Advice needed on zombie story I am writing!

[Debbieangel]

I am going to be writing of course a zombie story sometime this summer or fall and need some input from all you writers please? Any advice you can give me would be appreciated so much,this is my first attempt at writing a zombie story and second time ever to write any kind of story EVER in my life! I am now working on a ghost story and it is going pretty good so far. But, back to the zombie story...I dont want to give anything away I just need some ideas like guns, ammo, like that I am clueless about guns. Thats why I am asking for your input and ideas? I have where I want the zombie story to take place but, I need help with some more help so, please anything will help me out! Thanks for your help!

[GhostWolf]

Guns huh. I suppose you would need to give us some specifics as to where the story is taking place, and what type of people have these guns (for example, a soldier is going to have access to different types of weaponry then say a police officer or your next door neighbor. And these weapons would be different world wide.) I'd recommend this; If you dont already know about firearms, be mildly vague about their type. (A rifle need not be a specific model, its just a rifle. A pistol is a pistol. And so forth.) If you feel the need to be specific anyway, i'd be happy to help if you give me the above information.

[Debbieangel]

Guns huh. I suppose you would need to give us some specifics as to where the story is taking place, and what type of people have these guns (for example, a soldier is going to have access to different types of weaponry then say a police officer or your next door neighbor. And these weapons would be different world wide.) I'd recommend this; If you dont already know about firearms, be mildly vague about their type. (A rifle need not be a specific model, its just a rifle. A pistol is a pistol. And so forth.) If you feel the need to be specific anyway, i'd be happy to help if you give me the above information. Thanks, well, I am really getting my thoughts together right now on the story, I am placing it in a small community on a hill in between two cemeteries; the people will have to fight in that community to survive. I have not decided if I am going to involve military in it yet I havent thought that far yet. AAh there are 60 families in this community and this is all happening on a huge hill w/town down below, the main road is at the end of community. This should give ya all some background in helping me out alittle better I hope!

[wyvern1096]

Sounds like, for the most part, common civillian hunting and home defense guns would be the rule of the day. As the other poster stated you can be vague and still give some detail. Calling something a bolt action hunting rifle, automatic pistol, heavy revolver, or double barrel shotgun gives an immediate clear picture of what your person is shooting. I'm assuming law enforcement folks will be around. Cops tend to have higher-end pistols and near military grade weapons, depending on the area. A few common ones are Glocks (.40 & .45 caliber are popular), Sig-Sauers, and various Colt models. Some police departments have issue weapons, which makes your job easier as every city cop or sheriff's deputy is carrying the same gun. Also, the Remington 870 shotgun (or in a few cities the Mossberg 500) is mounted under the dash of nearly every police car in the country. Also some military guns are available to civilians. They can't be sold capable of firing bursts or full auto, but it's the same gun.. Good examples: SKS, this is the gun the AK-47 is based on. It fires a 7.62mm round and is very durable. Converting it to full auto calls for high tech tools like a nail file and screwdriver. The SKS comes standard with an integral 10 round clip that's reloaded by a stripper clip. It can easily be converted to use 20, 30, or even 50 round clips (the 50 round clip is more of a novelty. The gun is pretty heavy and unbalanced with it). AK-47: The best assualt rifle in the world. Durable and easy to use. It also fires the 7.62mm round. AR-15: Civillian copy of the M-16. Fires the .223 caliber round. Various WW2 Russian, Japanese, British, and German rifles are available at most decent sized gun stores for about $100.

[GhostWolf]

Other poster has it down right. Shotguns and Bolt action rifles are probably going to be the norm. A rural community is probably going to have alot of older ex-policemen, they generally keep around their old service pistols. Like the Smith and Wesson .38 or .357, or the Colt M1911 .45. Also, rural law enforcement has started to carry the Ruger Mini-14. A semi-automatic, cut down version of the old military M-14. It fires .223 aswell. Just like the shotguns, they keep them in either the trunk or between the driver and passenger seats.

[Eyebiter]

