Wednesday 31 July 2013

Loving the Dracula quotes!

“I could not resist the temptation of mystifying him a bit, I suppose it is some taste of the original apple that remains still in our mouths.”
Bram Stoker, Dracula



I'm having a marvellous time finding good quotes from the original book of Dracula to pepper liberally into my third book.


Set at a Boarding School, the whole of Year Six are expected to take part to some degree in the Year Six Play. Even if their only job is to pull back the stage curtain, every pupil has to be involved somehow.  As all my main characters are in Year Six (covers age 16 - 17), the play is a focal point for a lot of their interaction.


This year the play they are performing is Dracula. So I'm finding some quotes either for them to use or maybe to start each chapter if I can find enough that are relevant to the unfolding story.


How about this one?

“I want to cut off her head and take out her heart.” 
Bram Stoker, Dracula 

It's brilliant isn't it! I know I've felt that way about another girl once or twice in my time, lol. 
Though I suppose I should mention that actually Van Helsing says it about Lucy who has become a Bride of Dracula

I'll just leave you with this one which was clearly written about me (not)

She is one of God's women fashioned by his own hand to show us men that there is a heaven where we can enter
Bram Stoker, Dracula

 www.amazon.com/dp/B00C14KSH8


 


Friday 19 July 2013

My Characters Have Taken Over!

Any of you who have read either The Flirting Games or More Flirting Games will know that each book has a main couple who are the focus of the story but also some secondary characters who have their own romances developing or failing in the background as well.

I'm currently writing book 3 in the series, Further Flirting Games, and the main characters are Grace and Ben.  But their story just isn't inspiring me! Instead I find that Gabriel and his two possible love interests (current stunning older girlfriend, Vanessa, and sweet young Flora who is trying to get noticed) are taking over the book as a main story line and a small character named Beatrice is suddenly becoming the real star of the whole show.  Poor Grace and Ben aren't getting a look in! That doesn't even account for Sophie and Jack who I adore but haven't even started to write their scenes.

What do I do? Do I rework the whole book around what I have written and forget about the previous main character? Or do I scrap it and force some flirting between Grace and Ben (who don't appear to be connecting at all right now)? Or do I write it with multiple main characters and let all of them have free reign? Or will that ruin it? Sigh.......

If there are any readers out there who have followed the secondary characters, then do tell me, do you care about them? Are you interested in why Gabriel is so cold and haughty? Are you bothered about whether Sophie gives Jack another chance.  Do you even remember who Grace and Ben are? Do you care about a shy plump girl who goes from being a nobody to popular somebody?

The new characters are running riot over the page and have even written their own back stories. Beatrice keeps a diary and wont stop commenting in it. Why is she making me write it? Would anyone care about her insecurities or should she just get on with winning over the boy and getting that perfect kiss?