Hello everybody. I have questions, as usual and anything advice you could give would be fabulous since I'm not sure whether or not this is the right way to go. A while ago, I wrote a book manuscript about a vampire who worked as a detective in a secret magical agency that takes deals in magical crimes. I sent it to some agents and a few publishers who all said it was not right for them. One publisher said that I should revise and resubmit, but I don't think it will ever be quite what they want because it's not romance. It has romantic elements, but it's not really romance.
Here's the question. Would this make a good film? My character is a Canadian vampire who's not pretty at all. He's a 40 some year old man who often thinks of himself as plain. I did that because it was unconventional for the genre. Most stories about vampires have handsome guys who are all sexy and stuff. That is NOT Kris Kellman. He's cranky, cantankerous, and doesn't suffer fools well. He's also bisexual and has a quirky weird relationship with his lover who's a dragon. I originally based the character off of some of the work of Martin Freeman, because, let's face it, I love that guy. I was also thinking maybe it might make a good series, because the books were going to be a series anyway. Though it would be less True Blood and more Moonlight that was a show that ran on CBS staring Alex O'laughlin back in 2004 or something. Sadly only got one season, but I loved it. It was a great vampire show for adults that was atypical for the genre.
Anyway, I'm just wondering, will it be worth the effort? Should I go for it, or should I just let it go, put it aside and just wait until book agents and publishers are interested in diverse vampire fiction again? Thank you all in advance.
P.S. There may be more questions forthcoming. I'm just full of them.
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Wow, I haven't thought about Moonlight in years. It definitely was a good first season, and it was a shame that it got cancelled. After reading your post (and this is really just my opinion, I could totally be wrong) this story/concept sounds like it would do way better as a T.V. series. There are way too many elements that you have introduced that I cannot imagine could be explored deeply on a movie's timeline. I could be wrong as I obviously don't have the full picture, but the way you described your main character and the world he is in kind of sounded like a darker version of Columbo meets the fantasy realm, which I could totally see working on an episode by episode basis.
The only way I could see this working as a movie is if the stakes where high enough, like a mystic apocalypse that he has to stop, or a "dawn of the dead"-type un-dead army amassing under a demon to take over the world. An ugly vampire detective sounds like an idea you'd find in a novel and you'd have to really find some way for the audience to identify with or even like him.
You're asking the wrong questions, my man. Who's your coach and how's your story craft? Who approved your work. The number one mistake with rookies is shopping shitty stories. Post the first page. I'm here to help you.
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I like the concept but feel the world has O.D.'d on vampires. But if you do it, your vampire needs a need . Just being an ordinary Joe is not going to work. What is he looking for, what does he want? What does he need?
Thanks everyone. Interesting advice. I may just keep working on it as a novel. As for what he needs, he's on a quest to stop a vampire conspiracy to enslave all mankind. His old nemesis Charles, the vampire who turned him into a vampire, is kidnapping humans to feed on and making vampires who stand in his way disappear. Knowing that this would spark a war between humans and supernatural creatures, Kris has to stop his old maker or die trying.
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Vampires are a bit tired out right now, but everything is cyclical. id keep working on the book.
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It's ALWAYS worth the effort. We have a list of story ideas and we're working through them one at a time. They all sound great. Some died on the vine during writing, others are now scripts. Writing is spending an enormous amount of time creating crap. Even the best writers out there have tubs of terrible stories that never saw the light of day. Start to build it, write it, and see if it has a pulse or not (vampire puns aside.)
As for vampires, I never agree with anyone, even execs, who say anything is tired or worn. It's all about the arc. What makes this vampire different? What is the overlaying story of complications and unique events that are caused by being a vampire? What are the underlying sub-stories? While you're building the story figure out what makes this vampire different. How can you make the genre yours?
Every writing failure is growth. I wrote my first short story when I was 7. I thought it was the greatest story ever written. After 40+ years I've written my turds and learned from them, and from the forest of "never will this come to be" I have a few really, truly excellent trees.
Thanks everybody for the advice. I just finished revisions on the book last night and I'm going to ask someone to glance at it again. Hopefully it's better than it was and I can re-sub it to the publisher that wanted it. I'll see where it goes from there, but I can still always do both. Anyway, cheers!!