What Makes A Zombie Book Great?
I started this journey back to the world of zombies after writing more traditional style horror stories.
The Dead and The Living allowed me to write not only action but a storyline that helps keep the story moving forward. Action can drive a book, but so can't a great storyline.
So, that brings me to, what makes a zombie book great? Is it the action? Or the storyline? Can it be both? The answer to those questions is, yes. All the above.
I think you can have a book purely action driven. It can be a fast paced read that is fun but with no real substance. I think those books will also leave you wanting something more. Depending on the characters. Characters make or break a book.
I think finding the right balance is hard. We think of zombies and we think, action. The storyline of each character is usually the backstory to what is going on when the outbreak happens. I like books that are pure action. I also like books that have great characters and a storyline to go with it. I really love getting lost in a storyline, but there are times that I want nothing but action and a quick read . . . I think finding balance in reading is just like finding balance in writing. Tough to do.
The Walking Dead brought us something that I think we can all follow when writing about the zombie post apocalypse. We need a good mix of action with a great characters and a great storyline.
My book The Dead and The Living, I feel has done that. I honed my writing skills while writing horror novels and short stories. Short stories taught me to bring the characters and storyline into the mix quickly. Short stories taught me a lot about writing characters too. If you are an author and you only write novels, stop, take the time to write some short stories. It will help you develop a skill set that you can take to your novels.
One thing that I will admit about my writing, I never use an outline. Never. I let the story take shape as I introduce characters. I let the characters tell me what they want to do and where they want to. I am just along for the ride as I follow them as I write each sentence and each paragraph.
I think the recipe for a great story (zombie or otherwise) is to have a great mix of characters and action and a storyline that will drive it when the action isn't there. It's all about finding balance.
The Dead and The Living allowed me to write not only action but a storyline that helps keep the story moving forward. Action can drive a book, but so can't a great storyline.
So, that brings me to, what makes a zombie book great? Is it the action? Or the storyline? Can it be both? The answer to those questions is, yes. All the above.
I think you can have a book purely action driven. It can be a fast paced read that is fun but with no real substance. I think those books will also leave you wanting something more. Depending on the characters. Characters make or break a book.
I think finding the right balance is hard. We think of zombies and we think, action. The storyline of each character is usually the backstory to what is going on when the outbreak happens. I like books that are pure action. I also like books that have great characters and a storyline to go with it. I really love getting lost in a storyline, but there are times that I want nothing but action and a quick read . . . I think finding balance in reading is just like finding balance in writing. Tough to do.
The Walking Dead brought us something that I think we can all follow when writing about the zombie post apocalypse. We need a good mix of action with a great characters and a great storyline.
My book The Dead and The Living, I feel has done that. I honed my writing skills while writing horror novels and short stories. Short stories taught me to bring the characters and storyline into the mix quickly. Short stories taught me a lot about writing characters too. If you are an author and you only write novels, stop, take the time to write some short stories. It will help you develop a skill set that you can take to your novels.
One thing that I will admit about my writing, I never use an outline. Never. I let the story take shape as I introduce characters. I let the characters tell me what they want to do and where they want to. I am just along for the ride as I follow them as I write each sentence and each paragraph.
I think the recipe for a great story (zombie or otherwise) is to have a great mix of characters and action and a storyline that will drive it when the action isn't there. It's all about finding balance.
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