that they go insane. They can't go out into the sun and they can be killed if their brains are destroyed or if they are burned to death, but other than that they are pretty unstoppable.

Most of their abilities are Anne Rice-esque, like being super strong and with keen senses, but I've been looking into some myths and other threads and such to round them out. I don't usually write vampires, so it's interesting to see what everyone is coming up with. ^^

I really like the idea of vampires being able to see their victims' memories - that's cool! As my story goes on I'm going to be introducing the idea that when a vampire takes a life, that person's soul is bound to them. It's not really going to be important until the later stages of the story and I'm still a bit foggy on the details, but, naturally, their victims aren't going to be particularly happy about the whole being dead thing.

And, yeah, I hear you on characters taking on a life of their own. Mine are like disobedient children o.O

Amelia Atwater-Rhodes is the reason I started writing vampire fiction. I loved the style of her work, and her characters so much that I wanted to create my own world. I just finished Twilight as well, and that has been a major influence on my desire to write vamp again this year.

I agree that we need more imperfect vampires. Your piece sounds really interesting!

Ignore this...

I am very guilty of writing tall thin vampires with long hair. Often I have to make myself really sit down and take the time to create a more realistic character.

But they are just so tempting...

One of my favorite characters is a short, curvy, female who was turned in her late teens when thin was not in so to speak. She has a hard time dealing with the current status of idealized beauty.

I've always wanted to write a sadistic vampire, but I always seem to come to some sort of moral middle ground with my characters. I have one who has potential, but he's far too much in love with someone to get there I think.

I haven't seen a vampire caste or class system outside of the Blade movies (haha I know) so I think that's pretty awesome. Most of my vampires are all at the same level. Of course there are covens who are generally more respective and have more power. There is a ruling Council as well but most of my characters fly enough under the radar to avoid their rules.

I've loved vampires ever since my mother let me watch Interview With The Vampire and Dracula (the version with Gary Oldman in it) when I was at the impressionable age that allowed it to warp my mind. I typically write about vampires, so my nano is no exception. With my vampires, I try to bring both of the popular images together. They are at once sexy, romantic figures as well as cold-blooded killers (just because a tiger may be pretty, it wouldn't hesitate to kill). They are not the classic undead variety--in fact some of my vampires may find that offensive. They are living beings that never died. They eat and drink the same things humans do. They breath, have sex, reproduce both sexually and asexually (turning a human), and everything else a human can do.

They have superhuman strength and speed, heightened senses, and many psychic abilities. They, of course, are immortal and heal at much faster rates than humans. They are also shapeshifters and can make themselves invisible. Some can cast spells but these are the ones that come from a family of witches. Every once in a while a vampire will have an elemental power (although this is very rare).

The only surefire way most of my vampires can be killed is either decapitation or suicide. Most of my vampires can walk in sunlight, but there is a class of vampires that are killed by it.

As for who they kill it depends on the vampire. Some prefer to drink the blood of the guilty (typically murderers and rapists). Others prefer to drink the blood of the innocent because it taste better than guilty blood. Some kill indiscriminately and others are cannibals.

-----------------------------
Script Frenzy '08
Working Title: Nate and Dick
Script Type: Stage Play
Genre: Dark Musical Comedy
Page Count: 35

This may seem random but have you ever read the online comic Vampirates? Yes it is about vampire pirates, but they have blood banks as well. It never occured to me to use the idea, and I really like it.

I don't make charts, but I do make lists on post it notes, and timelines. I have a family tree above my desk with every vampire I have ever used on it; they all pretty much come from the same bloodline. Then there are the post it notes. I really just love post it notes, and any excuse to use them is fine by me. I list character descriptions, powers, family, friends, and any detail I think I will forget later.

They don't. >;)

My vampires aren't really vampires at all - they're more like psi vamps. They are of supernatural origins and have lots of fun psychic powers, like some other characters in the novel I'm planning, but they are also pretty human, too.

I do have other vampire ideas that are more vampy, though. I have ones who are total losers. I have vampires who fit a more "mainstream" description of what a vampire is, and I have some that are more sci-fi than anything else I can think of. The great thing is, there's such a wide definition of what can be considered "vampiric" that we, as authors, can do anything we want.

And honestly, I want to write vamps who are the anti-thesis of Anne Rice vampires. I really got turned off from them the longer I read into the series. "Interview" was pretty genius, though, IMHO.

Thanks for all the awesome posts!

My vampires live in a world where other species (vampires, witches, werewolves) are recognized, but treated like minorities. Vampires either pay to purchase blood from licensed donor houses, and this of course causes problems when a vampire runs out of money, or create a bonded pair with one or more humans. Society however views bloodletting as a form of prostitution and many people shy away from it. Since it requires a license that is hard to get many vampires keep their human companions hidden.

My vampires vary in looks, abilities, and personalities. I create them with the idea that you do not become a vampire strictly because you are beautiful. Some are created out of desperation for companionship, the wilingness to pay for immortality, or even as punishment. The abilities of my vampires are slight enhancements that allow them to hunt better. These abilities are passed down through the bloodline. One of my covens has the ability to seem slightly more attractive. It isn't straight out beauty, but more of a charisma that allows them to get close to people. Many bloodlines seek out individuals with abilites to add it into the bloodline. My current MC has the ability to communicate with ghosts, and her godfather vampire desperately wants her to join his bloodline and pass it on.

