#(and if you're in their POV it doesn't make sense that they would infodump what they already obviously know ... to themselves??)

[zarvasace]

Quick question that I'm perfectly fine with you infodumping on-

Any tips for writing vampires? Especially when the change isn't immediate?

Also one of the vampires is blind- how do you think that would work? Especially since they use magic to sense the world, would the fact that they can always hear heartbeats make things easier? (Or much harder in towns bc that's a lotta people in one area-)

-🪃

Vampires vampires vampires :D

Do not take my word as gospel:

Okay so how you write vampires is highly dependent on your personal lore. You could say that the only consistent thing about vampires is that they drink blood—but even that isn't necessarily a given. Lots of media have a way for vampires to sustain themselves without that. See:

Sorry anyway.

My vampires usually struggle with bloodlust vs ethics, have some supernatural abilities, and have some supernatural weaknesses. My advice will come from that perspective and experience.

I think one of the first things you have to make a decision about is how magical vs physical your vampires are. They can totally have both, but what tone do you want? Are vampires 100% scientific, can you explain their nervous system and cardiovascular system in a way that doesn't have any inconsistencies? Or are they 100% magical, with no explanations at all, dependent on the magic system?

Once you know what you're going for there, you can derive the rest of your lore. If they can levitate, is it because they are leveraging their personal magnetic fields or whatever or just because magic? I like to go through lists of vampire strengths/weaknesses and say yes, no, or partially. Here are a few to get started:

Some strengths: strength, speed, seeing in the dark, durability, healing, fangs (can they hide them?), shapeshifting (animals, mist, lots of small animals, other human appearances), animal communication, weather control, hypnosis/mind control, flight, blood

Some Weaknesses: garlic, mirrors, religious symbols (crosses? More?), holy water, running water, counting rice, silver, blood

Vampire turning processes are also really variable. It could take a few seconds, a few hours, a few days. The magic or whatever has a big influence on this, too. I've seen it where the vampire's body has to go through a series of stages, like a disease taking hold and altering their very physiology. Sometimes it's a quick brain change. Maybe it's just pure magic. Maybe there's a vampire cocoon and they come out a beautiful vampire butterfly. You should probably decide if it's painful, draining, traumatic, like a coma, or just fine. Maybe it's even pleasant? Make some creative decisions!

As for blind vampires (which is super cool btw): I would caution against the "I see through magic" trope. It can work, and work well, but you don't necessarily want to write the blind character just like you'd write a sighted character minus visual descriptions (if they're a POV.) Consider giving them a white cane, or another sort of accessibility device. It can be a really cool way to write them interacting with the world, too! I'm not blind or very vision impaired, though. This is just my advice as someone who has read a lot of advice from actually blind people and done research.

Hearing heartbeats could be really cool! Is it because they have enhanced hearing—in which case they'd hear clothing shifting and perhaps muscles moving and bones cracking—or just heartbeats because magic? If that, then the heartbeat could be a constant reminder of blood around them. They can perhaps hear vaguely where a quiet person is, but not where they're going, what they look like, or who it is. I imagine it could get disorienting in crowds though, lots of people all at once in addition to whatever other noises and sensations there are.

Hope that was a little helpful :)

#asks #i speak from the coffin #vampires #writing advice

[amarriageoftrueminds]

*thought on writing* 

As an impatient person, when I open a fic or a book I just want to know:

1. who's the POV character 2. where they are 3. what's happening right now that's un-usual 4. in what genre

and the best openings for me answer those questions immediately.

#BASICALLY: who where what why and how = ASAP pls #writing #dat's me #on writing #thinky thoughts #fic #I do NOT want to know HOW the POV character knows everyone they know / think about #(and if you're in their POV it doesn't make sense that they would infodump what they already obviously know ... to themselves??) #also: 'running late' is not a compelling intro it's a tired tired cliche #unless they're running late for like a funeral or their own wedding... #(see: richard curtis)