Retreat! or 10 Creative Ways to Destroy a Vampire

Well, the day has finally arrived. I'm off to Dallas for spring break. As always, I feel sad because I'm abandoning Bryon for 4 days. I often console myself with the fact that he would be BORED OUT OF HIS MIND. I won't be. Yolanda and I will have fun today and tomorrow. I'll be doing my best to cheer her up, because her dog Amber is gone as of yesterday. It's rough losing a pet.

Thursday night I meet up with the members of the retreat, and Friday we roll up our sleeves and get down to business. This time I'm trying something a little different with my critiques. I've written initial impressions and I'll open my files when we're talking about the stories and transcribe what comes out of my brain as I'm talking. I think this will be a more accurate reflection of what I think than my pre-notes often are, and I know from my teaching that some of my best stuff comes when I'm thinking aloud.

***

Before I board my plane, I am working on trying to find a low threat level vampire attack. Imagine you are a junior high girl, your friends and teachers are all being mind controlled by a vampire, and you're trying to get them to snap out of it. Of course, this will escalate, and I have the second and third vampire attack/reveals figured out, but I need one more, and it needs to be dangerous a little, but mostly it needs to be revealing.

Here's what I've already explored used in the story--

reflections in mirrors and film
daylight (sunscreen)
liquid crystal sheets (body heat)
counting rice
crossing water
fire
holy water
holy wafers

and for the big stakes later we use a staking and I think a decapitation.

So, yeah, I'm looking for something that doesn't duplicate that.

Surprisingly, the Internet has a large amount of material on how to kill a vampire. Abby would be so pleased. This one might give me something to work with, but I'm also happy to hear your creative suggestions. I just wish Wolcroft Academy had a window. Maybe I can do something with field hockey sticks.

All right. Gotta get crackin'.

Catherine

Mirrored from Writer Tamago.