Friday, October 28, 2016

Further Adventures in Vampirism

You might recall how I realized the only thing I'm actually good at writing is murder. Well, today I got to work 30 minutes early and had to do something, so I started pondering my novel, teeny little notebook at the ready. And I realized what this story needs.

A serial killer.

See, all Des wants is a home. A place to belong. And he's about to get a little too cozy, so I have to ruin that for him. So what would threaten his quiet little un-life? The possibility of exposure or death. Or exposure followed by death. So I think we need some vampire hunters.

These vampire hunters were drawn to this quiet little college town by a string of gruesome murders that look to be the work of vampires. But are they? You'll have to wait and see, I guess. Anyway, our group of peaceful, ice cream serving vampires are going to find their lives turned upside down as suspicion begins to fall.

Then there's the girl. The bad driver with the cat. She still doesn't have a name. But I thought she should be a college student. And then I thought she should be studying psychology or something similar. And she might notice that Des is a little shifty, a little weird around people, and a little preoccupied with blood and death. And that might lead somewhere interesting.

Yesterday I also found myself wondering what vampires would do for Halloween. See, some might say they could just go as themselves, fangs and all, slurping on people with impunity. I mean, who's going to notice some people wandering around covered in blood. But I don't think that's the case. I think that some vampires at least would relish the opportunity to be something, anything else. Like most humans, really. It's an interesting little writing exercise, asking yourself what your characters would be for Halloween. I can picture Des doing a James Dean greaser type look, though I'm not sure why. I know Arabella, his 1000 year old boss, would be Cleopatra.

I've been telling everyone all month, "I don't know what my plot, but don't worry, I'll figure it out before November." And here we are. I have a pretty good grasp on a plot. Because I said I would.

When I return on Tuesday, NaNo will have begun. So the blog might consist of crazed scribblings and the written equivalent of talking aloud to myself. It's going to be fun.

4 comments:

  1. Des coming under suspicion of murder and needing to clear his name/investigate definitely would force him into a huge pile of plot. Serial killer is a nice touch.

    I almost feel instead of Kat Von Driver being interested in Des, it should be the other way around. He's a punk rock vampire - a combination that should get all sorts of panties thrown at him - but she's less than impressed. Couldn't care less about that. Maybe if he was from another planet that'd get her curious - but that's ridiculous because Des doesn't even believe in aliens. (The idea of a vampire that doesn't believe in aliens cracks me up.)

    Sorry, I'll stop trying to hijack your characters.

    We're I a vampire, I think I would despise Halloween. All the costumes and imagery reinforcing crude old stereotypes... kinda like the way blackface make-up is horribly offensive nowadays.

    I can't help but be reminded of "Interview with a Vampire":

    "Vampires pretending to be humans pretending to be vampires."
    "How avant-garde."

    Long winded comment finally over.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the relationship between Kat Von Driver and Des will be, at most, platonic. Because, yeah, he's a punk rock vampire, but he's also kind of a weirdo.
      You make a good point about Halloween stereotypes. It'd almost be like "whiteface" with the pale makeup and the widow's peak and the gaudy Dracula capes.

      Delete
    2. Platonic or not, I suppose my first question is what makes someone who is effectively immortal choose a person to divulge that important vulnerable secret to, or let them live if said mortal liability discovered it on their own (unless moral fortitude has them on a vegan vampire diet).

      Maybe I'm overly cynical, but a vampire having a mortal friend would be like having a pet. They might grow a bit attached but deep down they know it'll just be a relatively short time before the simple little creature's time is up.

      As a side note, have you ever done character interviews? I have not but I've seen it recommended.

      Delete
    3. All the whys and wherefores, well, I'll figure that out.
      I tried to do a sort of character interview once. My characters tend to get off topic a lot. Can't take them anywhere...

      Delete