Hi, My name is Michael Kocha, and this is my first post at writingforums.org, so I thought I should take a few lines and make a formal introduction. I've been writing creative short stories, prose, lyrics, and countless introductions, chapters, and prefaces for books since elementary school, yet until recently I haven't had the ambition or drive to continue with a story. Not to be conceited or hot headed, but I don't have bad ideas, in fact, most of my ideas are very well thought out and ran by family and friends over and over, but just never hold my interest long enough to keep me writing. However; I've always been intrigued by vampires. All of the theories, the history, and everything that makes them possible, but impossible. I've started several books now with vampire heroes, who of course are suave, cunning, kind, romantic, and of course unnaturally beautiful. I recently realized that my cousins were in love with the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, and just the small talk of her vampires glistening in the sunlight and the impossible Romeo and Juliet themed love affair sent my imagination flying. I began to write. Four chapters in, I decided that I loved my characters, my story, the history, and the unique view on the way of life of the modern day vampire. That's when I started reading Twilight and realized that there was no way my story could break through the sheer vanity of Stephanie Meyer's. My question is: Is there hope for a passionate, unpublished, male writer to be seen, published, or even heard after this enormous outbreak of vampire-idous has swept the teenage readers? Thank you, Michael
A fad is a fad. It will come and it will go. If your book is worthwhile, it will remain. Harry Potter didn't stop Artemis Fowl from becoming fairly sizeable. If your book is good, it will do well. (And sometimes if it isn't, as witness the source of this entire issue.)
Take some advice from someone who's experienced the same problem my friend. Don't worry about what others have written when writing your own stuff. Just because Twilight is really popular and famous doesn't mean you have to focus yourself on writing a better book. Just write your story and make it the best it can be. If you spend all your time comparing what you create to other works your just going to feel bad about it (Even if what you write is better). Just write and forget about Twilight. You aren't writing Twilight, you're writing <insert title of choice>. That's Steph Meyer, your stuff is you. Focus on the you and you'll be fine.
Hmm... I really appreciate your replies. Already I'm feeling more ambition to keep going with my story. However; I'm also wondering... just a little... if I try to get this published, am I going to get laughed at when the publisher looks at the book, realizing what the genre is? After Twilight has had such huge success I mean. Basically... am I trying to color the Sistine Chapel with a crayon?
If the manuscript is serious I doubt any publishers are going to laugh at you. publishers publish what they think will sell (and not necessarily what is bad or good). If a lot of people are buying vampire novels like cheesecake, that isn't necessarily a bad thing for you. Like I said. If you worry about these things as your writing your not going to have any fun with it. Write the story and worry about publishing when its done. One step at a time makes life so much easier.
Thanks. I just wrote a little bit of an excerpt to keep my anxiety down and my ambitions high. I'll fill in the blank space tomorrow, now that I'm feeling up to it again. I really do appreciate the words of advice. I remember now why I love web forums so much. I wish I could share my work with people other than my giddy cousin, who is currently clawing at my computer monitor, eager to read the next non-existant chapter. Ope. There's my creativity. Apparently the writer's block has passed. The dam has broken. Run for cover. And thanks again, Mikee
Twilight is dirty-girl-vampyre-porn. You should have no problem getting real writing published, in a perfect world. All I can say is, don't compromise and you might get there on your own merit.
Think of it this way - do you think Anne Rice feels threatened by Stephenie Meyer? (Though rumor has it, she's found religion - gotta wonder how she feels about some of her more, er, sordid writings now)
I laughed quite a bit at that response. I mean, we all did enjoy Sleeping Beauty right? XD But anyway... Twilight isn't exactly in the dirty girl vampire porn section in the library, but alright. lol. I'm going to keep up my work, even if all it brings me in the end is satisfaction that I've finished a novel. I've already started brainstorming and come up with a few very different ideas for another novel anyway. I think the working title is going to be an ironic cliche: "Plan B" : ) Thanks everyone. You give me ambition and inspiration. And again... Anne Rice. Heh.
