Is zombie fiction dead?

[Exatreides]

Years ago this use to be one of the most active sections on the site. These days it's really a shallow shell of its former glory. Very few posts, very few topics. What do you think the cause for this is? Are we flooded with zombie media on every wavelength? From the walking dead, to zombie novels, to tv shows. Have we discussed everything that could be discussed? Have subjects that would use to be discussed in this area discussed in the General dead discussion form? Basically, is there anything we can do to get this ol girl churning again?

[Neil]

Years ago this use to be one of the most active sections on the site. These days it's really a shallow shell of its former glory. Very few posts, very few topics. What do you think the cause for this is? Are we flooded with zombie media on every wavelength? From the walking dead, to zombie novels, to tv shows. Have we discussed everything that could be discussed? Have subjects that would use to be discussed in this area discussed in the General dead discussion form? Basically, is there anything we can do to get this ol girl churning again? Well, it definately is quieter than it used to be That said - incase you're not aware - I am in the process of giving the Fiction Section a bit of a kick in the rear mainly to bring in new individuals/readers. And hopefully some of these reads will also become contributors! If you're talking more about discussion? I'm also looking into added Facebook comments either to each contribution, or more likely across all contributions. So maybe have a section/area at the bottom of the fiction index page showing facebook comments, so people can easily discuss any/all contributions? ps: I am surprised we've not had any "Walking Dead" contributions!

[Mitchified]

I recently finished writing The Word of Mitch, a sort of short story/novella thingamabob that is about 18,000 words (roughly 86 pages in manuscript form). It's a zombie buddy comedy, which might be a first, and I've been debating submitting it here once I've done the editing. It's similar in style to my story Cover My Ass, which is available in the Fiction section already. I've been debating doing so for three reasons. I'm neck-deep in a new book, Avaria, which is just so much stronger that I'm having trouble convincing myself to do the editing to Word of Mitch. The second reason is that Cover My Ass got some lower reader scores than I honestly think it deserves. This isn't moaning and complaining (OH NOSE Y U HATZORS MEH!). I just think that maybe this isn't the place for a "zombie comedy" audience. Looking through old stories and their ratings, it seems like the more serious writing is what people have preferred, and I can't bring myself to write a "serious" zombie story. The third reason is one that I think some other writers struggle with as well. I would prefer to submit it to the site, but the smart thing to do might be to submit it to a magazine or anthology collection as it's more beneficial to a writer trying to get his/her name out there. The money isn't the issue, or at least it shouldn't be, it's more a matter of getting some name recognition. That sort of thing is huge for someone trying to become a well-known writer. As for zombies being oversaturated, yeah, we might be reaching that point for a lot of people. I know that I personally have moved on from it in my writing. That's not to say that I won't come back to it at some point (I probably will for a few short stories from time to time), but there's only so much of it that you can do before you start to want to branch out. EDIT: I don't want anyone to think that I'm anti-Fiction section or anything like that. I'm not. I think there's some great writing in there that hasn't gotten the credit that it deserves due to it being a bit outside the box. City Limits by David Sanders, while not a zombie story, is unique and compelling (the 7.15 rating it has at the moment is a travesty; it's much better than that). I'm just giving my honest opinion on the topic at hand.

[brer]

ps: I am surprised we've not had any "Walking Dead" contributions! Is that a hint, Neil? I think the other authors have hit the nail on the head. We can write for this site for free, or we can try to publish. I think much of the old talent has been drawn away for the sake of a paycheck.

[Mitchified]

There, I did my part, I just submitted an entire novel.

[Neil]

There, I did my part, I just submitted an entire novel. Yep! Phoning up my agent right now Just kidding - Uber thanks!

[brer]

In response to the original thread. The living dead is a genre just like any other. Western stories have been around for close to a hundred and fifty years and yet, new westerns are written every year. If you feel that writing in the genre is a trap because you are basically writing the same story over and over again, write something else for a while and come back. One thing I have noticed, and it has been covered in the forums before is the ultimate zombie killer. While I generally have a sidearm close at hand most of the time, it is not really normal. Much of the greatness of a good zombie story lies in the suspense of a person, weaponless, trying to survive. A single character killing 200 zeds in hand to hand combat is not going to happen, I did it but it was a special circumstance. The deadlier the protagonist, the weaker the story. One of my favorite stories back when I first hit this site is about a kid being left alone during the outbreak and trying to get to school. While killing the walking dead en masse makes for good fantasy, it does not make for good fiction. This may be why a lot of the recent fiction is somewhat lacking. Please do not get the idea that I am trying to talk down to the other authors. I am still learning to write and make more than my share of mistakes. Lets get back to the roots of the question. What really makes for a good living dead story?

