When you're a mid-list writer, it pays to write fast.
If they aren't real enough to surprise me, then they aren't real enough to go on the page.
Providing a writer isn't put off by conventions - and some are - attending them can be a nice break from the necessary isolation of writing.
Isn't that an odd philosophy for a vampire?
I'm not a good collaborator in general.
Storylines are how characters create the plots involved in their stories.