Ha ha, Nice. So while I'm here, is there some database or something I can go to, to find what names are available for my book? I'm leaning toward one I think is amazing, but I'm worried it's taken.
I wouldn't worry about it. There are a lot of books with the same name, for one, and two, even when you pick out a name, when you go to publish it, they frequently change the title to something they think is more saleable. Just name it, write it, and keep going. You can do it!
I know all too well about starting countless stories and never finishing them. I decided when I was 16 that I wanted to be a fiction author. I am now 36 and have not completed anything. In the 20 years in between I've had numerous false starts. For me I don't think that it is that I lose interest so much as I lose confidence. Furthest I've gotten into anything is 4,000-5,000 words. I think I'm too old and too broke now for short fiction. I know that's how guys usually get started but I need something to break for me now and there just isn't money in short stories. So I've started writing a novel in the horror genre. I'm about 4,000 words in so far and already I find my commitment wavering. But I'm trying to keep myself at it this time. I'm really getting too old for this not trying and therefor not knowing nonsense.
I wouldn't worry about it - no matter what kind of story you choose to write, there will be another of a similar theme/genre out there. Original ideas are really old ideas, just looked at from a new, unique angle - your angle. If you believe in your story, and you think it's good, write it. That's not to say that once you have written it, you shouldn't reread it, get others to read it, and edit it until you drop from exhaustion. But if you're going to worry about other stories and novels being of a similar vein to yours, you'll never finish anything. Personally, reading one book I really like would encourage me to read another of the genre. I'm a big fan of the Twilight series myself, but to me that means if your book was published and I saw it in a shop and liked the look of it, I'd be more inclined to read it than not. I wouldn't be expecting it to be the same as Stephenie Meyer's writing style, and I wouldn't be actively comparing it. I'd be looking to enjoy a good story. Don't try to surpass a popular author or emulate their style, just focus on telling your story and having your own voice and style come through As for names ..... well, for me, when I'm writing a story the name eventually reveals itself. Hope I was of some help to you!
I'll agree with everyone else saying that you should just keep writing and forget that Twilight is a really popular book. But I can't agree that Twilight is dirty girl vampire porn because there was zero detail about anything in Breaking Dawn. Stephenie Meyer is too clean for porn, she has three sons under the age of ten and is writing for teen girls, come on. Sorry, just had to get that out. But anyway, just keep going. If anything, make Twilight your motivation. Try to make your story better.
Don't worry about it. I'm kind of having the same issue. Ever read Gabrial Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude? It's about 100x better than Twilight, but my story seems to follow a lot of that kind of stuff...
Hey, I know what you mean. I started writing my novel about 3 years ago when I was in 10th grade and it was about vampires lol, but I'm not even sure if Twilight was out that far back. Anyway, I was writing and revising and writing and revising and I was feeling really good about it. But then girls at school started talking about Twilight around last year, and I overheard that it was about vampires. I don't know, but I found that a little odd because if you said "Oh, I like to read about vampires" at the time people would think you were gothic, or just a weirdo. And they were talking about it ALL the time because appaerently it was THAT good. And then I heard they were releasing a movie based on it in Dec.... I didn't want to read it before I finished my novel because I didn't want to end up comparing or unconsciously base it on that, but my curiosity gave in and I read the first book this summer. I didn't particularly like her style, or plot manipulation... so my first fear was relieved. But then I was worried about the public. What if they criticize mine against hers? What is they say I wrote it after her book came out? It wasn't necessarily going to stop me from finishing it and hopefully publishing it (because I spent a LOT of time on it, even trying to make it symbolic and allegorial with a deeper meaning- having revised, revised, revised), but the thoughts were burdening. So I get where you're coming from, and I probably won't read the rest of the series... lol
I am having the exact same problem. I started writing my novel back in January, and after posting chapters up for feedback on another site, people told me to read Twilight. So I went out and bought it, kinda liked it (I had a phase where I loved it, and then hated it. I hate it now), but realised how slaughtered my work might get from rabid fangirls. I have a teenage human (who has her own powers), who falls for a vampire. However, the book isn't focused on their relationship. It focuses on a lot more than that. And it ends completely differently, and the rest of the books I've written and writing are sooo far from the storyline it's great. But I'm worried how people will take my book to start with.