There are a few random facts I've added into the mix. Sunlight does kill my vamps, but they can get a ring that allows them to walk in the sun. This ring has to be made out of a piece of the still beating heart of their sire added to pure silver. It is then melted down and fashioned into a ring. Of course no sire wants to die so his creation can walk in the sun. The procedure is risky, and most vampires do not consent to it. Also only one person in the world still knows how to fashion the rings and he charges a hefty price, and will not just make them for anyone.

My vampires have to eat normal food in order to look human. If they stop eating food they become skeletal and corpse-like. They begin to literally waste away. If they are not getting enough blood they can not eat normal food either. The balance is often difficult to maintain.

For a couple of my characters, the price of immortality is periodic vampirism. One attained immortality while alive. He lives without aging and disease and has great physical resilience, but pretty much any catastrophic injury that could kill a human could kill him, in which case he would just rise again as a "dead" vampire (see below). He has no special powers beyond the physical resiliency, but has become a very powerful wizard in the centuries he has devoted to an intense study of the occult. He is still pretty much human and lives among them without difficulty. Well, except for the difficulty of having to change public identity whenever his failure to age becomes too much a matter of comment and speculation for comfort.

He drinks blood only once or twice a month. He must have it fresh from the victim; having no fangs, he simply uses a neat little scalpel. He can use spells to send his victims into a deep stupor, from which they will awaken without memory of any attack. He never kills or particularly sickens a blood donor, nor can he make other vampires by taking their blood or giving them his. Making vampires, either from living or dead "material", is a matter of magical innoculation with the blood of a certain inhuman "divinity" called Nyarlathotep. (Yes, THAT Nyarlathotep, of Cthulhu Mythos fame.)

The other character is the first's paramour, who was hanged as a witch in the 1692 witch panic in New England. He brought her back to vampiric "life" with Nyarlathotep's assistance. Having died before her change, she is much less human than her lover. She doesn't need human blood to survive, but without it, she sinks further and further into lassitude, finally falling into a coma-like state which is actually a sleep of extremely rich dreams. She rather likes the dream-state and will purposefully enter it from time to time. At other times, she craves action. This is when she can become very dangerous, as only huge amounts of blood, drunk nightly, can bring her to full vitality. Unlike her lover, she doesn't mind killing her victims; also unlike him, she has fangs and retractable claws, and her eyes reflect light like a cat's, and are slit-pupilled as well -- death has brought out the beast in her. She is nocturnal by choice, but the sun doesn't harm her, and she can go among humans without detection, as long as she hides the fangs and claws and odd eyes. I think that only completely burning her body and dispersing the ashes could kill her.

Oh there have been many good vampire novels with caste systems and such. Fledgling by Octavia Butler, Morganville vampire series, and the Anita Blake series to mention a few....

NaNo '05: Failed
NaNo '06: Won
NaNo '07: --
Cups of Coffee: 9
Cups of Tea: 13
Energy Drinks: 2

I love this thread. I'm vampire-obsessed. I admit it. Been that way since elementary school. I love how each author has their own 'theory' on vampires. I read and collect them, but although I prefer some theories over others- I still haven't completely decided on my own theory. After reading all this I figure it's something I should try and figure out before November.

NaNo '05: Failed
NaNo '06: Won
NaNo '07: --
Cups of Coffee: 9
Cups of Tea: 13
Energy Drinks: 2

I tried....and failed miserably.....to get into the Anita Blake novels. I just found the heroine too unlikeable to get involved with, and that's a killer for me.

But I just looked Fledgling up on Amazon and it looks really interesting. I'm definitely going to have to try and track that one down. I can see a few elements there that are sort of similar to what I'm planning to do, it would be good to see how she handles it.

Thanks for the recommendation :)

I've been racking my brains ever since yesterday because I'm sure I've read a book where vampires can't enter a house unless invited - I think it's in "Nightwatch" by Sergei Lukyanenko....

Could be wrong - but you're right, it's a pretty cool plot device - vampires have to come up with ways to manipulate themselves into people's houses ^_^

I'm not much of a vampire expert, so I'll be making up some of my own vampire world rules. In my book, a town is going to be terrorized by three vampire chihuahuas who are most likely working under the direction of the ultimate evil vampire. There will probably be other animal vampires, a reference to the dreaded Chupacabra, and even a possible guest appearance by my favorite vampire of all: Bunnicula. It should be very funny and very YA since I'm writing my novel as my middle school kiddos write theirs.

JJ - ROTFLMBO!!!

I hope you'll let me read that when you're done! That looks hysterically funny - and sounds GREAT! :D

2006 - Immortal Child (22,000) lost
2007 - Que Sera Sera (55,955) WON
2008 - Que Sera Sera (the movie)
2008 - Riddle's Legend (working title)OR The Goddess of War (working title)