Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Vampires are People Too


This post was inspired by 3 things:
1.) The ever present newbie-writer fear that "their IDEA will be STOLEN!"
2.) The incessant rants in the comments of nearly every blog post known to man insisting that their way is right.
3.) The argument that vampires are just a passing trend.

Vampires have been a part of myth and legend around the world probably since the beginning of time. But in 1819, when Dr. John Polidori published his short story, THE VAMPYRE, they have become a common fixture in popular fiction. Their mass appeal may wax and wane, but they shall always be around.

What is so wonderful about today is that there's an endless plethora of different vampires, ranging from hella-scary to hella-romantic. Last month, debut author, Rebecca Zanetti did this awesome post on how she made her vampires unique in this crowded market.

In her novel, FATED, (If you haven't bought it yet, DO IT NOW!) her vampires are a separate species that are born, not made. JR Ward is of the same school. But Zanetti's vampires are only male so they have to mate with human females to reproduce. Kinda like David Eddings's all female Dryads.

Already that is way different from the vampires in my novels. Mine begin as humans and are made into vampires of both genders. The transformation makes them sterile, so no babies, although they are perfectly capable of intimacy. :)

Culturally, Zanetti's vampires are very alpha and very militant with secret hideouts, superior technology, and a staff of scientists.

Ward's vampires come in 3 different classes: Civilians, which are much like average humans. The Aristocrats, which are stiff and spoiled and kinda weak, and The Warriors, which are way Alpha, mercenary and the protectors of the entire race.

My vampires are a cross between feudalistic and bureaucratic. Each city is ruled by a Lord Vampire and the Lords are governed by a council of Elders. Between the two, laws and policies are organized by lawyers and circulated by messengers and paper-pushers. Some Lords (male and female) are very alpha and some are kindly and diplomatic. Some are bat-sh*t crazy.

Besides all that, there are multitudes of variations. Like people, vampire characters are endlessly unique. There is no RIGHT way to do them and we all have our favorites. And even if every author followed the same definitions and traits of what a vampire is, you would still have different stories because we authors are all different people.

10 comments:

  1. When I was doing research a couple years ago, a new writer asked on a forum, "Do vampires breathe?" And someone else answered, "Uh...vampires aren't REAL. So yours can do whatever you want them to do." And that's why I love them and the rest of the paranormal world. They're so fun to write because you CAN get creative with them.

    I hope the stories do keep coming because I love all the different things writers come up with. If it's just a fad people are getting tired of, why are True Blood and The Vampire Diaries still running? Why did Amanda Hocking make self-publishing history with her vampire books JUST TWO MONTHS AGO? People still love them. So keep writing and creating! (P.S. Can't wait to read yours!)

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  2. YAY!!! Thanks so much. I also believe that vampires aren't going anywhere. I mean HELLO! They're immortal, lol!
    Mine breathe.

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  3. This is such a great post! I love the vampires in my series. I mix traditional stuff with alternate history. This genre will never die. Period. Ohhh and I see Wrenching Fate is done!!

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  4. oh and ps... I loved that scene in the pic above!!!

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  5. Me too! And, we-ell, the 2nd draft is done. I think it'll have to go through at least 2 more. But right now I'm taking a break to work on :gasp: a contemporary.

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  6. Thank you!

    Great post about a great subject!

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  7. Love it. You make me laugh out loud, Brook! My vampires are a little more Anne Rice. But I always put them through something terrible that ends up changing them and making them way cooler by the end.

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  8. Like Anne Rice? But um....they can still do it, right? Because if your vamps are half as hot as your gargoyles, it'd drive me crazy if they couldn't!

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  9. Great blog post - and not just because you were kind enough to give me a shout-out. :) Your vamps sound very intriguing!

    Have a great rest of the week!

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  10. YAY! Thanks so much. Coming from you, I'm so honored!!!

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