[Neil]

One thing I have noticed, and it has been covered in the forums before is the ultimate zombie killer. While I generally have a sidearm close at hand most of the time, it is not really normal. Much of the greatness of a good zombie story lies in the suspense of a person, weaponless, trying to survive. A single character killing 200 zeds in hand to hand combat is not going to happen, I did it but it was a special circumstance. The deadlier the protagonist, the weaker the story. Interesting! I actually had a dream (nightmare) last night. I was held up in a big building, with zeds outside. I'd been there for some time and was surviving at least! I'd made a loud noise by accident and the zeds starting forcing their way in. In a panic I managed to get a ladder, and at least climb up into the loft space of this huge building. I was up there with no light or water... Moving around... I made some noise whcih again raised the interest of some of the zeds... A couple (below me) had found ways of reaching up to the ceiling above them (eg: clambering up on desks/cupboards), and were scratching at the plasterboard trying to get up to the loft... I could start to see the plasterboard cracking and holes appearing and shafts of light bursting up into the dark loft... That's when I woke up! So yes, this dream was far more interesting (scary) due to the immersion, and there were no direct attacks/fights etc necessary...

[brer]

I just watched a movie based off of a very old series of books. Alan Quartermain and King Solomon's Mine. Don't laugh, I like old movies, and not just the horror and zombie genres. What made me think was a quote someone on this forum made from the book of Gilgamesh. In some tellings of the story, Ishtar makes a threat against Gilgamesh because he refuses to wed her, in others it is against the gatekeeper to the underworld for refusing to allow her to pass. The threat involves raising up the dead who will outnumber the living and devour them. The quest for immortality and the resurrection of the dead figure prominently in the story. I can easily see this being used as a plot device to explain the living dead with a little retelling of the original story. What I kind of envision is an Indiana Jones/Alan Quartermain type hero chasing down an old relic and expanding the plot from there. Maybe an infected hero or bad guy spreading the living death from a place where it had been safely isolated for the past four or five millenia. A chase for the cure of the expanding plague based off of the Gilgamesh epic or other babylonian tales, successful or not, ends the story. On a side note, while the translations of the old babylonian stories are copyrighted, I believe that the originals are safely in the public domain.

[AngryNeighbour]

I think there should be some kind of community fiction piece. Just a thread, where people are selected weekly to write a section and everyone continues off the same basic plot. Just a light fun type of thing to practice your writing skills. I think it would be a great idea.

[Rancid Carcass]

In a panic I managed to get a ladder, and at least climb up into the loft space of this huge building. "You've gotta be outta your f**king mind! I ain't barricading myself in no damn roof - We gotta get to the cars!"

[brer]

I think there should be some kind of community fiction piece. Just a thread, where people are selected weekly to write a section and everyone continues off the same basic plot. Just a light fun type of thing to practice your writing skills. I think it would be a great idea. Neil? I would be all for it. Actually going about doing it is another thing. How do we assign a writer for each weekly piece? How are writers volunteered? Do we have a roughly approved base plot before hand? It can be done but it would require some organization.

[Neil]

Neil? I would be all for it. Actually going about doing it is another thing. How do we assign a writer for each weekly piece? How are writers volunteered? Do we have a roughly approved base plot before hand? It can be done but it would require some organization. If there's enough interest I could easily create two dedicated threads:- - One into which the contribution is built up? - Another which is to discuss the contribution, and the next author etc? If needs be it could even be in a dedicated forum!?

[BillTheButcher]

At least a part of the blame must go to the average "zombie genre" fan, who seems to me to be an emotionally immature young male whose escapist fantasies can only be assuaged by large dollops of gore and crude violence. Any imaginative attempt (i.e. out of the box thinking) to handle the genre doesn't interest them one little bit. So, in order to play to the market, all the "successful" zombie fiction seems to end up in a few very predictable categories. This is one reason I am never going to write zombie stories again, unless it is a deliberate attempt to mock the conventions of the genre. I do believe the zombie genre can never quite be mocked enough.

[Neil]

At least a part of the blame must go to the average "zombie genre" fan, who seems to me to be an emotionally immature young male whose escapist fantasies can only be assuaged by large dollops of gore and crude violence. Any imaginative attempt (i.e. out of the box thinking) to handle the genre doesn't interest them one little bit. So, in order to play to the market, all the "successful" zombie fiction seems to end up in a few very predictable categories. This is one reason I am never going to write zombie stories again, unless it is a deliberate attempt to mock the conventions of the genre. I do believe the zombie genre can never quite be mocked enough. I still think Dana Fredsti's two contributions stand out for their quality and quirkyness!