I need tips for horror/zombie bookwriting!!

[Bangalo]

I am intrested in writing books (Horror/zombie) but i have no ideas of wat kind... and i dont wanna bite off of any real books.

[Zombie Survivor]

Well, what are you're personal fears? You can effectively juse them. Try to look everything differently. You should come up with some inspiration.

P.S.
Nice sig, looks familiar... :lol:

[Bangalo]

OMG sry for copying you crap i had no idea... crap iscrewed up bigtime:x... o and thanks for the tip

[HOO-HAA]

What might be a good starting point, as ZS says, is to draw on your own fears and the fears of others around you. Ask people what they would like to see in a horror novel, then draw up a list.

Perhaps try writing a short story, first, to 'try out' your ideas. This worked for DL Snell - his short story, Limbless Bodies Swaying, soon inspired his upcoming debut novel - Roses Of Blood on Barb Wire. My debut, Drop Dead Gorgeous - also to be published through Permuted Press - was inspired by a shorter story which I had written. I was able to try out a concept, see how it read, see what other people thought of it, then make changes in order to prepare for expanding the concept into a novel.

Mesage boards on publisher websites are excellent places to talk and listen to published authors, picking up ideas from people who have, in some way, completed the journey you are setting out on - it will always help to bounce ideas around as you go.

Click on my Drop Dead Gorgeous sig below to take yourself to the Permuted Press Message Boards or go directly to www.permutedpress.com.

GOOD LUCK! :)

[pogosama]

I like good planning. Always look at the fear of isolation, since it plays a major role in most good horror films. Do you want your character to be alone or do you want him to be with others? If you put him with others, make sure to remember the internal conflict. Can't have an adventure without inner turmoil now can we? Simple dynamics are key to good writing, keep that in mind and you'll go far.

[Captain Hawk]

You can always practice your craft by doing some reporting for my site - www.zombieworldnews.com

It's a good way to begin. You would have lots of freedom of direction. But you would have to be ok with your stories being edited or having bits re written to work better in our format.

Sorry it's not a paying gig, but it's lots of fun.

[chewy]

Good suggestions all. Time for me to drop in my $0.02.

Think through your characters and the situations they're in before you even start writing your story. What happened to them? How did they get to where they are? Why are they there? Why are they doing what they're doing? What do they hope to acheive, and how do they plan on doing it?

When you're ready to start writing, sit back, close your eyes, and visualize how the scene plays out. Detail is very important. You may know the environment, situation and what your characters are trying to do, but the reader won't until you describe it to them.

And (as always) read other writers' work. Learn from it. You'll see what works and what doesn't.

Last, but definitely not least... SPELLCHECK! Decent grammar doesn't hurt, either. We've had a few users here post their short stories, and they were all but unreadable. The judicious use of periods, commas and new paragraphs makes the reader's job so much easier.

[Cornflakes]

I'd spend a good while in getting your characters done. Spend time on their history, background, interests, mental state and stuff like that.
Once you worked out your character then start thinking about the situautions you see them in and how they react.

One thing that annoys me is when you read a book and only 1 or 2 characters are really developed while the rest stereotypes. Granted there are many characters in the zombie genre are stereotypes, but I enjoy a character that i can believe.

[Victor Clark]

It also wouldn't hurt to find inspiration. I read a lot of Stephen King books, and I made some pretty good story posts in "Zombie Short Stories" on this area. You should try to use things from your personal life to make it a little original (but not entirely about you), and see what you can make a story out of. Detail is key, remember that!

[Zombie Survivor]

OMG sry for copying you crap i had no idea... crap iscrewed up bigtime:x... o and thanks for the tip

No, you didn't. It's okay :)

You're welcome.

[Bangalo]

Well thanks for your tips all i could really use em