I never actually read a vampire book (except the Darren shan series) I did pick up the twilight, and in the very first sentence it had me in... then i read the next couple of paragraphs and the style was unbearable. So i never got past the first page. Moral of story: if you going to write which i think is an overly done genre, WRITE IT GOOD! (and instead of vampires not surviving the day... try vampires not surviving the night instead)
When I started college, I selected physics as my major, hoping to become a nuclear physicist. My counselor recommended a change in major because the "working field is saturated" and there is no room for future graduates. I was deeply disappointed. Later that night, I told dad what the counselor said and dad got angry. He said, "Son, it doesn't matter what career you decide to go into, there is always room at the top. Be the best in your field and somebody will want you. It's people who choose to be mediocre who are at risk." Dad's advice is just a true today as it was over forty years ago.
I've read all of the Twilight books, and to me (I can't speak for anyone else. But I probably fall under the category of "rabid fangirl"), the characters are so distinct in my head that it would be very hard for me to relate them to someone else's work. Especially if he eats her in the end. Which was the ending I wanted all along. *sigh*
Write it anyway. It might never get published, but that doesn't matter. The worst thing that could happen is that it becomes closet writing, it sits and does nothing but take up space and collect dust. But every word you just wrote helped you become a better writer, so the next thing you write will be even better.
Thanks Alex. I have written it, and two other books in the series, and am currently seeking representation for it. But there are people on other website that are like "Don't write about vampires - be original" and have compared it to EVERY vampire work out there. Even though it's not really anything like them. It has started to really grate on me. But then agents are still all too happy to take vampires novels, and I know they are because I read a lot of agent blogs.
That's good. Anyone who says vamps aren't original is probably not reading any other vamp books because they like Twilight too much. It might be good though, as you said, agents want them.
According to some people, writing about vampires should just be stopped because it's unoriginal. I posted up a query about a girl with the ability to see spirits and vampires, and bascially I got attacked. I shouldn't write it, it's not original, it's too like every other thing in its genre - which they got from my three little paragraphs of writing I put up. Check it out below to see for yourself if you want. Am I just an unoriginal writer? Spoiler For sixteen-year-old Harley Crown, life stopped being fun the moment her family relocated from America to a small town in England. What used to be a life full of sunbathing, gossiping and lip-gloss quickly turned into a world full of darkness, power, and evil. The transatlantic move triggered a change in Harley, a change she never knew was coming: the gift of Sight. Harley starts to see the dead, and she soon finds out it is her birth right to help these spirits to move on. However as soon as she begins to warm to her gift, she learns that there are those who feed off the despair of the dead. Named ‘the Opposites’, they mirror Harley’s gift, and they’ll stop at nothing to keep her from crossing spirits over, which ultimately puts a bounty on Harley’s head. Sick of being frightened for her life, Harley starts to resent her gift, and she’ll do anything to be rid of it. The possibility comes in the form of Harley’s friend Casey. After Harley is attacked, and nearly killed by a vampire, Harley confides in her friend who has a secret of her own. Casey’s father works for an organisation created to rid the world of demonic forces. Casey promises that the organisation have a means to rid the world of vampires, demons, and all blood thirsty creatures – if only they could find the missing key. Except it’s not just the organisation who are looking for the hidden key; an overwhelming number of vampires have flocked to BallView with the same agenda. When those vampires start using more humane methods of searching the town than the organisation, Harley begins to wonder if she’s truly on the right side. Especially when one of those humane vampires happens to be the boy she’s fallen for.
