Ajwf

So, the first vamp just kind of... was a vampire always? After a bit of searching, I came across Strigoi for option three. Since I mainly think of Romania when I think of vampires. In Romanian mythology, strigoi (English: poltergeist)[1] are the troubled souls of the dead rising from the grave. Some strigoi can be living people with certain magical properties. Some of the properties of the strigoi include: the ability to transform into an animal, invisibility, and the propensity to drain the vitality of victims via blood loss. Strigoi are also known as immortal vampires. As for the other, I kind of think you had the correct wording in your original post: "Turned". It's a broad enough term to excite someone into wonder and three words like Strigoi would probably confuse someone to hell and back. So my idea may be bad simply in complexity.

greygreygraygreygreygray That's impossibly awkward for me... Maybe I've just been taught wrong, but for some reason, I can't mange that.

To the first part: Yes, but I'm more of a lover of the British style of writing anyways. The reason I prefer gray to grey is because of the way I type. My left hand's ring finger is.... (there's a musical term for this!) Damn. I was going to give a term and leave it at that. Suffice to say that when my fingers are positioned on the keyboard, my left pinky and ring finger do not fit correctly and cannot reach the upper row of keys. So, when typing grey, you would generally use your pointer on 'g', middle on 'r' and ring on 'e', then finish it with your pointer on 'y'. Except that my ring cannot hit that key without extra timing issues, which is just more of a hassle because who wants to waste two seconds hitting an 'e' over the 'a' right below it where my ring finger rests? To the second: I'm more traditional with that. I enjoy the ability for an author to keep the writing in English more than it's American English (or American slang) counterpart. If they really want to use the HP universe, have Harry Potter and write American, set the story through an American wizard's eyes. I believe that's an acceptable use of an OC, when you are unable to match the original author's writing, so using an OC with different thoughts, wordings, phrases would be a good supplement.

I have to say this: It works. Seeing as I haven't read anything here (well, I have, but not as much as I probably should), I draw upon a lot of the writings on FF.net. And it was a very common tactic. Most of the time, they were correct in assuming that they weren't the best, (but wait, shouldn't that be everyone on a FF site anyways? Granted, a few people here are published, but the majority are not) but they got the reviews they looked for because of such tactics. Now, I always wrote something at the end. Mostly, if i made some strange reference, I'd explain it briefly. (Mandatory input of how I believe it's acceptable, even though I use it and am biased). But, it's like Twilight to me: A lot of people dislike it, but the writer (Mrs. Meyers) can laugh all the way to the bank as she got a lot of money. (Money being an equivalent to reviews on a much different level)

For Melrick's questions: What does the general house layout in the world look like? (Or something similar) Blueprint randomizer. Only one floor... But you could hit it twice Wanna make your own blueprint? Just to help get an idea for what the housing types in these worlds will do.

A character like the writer is NOT a MS. A character like the writer but with only upsides is a MS. I agree that MS characters are quite enjoyable in some situations. But, you guys forget part of the definition of MS (Perfect without reason). A lot of characters are perfect, but have methods to their madness clearly explained. MS are good for satires. But near-perfect characters are great for villains. No one likes weak antagonists, they don't push the protagonist.

Random City generator I like Melrick's chart, but need some place to start... Can't seem to find something better than this simple generator. Randomness is always a good starter... until it isn't. Just doesn't seem to be much for world creating out there.

Came across another idea: This is a weight/height chart average. Small/medium/heavy frames. Doesn't help much if your character is missing an arm, though.... http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heightweightchart.htm

I just found this link this morning and thought it was fairly unique. A lot of time, when you run across a supporting character, you don't exactly know what to make them... This is a *Basic personality randomizer. Also, only deals with young adults for some reason... Don't ask me why. http://selfpublishingteam.com/chargen/ya/ It does have some issues, as it is completely random. On one of my tries, I got a girl who was a 'jock' but also very humble. While it'd be interesting to try to put those two traits together, and maybe even possible, wasn't going to try. Also, someone in the shoutbox showed us this one a couple of days back. I bookmarked it. It's an article with pixar writer Emma Coats on the "22 rules of Storytelling". I thought it was really cool. This link is kinda a writer's block remover of sorts. It wasn't terribly detailed, but the vagueness is probably better when you're in the middle of your book. http://shortstoryideas.herb.me.uk/twist.html That's all I got.

Agreed. Even one good review can really brighten someone's day. But most importantly, I just want to know I'm writing for somebody, who's actually taking the time to read each individual chapter. That's what really makes me happy. Say whatever you want, but the fact that you're still reading means you like something about my story.

Lol... Too true.

Well, I'll try to help.

It's an issue with a lot of writers recently, though...Even Clancy's recent book, Against all Enemies, made me cringe at how close it was to any other action book and how uncharacteristic it was compared to his famous Rainbow Six.

Have never checked to be sure, but I believe Patterson has multiple people writing for him. He roles books out at a freaking incredible pace, one that would be superhuman alone. I personally enjoyed the Maximum Ride series of his.