Alright, i must admit that i haven't read a single sentence from a single Twilight book, ever! And that's a solid fact! Just puttin' that out there before i continue.
I used to think it would be fun to write a story about a werewolf or vampire, but this whole teeny-bopper vampire craze kinda ruined it for me. Now the whole thing just makes me feel kinda queasy.
Whatever happened to Anne Rice, back when vampires were still vampires?
Now it's all just too draining.
(Ok, that pun was cheap, but fully intended.)
If you're a Twilight fan, keep in mind I've never read them. So I'm sorry if I offended you.
Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :
There are still "normal" vampires out there. Not too long ago I read one with a different twist to the legend but it was adultish. I've seen a few others.
Patricia Briggs has a werewolf series out. So does one of us--the beginning of a series anyway.
I too have thought about doing a vampire and/or werewolf story. I did a zombie story so I could do one of those. Actually, I have an idea for a vampire tale that has been floating around in my head for a few years.
Oh, I like to say that I rejected Twilght before it was cool to read it. Posted by rcmann (Member # 9757) on :
If you want to write a vampire or werewolf story, write one. They have been around for a lot longer than any passing fad. I just wrote one that had both a vampire and a werewolf in it. Just to be a pain. Write to please yourself. You can't please anyone else, not really. There will always be something that doesn't suit someone. So who cares? Write what you want.
Posted by MAP (Member # 8631) on :
Twilight didn't start the brooding, dark, romantic vampire trope. It's been around for a long time (Dark Shadows, Angel from Buffy, etc).
Monsterous vampires and angsty romantic vampires have coexisted in literature and films long before Twilight.
Write what you want.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
I can't vouch for how most of 'em read---I bought a copy of Twilight after several people recommended it, but haven't yet read it---but the subject of these, as MAP says, "brooding, dark, romantic vampire" stories just doesn't appeal to me that much, neither as a writer nor a reader.
I think I can work the "dark brooding" bit into my work---it's the "vampire" that I stick on.
Posted by MartinV (Member # 5512) on :
Hell, I have at least four stories in plan with vampires in them and not the cheesy emo kind. I did rename them into something else though because the word vampire simply doesn't feel original or threatening anymore. Which is good since I lose a lot of assumptions this way.
Posted by Noah Fregger (Member # 9911) on :
Anyone ever see that Let me in movie? It was a fantastic twist on the vampire legend. I never did read the book, but I'm sure it's worth taking a look at.
Buffy the vampire slayer was big when i was in middle school and through high school, so I'm very familiar with that series...a little too familiar (closet fan).
Thanks for telling me to just do what i want. I'm sure we've all got our hands full at the moment though. maybe one day I'll work up a decent story involving those sad blood-suckers.
Posted by MAP (Member # 8631) on :
Angel and Edward do have a lot in common, but Angel beats Edward in every way in my book.
I'm a big Buffy fan too.
Posted by wise (Member # 9779) on :
If you want to read a scary vampire series, read Guillermo del Toro's "The Strain" books. Really nasty vampires and a fun read.
The Twilight books were written for romantic teenage girls who dream of the perfect man. Bella was awkward, insecure, a loner (or lonely), and didn't have much direction in her life. Then she met Edward, the boy (who happened to also be a vampire) who couldn't resist her (how convenient) and thought she was the most amazing and interesting person he'd ever met. A teenage girl's ultimate fantasy. Then she met another guy who also fell madly in love with her, and now she has to choose between mysterious/dreamy and hunky/comfortable. The writer plays this to the hilt. I'm in my 50s and when I read "Twilight" (because my teenage niece loved the books and I wanted to see what the fuss was all about) I almost had heart palpatations along with Bella when she was swooning over Edward. It's powerful stuff for the romantic at heart, written for teenage girls who have felt unattractive and inadequate for the gorgeous guys (and that means practically all of them!). I don't know if it was intended to be "formula" writing, but with so many copy-cats, it's a great example of what to do right to sell lots and lots of books.
Posted by rcmann (Member # 9757) on :
This reminds me of another thread about the differences between male and female, and how to write them effectively.
Posted by MartinV (Member # 5512) on :
I watched the original 'Let the right one in' movie (Swedish?) and it was amazing how different it was from the conventional (*cough* Hollywood! *cough*) movies I see. I hate the fact it's been redone as a romance film. They're children, for Someone's sake! That's the whole point! It wasn't about romance, it was about friendship.
Posted by Natej11 (Member # 8547) on :
Not exactly on topic, but I saw a fetish documentary about vampire people who drink other people's blood as a kinky thing.
There ARE real vampires out there!
Posted by MattLeo (Member # 9331) on :
quote:Originally posted by Noah Fregger: I used to think it would be fun to write a story about a werewolf or vampire, but this whole teeny-bopper vampire craze kinda ruined it for me. Now the whole thing just makes me feel kinda queasy.
Why should a book that you haven't read and have no intention of reading affect how you think or the choices you make?
This is like when a local rock band hits the big time; no matter what they do, many old fans will say they've "sold out". There's a difference between "hip" and "cool". "Hip" is something that is cool that most people haven't found out about. It offers the special reward of being the secret of a chosen few. There's a flip side, too. Something can become so commonplace we deem it beneath our notice.
Vampires used to be hip -- the exclusive property of antique gothic novel and low budget horror movie fans. That changed in '76 with Anne Rice's *Interview with a Vampire*, followed by the blockbuster Broadway production of *Dracula* starring Frank Langella (and with scenery by Edward Gorey!).
*Twilight* completes the process of vampires becoming un-hip. After *Twilight* vampires have become anti-hip; overexposed; beneath our notice. As such the novel receives more than its share of literary odium.
I think anyone working in fantasy ought to read *Twilight*, and read it with an open mind. It's not a masterpiece by any means -- Meyer's dialog is particularly dreadful -- but it's not the totally unredeemable swill it's detractors claim it to be. It has its virtues, which are particularly worth studying. My take on it is that it is a draft of what with a good story editor might have become a much better novel, although it'd be presumptuous of me to think I could readily separate its faults from its success.
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