The two most common firearms in the US are the .22lr rifle and the 12 gauge shotgun. Nearly every household in the US that owns firearms will have one or both. The .22lr is suitable for target practice and small game. If you were a good enough shot you could aim for the head, though it might take several hits to bring down a zombie. Best used if your on a relatively safe rooftop or inside a heavily fortified building. Some .22lr ammo is subsonic, which means it doesn't make the sonic boom of full powered ammo. Usually this kind can be fired without need for hearing protection. Very useful cleaning out an area of zombies without attracting more to the area. The 12 gauge shotgun is used for bird hunting, clay pigeons, and home defense. Effect to 30 yards with birdshot. At close range it does heavy damage. With slug ammunition it can also be used to hunt deer at short range (50-100 yards). Bolt action and lever action deer rifles are also common in rural areas. In some parts of the country the economy literally shuts down because all the men leave town to go deer hunting. Modern bolt action rifles are usually scoped, which makes them very suitable for long range shots. It's fairly easy for a trained user to make hits at 300 yards with a scoped deer rifle. However the bullet will drop between 15 and 20 inches from the point of aim at that distance, assuming a 100 yard zero. What does this mean in terms of zombie fiction? The character might aim for the head of a distant zombie only to see the round impact further down the chest. Through trial and error one can use "Kentucky Windage" - essentially putting the scope cross hairs above the target in order to compensate for bullet drop at distance, wind, or target movement. Lever action deer rifles are familiar to anyone who has seen a classic American western. The 30-30 is the most common caliber, although there are both less powerful pistol round versions and more powerful hunting rounds. Usually used at close range (under 100 yards). While some will have scopes mounted, most do not.

[Debbieangel]

ok thanks for the info on the guns..how about some pointers on strongholds in the community from the zombies, I have some ideas like communications with each other, like one big organization of people working together but in separate houses.

[wyvern1096]

Well, as far as talking to each other Motorola 2-way radios and CBs are the 1st thing that springs to mind. A home with an elevated porch, balcony, or 2nd floor balcony would be ideal. Once stairs are removed a person would be safe from maruading zombies. The story "Merry Christmas" in the fiction section gives a pretty good example of a fortified community.

[Eyebiter]

Often the local high school gym will be used as an emergency shelter. Cots are usually set up, along with a field kitchen to feed both refugees and emergency staff. In a zombie situation it's likely this would be a command post for the local law enforcement and townspeople giving them both a location to defend and a place for troops to rest and get a hot meal.

[Debbieangel]

Often the local high school gym will be used as an emergency shelter. Cots are usually set up, along with a field kitchen to feed both refugees and emergency staff. In a zombie situation it's likely this would be a command post for the local law enforcement and townspeople giving them both a location to defend and a place for troops to rest and get a hot meal. Ok, this one is a hard one, let me lay it out for ya...this community is on a hill up from the town, away from schools, law enforcement, any kind of townhalls, just a community with homes in it. Now, there is a hard story to develop! But, thats the way I want it...also the main road goes right past the two cemeteries!!! Now, guys give me some ideas I would really appreciate it!

[dannoofthedead]

If you want to make it scary the best advise is to think of what scares you the most about the genre and write to that. If you can be sitting at your pd and have to stop and lookg over your shoulder, you know its good.

[DVW5150]

I just had an idea , why are there 2 cemeteries? Family conflicts! Most small towns dont require more than one, let alone 2. Work with that (maybe) to base some conflict...In the 1800s they had tried to stop burying folks that were not dead, due to coma or whatever, by having a bell in the headstone with a string that ran down inside the casket to the cadavers wrist or ankle. So if someone was mistakenly buried alive, they could pull the string to ring the bell, hopefully the care taker would dig em up...hopefully. It would be creepy to see an old cemetery with some of the bells in the headstones just... ringing. Just 2 pennies worth! Have fun!

[wyvern1096]

How steep is the hill? Can a zombie shamble up from any direction? Or is it so steep that there are only a handful of places they could come up? Are these huge cemetaries or smaller family grave yards? Maybe one larger communal one (I gather there is a decent sized town near-by, even if your community is not attached to it) and a smaller one for the "old-money" families (new ruling class\possible conflict). Is this a tightly packed community? Subdivision or apartment buildings, or is it 50+ single family homes sprinkled over various streets? How did the community support itself before the end of society? A group of farmers or hard-rock miners are going to be a bit rougher and more practical than a bedroom communtity for a near by city. Another thought on the farmer track: Picture trying to defend fields of grain, corn, beans, or orchards of orange trees from the living dead while still trying to farm them. After all, trips to McDonald's and K-Mart are not real practical anymore.

[Debbieangel]

I am basing my story on reality... I actually live in a small community between two cemeteries...one is above our village on the hill and the other is lower..both cemeteries are quite huge. This is a very very large hill with alot of acreage and zombies wouldnt have any trouble getting in at us at all sides...the houses are close to each other but not quite on top of each other. We would be able to go out on second floor and hollar at each other I am thinking wallkie talkies would be good for some people. This would be a good story to develop wouldnt it?

[Graebel]

Its an interesting idea. My only question is whether the zombies are coming up out of the graves or just spillover from the mortuary slabs? If they're coming up out of the ground, wouldn't your community be overrun? Although I guess if only the freshies are coming up, then it wouldn't be too bad. An industrial spill accident - toxic ooze bringing the dead back to life. Oops, Grindhouse is still on the mind. When I've written about weapons I usually fudge it in the rough draft and do my research afterwards. Let's the writing flow a little bit better.