Young Writers Society

I don't want my vampire story to be cliche or unlikeable. So I want to know what tuns you away from vampires stories of any kind. Also what you like about them.

Thanks (if you post anyway)

Try reading the Darren Shan books. I love them. They're really good vampire stories without being over the top or too bloody. What I dont like about vampire stories is if they're all blood and guts and no story line. You have to have a good story line.
Hope this helped

sadbhp.

Ah let's see...

~ Vampires named "Vlad" or "Dracula" = no no. I hate when vampire writers name characters -- ugh! You aren't Bram Stoker, be original! xD

~ Anything Twilight-ish = bad. Please no sparkling glittering gods who drink animal blood and are 108-year old virgins.

~ Get creative with your vampire lore! Don't feel the need to stick to the basic things >> aversion to garlic, aversion to religious items, staking the heart -- those have all been used a million times. In Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, her vampires have non of these weaknesses, yet they are the best and most original vampire novels I've ever read.

Good luck!

--Antigone

What don't I like about them? Hmm... There are too many...? Well, about as many as any other creature/monster thing. They all seem the same though Romanticised when there's nothing at all lovely about them. Drink blood, take lives, face a future where as soon as they get used to something it changes. Really, immortality - not as good as it sounds :S What do you do when all your loved ones and ties to the world are gone? Where nothing is familiar.
A vampire book I love (I also adore the others in her series) is ... Anne Rice Interview with a Vampire Oh! Love it! She understands her characters thoroughly.
A PLOT is really needed when it comes to most, as really, the only plot is the overdone Vampire overcomes blood lust for a loved/close one.
ORIGINALITY is a big one for me. Seriously! No one likes to read a story that's just a different version of one they've read before.
Another thing is were they're always: "Ah! Hiss! I'm evil - stay away! Monster!" That really irritates me. It's so stereotypical.
After Twilight, I think there are gonna be quite a few Vampire stories being written. :S
Make it original and you should be fine.

Good luck!!
If you do post the first chapter or something, I'd really love it if you PMed me about it
Thanks.

~EmmaJane~

It's not that I don't like Vampire stories, I just don't like that is is so cliche. You can't deny that after Twilight, almost everybody had stories of a male vampire who suspiciously imitated Edward.
But, if you are set on the idea of Vampires, at least don't make them perfect. The Cullen family was to perfect. Readers like characters with flaws. It gives them a sense of reality.

Hey!

Vampire stories, huh? I read one really good one, The Reformed Vampire Support Group. It was a really fun mystery, that didn't go over the top with the drinking blood and the vampire lore. I would suggest reading it.

What I really don't like about vampire stories is that it's all either blood and killing, or romance, neither which make a good story line. Dracula was classic. The other vampire stories? Bleh.

After Twilight, no one seems to make up any original vampire stories. It's all about a vampire that falls in love with a human, etc, etc. No more Twilight imitations, please! I'm begging you!

Um, that's all I really have to say. Hope that helped!

zOe

What I personally dislike about vampire stories is how writers take great liberties with the vampire mythos or canon. To me there's some very standard, typical things that constitute a vampire as a vampire and changing these basic things pretty much gives you something that, well, isn't a vampire. These things include not having them sleep during the day, making them fangless, not having them sleep in coffins (or sleep at all...), be able to have sexual intercourse... There's some technical arguments against the latter, but I don't want to be too preachy.

However! If you really want to go for a non-cliched vampire story but want to deviate from typical things (fangs, aversion to sunlight, etc.), you could always say that your particular vampires are a race or breed of said creatures that aren't exactly the same as the ones of legend. That way you can pretty much get away with what you want lol.

I'm looking to write a vampire story myself, as I've loved the genre since I was 12 and read Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles series. Seeing how they're being treated in recent literary events bothers me so much to the point that I actually got off my butt and started writing. Good luck to you with your story!

XD Use it all you'd like! That's what I've been doing in my own story lol

And there is a reason for Bella being my icon, but it isn't a nice one. I don't want to be too rude and state it plainly, though. I guess I'll just say I marvel at how Kristen's face is so expressive in each picture used for the icon. .... *cough*

I lost most of my Rice books in a flood a few years ago, so I have to slowly recollect all of them... but I know exactly what you mean. Reading those books, I honestly felt myself feel more happy to be alive and, well, human than anything else. It made me appreciate life in all its craziness and beauty.

I hate how Stephanie Meyers spoiled everything vampire related. So if you don't want to have any cliche comparisons to Twilight, try being as original as possible. Advice: Do not have your vampires superior-like. I hate how in Twilight all the vampires are gorgeous and perfect. Have your characters have flaws, and more human-like even though they are vampires.

I think i really need to read some of these Anne Rice books!

I think i'm writing a vampire novel, although the reason i was hesitant was because of the whole cliches.

I have read the Twilight Saga, and i do like them alot - but i also read Vampire Academy with Richelle Mead.
I suppose the attraction to certain vampires is the whole idea of them acting normal. As in, we go to school with them, they live next door - they are just there, listening to their iPod and watching television.

I think one of the attractions, for others, about vampires are because we want to be one of them. They're special and we want to be superior ourselves.

I'd advise you to make your own vampire physiology up, and make them more human.

I think the main cliche that still needs to be in though, is that they drink blood and that they can be dangerous.

Of course, it's up to you - but i'd do that.

I know this is unhelpful but it's just my opinion. Vampire stories have been overdone ever since Twilight became popular so every vampire story seems cliche to me now. I don't think there's anything that could make me like a vampire story unless it was written before Twilight was published and it sounded really interesting.

With all of you talking about how great Anna Rice's novels are, I think I'll go buy them sometime.
Anyway, the only vampire books I've ever read were the Twilight books, which totally ruined my taste for vampires. If you're going to do a vampire story, make them somewhat like the actual thing. *coughnosparklingcough* Tweak a few things around to make your vampires original, but still vampires.