Let's have some fun. The Zombie Apocalypse is upon us! To come up with a totally new and different spin on a genre theme that has been done 1,000 times before, let's start at the beginning. Answer these couple of questions, then write a short story that could be the start of a bigger story.
Where did the ZA start?
Get creative, get specific. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the lab accident has been done to death. Think about something else more interesting. It might help to think on some of these questions as a whole, not one by one. The characteristics of your zombies can be effected by your choice on where and how it started.
What caused it?
Virus, bacteria, inadequate burial practices, contaminated food, sexual contact, whatever your cause, even if it doesn't come out in the actual telling of your story, you as the writer should know.
How does it spread?
Do you have to get bitten by a zombie to get infected? How do you get to that rule after the first victim? Because I'm assuming the first victim wasn't bitten by a zombie, because there weren't any. Can anyone now be infected the way the first person was? Do you have to die first in order to become a zombie? Are some people immune?
How fast does it spread?
I always wonder about just how fast the zombie infection will spread. In order to get to full on Zombie Apocalypse it obviously has to spread pretty quickly, no? Or maybe it spreads invisibly at first? Or maybe on like Walking Dead, we're all infected
How do you become a zombie after the initial exposure?
The stories that make it about a bite or scratch typically have you get violently sick, flu-style, then die, then wake back up as a zombie. Older stories would have people buried, then have to dig out of the ground. Remember those great old pictures of the hands clawing out of the cemetery ground? How about your story? The cause will explain your first victim of the infection, so how does he or she spread it around?
What are the qualities and characteristics of zombies?
Of course eating people is always the top quality. And most zombies don't talk. They can't run, just walk. They don't know how to turn door knobs. And they have no compassion at all. They don't eat each other, cuz frankly, wouldn't that take care of it? Why do they crave human flesh? Is it just human flesh they crave, or anything alive? How can you avoid them? Is it smell that drives them, or sight, or hearing? The whole loud sounds thing getting their attention will make firearms dangerous to use. Your survivors will need silent killing implements.
So... who is your main character?
Certainly the most important detail in any story, not just zombie.
Where is your main character?
Especially important in relation to where it started and how it spread. Was your main character involved in the outbreak somehow?
More on the where, where is your main character going to ride out the ZA? Or, where do they get stuck? How are they able to survive? Who is with the main character? A group? One loved one? No one?
What will become your main characters strategy on how to survive and where to get to?
This the fun question of what is the quest for your character. And I'll add, what is driving your main character? Trying to save someone in particular, or trying to track down the cause or an antidote? Or getting somewhere safe to live the rest of his/her life out? This is where I hope you don't pick a shopping mall or the local high school. I'm rather tired of stories of one hero desperately trying to find out about his/her one true love. The entire world is crashing down around them. Should we really care if he gets back and saves his ex-wife and the kids he doesn't have custody of anymore?
Add your own questions to the mix. Be creative. There are sorts of thngs you can try. Maybe your main character is a zombie instead of a survivor? Maybe zombies can talk? Maybe they can fly? Maybe the dig into the earth and they're like moles and can come up anywhere? Come up with something entirely new and write a short synopsis or a short story or just an outline of the answers to all your questions.
