Featured Story of the Week: Creatures Lie Here

Creatures Lie Here is a wonderful story written by king in the north. In this week's Featured Story, we take a closer look at this wonderful work!

Give us a brief summary of your story.

Abelia Smith is the eldest daughter in a noble family during late 1400s England. Her father arranges for her to marry Elijah Mikaelson from the mysterious Mikaelson family. Playful and stuck to her childish ways, Abelia is forced to leave her entire childhood behind in preparation for womanhood at the age of eighteen.

Realizing that this marriage to Elijah will honor her family, Abelia starts to willingly make efforts to mature. However, Elijah’s younger brothers, Klaus and Kol, each have a different motive in mind. Kol, the meddlesome and spontaneous brother, forces Abelia to hold onto her mischievous nature. And Klaus, the power hungry and persistent brother, spends his days taunting and manipulating her being.

As the mystery about this family revolves around the confines of the Mikaelson mansion, Abelia finds herself developing strong, affectionate feelings for both Klaus and Kol. While she juggles her sinful emotions, she learns more about the history of her own family and its relevance to their connection with the Mikaelson family. With what information she’s learned, she is forced to make a decision that will either betray her own family or her new one.

What inspired you to write this story?

This story is definitely inspired by the CW hit TV show, The Vampire Diaries. While watching the series, the story of the original family always intrigued me more than the rest of the storyline. I thought back to the events that happened in the 1490's during a flashback on the show and I told myself that I want to create something that takes place right there. However, I don’t want this to be just any TVD fan fiction. I wanted something different, something that resembles the concept of the show but also something that resembles me. As a result, I came up with an important backstory for Abelia’s family and merged its importance with the Mikaelson family history.

How long have you been working on this story?

I think I’ve spent about a whole year writing this story.

On average, how much time do you spend writing this story each week?

I spend about 2 hours on a chapter and I write one chapter per week.

How did you choose the title for this story?

The title Creatures Lie Here came from the Meg & Dia song, “Monster.” I remember listening to the song and those three words hit me hard. I started thinking about the storyline I’ve been outlining for this story and I instantly knew that I had a title.

This title works so well for the story because (spoiler alert if you do not watch TVD) the Mikaelson’s are a family of vampires and they represent the ‘creature’ aspect. Abelia is living amongst a family of vampires and she has basically been oblivious to it for the longest time.

What is your favorite thing about writing this story?

My favorite thing about writing this story is the creative element I get to put into it. I get to create a new species of my own as well as incorporate it into the vampire world of TVD. I also love the fact that I can use the characters from the shows, adopt their personalities, and see how they clash with this character that I’ve created.

What is the most challenging thing about writing this story?

The most challenging thing, by far, has been language. This story takes place during the 1400's and we are currently in the 21st century. I am a history minor so I do understand some of the context during this time, but the language of that period is really confusing for me. It is very hard to be accurate when it comes to speech, and I feel like it is one thing I really fail on as a writer.

Have you ever experienced writer's block with this story? If so, how did you overcome it?

I did experience writer’s block for about four months at the midway point of writing this story. I guess I was just extremely busy at the time with schoolwork, and kind of mixed in with my lack of direction for how I wanted to take the rest of the story. As any TVD fan would say for their fan fiction, I got over my writer’s block after catching up on the new episodes. Watching the show always inspires me to resume my writing.

Do you write with an outline, or just wing it?

I always write an outline before I start any story. I feel like I must be in control of what is going on. If I feel like there needs to be a necessary change in the storyline, I stop and drop everything (and postpone my updates) in order to fix everything, even if they are for future chapters. On rare occasions, I wing it in the midst of writing a chapter. I can make one radical decision last minute and just go with it, but it very seldom happens.

Do you have any pre/post writing rituals?

My pre writing ritual would be to make an outline, kind of draw a diagram of my characters. I like to get the physical attributes out of the way and then create a backstory. After the backstory I just like to create the character itself (personality, hobbies, etc.) Post writing rituals? I don’t have any specific one. I do something different every time.

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers?

I want to thank all my readers for reading this story! It is nice to know that my artistic vision interests you guys! And for all my readers who doesn’t watch The Vampire Diaries, I recommend you to do it! This show is amazing and has inspired me on not just this story, but on how I approach character development in general, oh and basically on life.

Special thanks to sheepcat; and aubs for editing!