The Story Behind the Vampire Story

The Vampire of New Castle Corners

Last week, I shared with my subscribers a new short story about a vampire. (If you know me, you know I love Gothic romance and spooky stories with Gothic-y vibes.)

The vampire story blossomed unexpectedly in April, after I had read a bit of flash fiction by another author. The other author drew such an evocative picture of a character that I had to write my story, which was about a completely different topic, but benefited from the author's creative juice.

That's how I got started, but I wanted to share about the feedback step in my process because I think it might be helpful to other writers.

After two drafts of my vampire story, I wanted some writer/reader feedback. I was lucky enough to be in contact with two beta readers, who were available and willing to comment.

What happened next was interesting!

Beta Reader 1—she's young, sassy, and a lover of horror and dark romance—asked a couple of questions, commented on the sag in the middle, and didn't like the title of the story, offering other catchier phrases.

Beta Reader 2 is an experienced writer who reads widely, including dipping her toe into paranormal and supernatural stories. She also asked a couple of questions (different from Reader 1), commented on the saggy middle, and confirmed how much she loved the existing title (The Vampire of New Castle Corners).

What do you think I did?

If you've read my book, FROM DRAFT TO CRAFT: A NEW WRITER'S GUIDE TO FEEDBACK (written as J.H. Jones), you know first I answered the random questions. But then I paid serious attention to what both readers said about the middle.

To their credit, they didn't provide solutions; they simply shared their impressions. By gaining insight into how they felt, I could reread the story with a fresh eye. I quickly realized the middle bothered me, too, and there were ways to improve it.

As to the title, however, the two readers were on opposite sides of the fence, and my brain locked. I didn't know who I should listen to! Should I get more reader opinions, or conduct deep research, or brainstorm new titles, or toss a coin? At last, I went back to my original vision for the story and sensed the title didn't need to change. While Reader 1 opened up a new line of thought with some interesting title suggestions (thank you!), I wanted my reader's focus to stay where it was. At the end of my revision phase, for good or bad, I kept my original title.

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My readers were terrific to give of their time and attention, and while I didn't take every note, I appreciate their comments. I hope this description of the feedback process on my story, The Vampire of New Castle Corners, will help you in your writing. If you want to share about writing feedback you've received, sink you teeth into the comments box below! And don't forget to join my community, Romance at a Dark Wood's Edge.