How to Write a Vampire Novel for Tweens

Monsters in numberless quantities haunt the pages of horror novels, but none is more popular than the vampire. Why? Probably the versatility of the vampire. Most other monsters have severe limitations in how they can be portrayed. A thing from a swamp is destined to lurch around isolated farmhouses or in the sewers of some big city. The vampire, on the other hand, has almost endless potential for variety in its interactions with people, which makes the vampire of fiction so popular. Read on to learn more.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Your writing materials and imagination

1. A good place to start is by reviewing other vampire fiction. Read the folklore, read the classics as well as current vampire books. Watch the movies and the televisions shows. Then forget about everything else you've read and seen and develop a vampire universe that is yours.

2. Always remember that a horror novel's job is to be horrific. Sometimes the humans win in horror novels, sometimes they're overcome by the evil vampires, but win or lose, the vampire's the bad guy, no matter how glamorously portrayed.

3. What makes a good vampire character? Sensuality, intelligence, and a touch of mystery. The vampire appeals because this creature looks human and yet has a nonhuman perspective on the world. The most important thing to do is establish the rules of what your vampires can and can't do, and live by those rules. Always be consistent.

4. It’s important to surround your vampire with realistic details that help the reader feel that the world in which the story takes place is believably recognizable as the real world the reader inhabits.

Tips & Warnings

• You can develop as many vampire universes as you want. You don't have to stick to one type of vampire story, but each universe should be consistent within itself.
• The most common mistake authors make with vampires is to take them too seriously. Just because your characters are dead doesn't mean they have to be depressing.

Resources

• School Library Journal is a good source to what kids are reading
• Childerens Writers website has writing tips

[VANSgirl124]

on 3/27/2008 THANKS!