Happiness is Contagious...

....and misery loves company.  When a person has time to direct criticism, judgment and antagonism toward others, you have to wonder what is missing in their lives.  We have all had people cross our paths that feel "less than" about everyone and everything in their lives, and cope by spewing negativity from the green-eyed monster that hangs on their back.  There is always going to be a richer, more handsome, more successful person in our circle.  Jealousy is a wasted emotion but provides a plethora of interesting character flaws.

Characters like this are so much fun to create.  They give you a wealth of things to explore and keep the adrenaline pumping. They provide excitement and drama that is interesting to read about as we search the filing cabinets of our brains and remember those dynamic but draining people.  Energy vampires are people that look as if they mean well...but passive aggressively stab you in the back with a smile on their faces.  They drain your energy as the vampire drains blood.  At first it is difficult to realize the manipulation because they usually come in the name of friendship, but then fascination and wonder takes over. Watching them with the excitement of a writer you must remove them from your  inner circle. The observation can continue from afar because they are intriguing and great fodder for a novel. In real life and in a novel....it is self preservation to save one's energy and expel the vampires.