Zombie Writing

Zombies are everywhere!

On a recent walk I spotted this bumper sticker. (Who knew a candidate with an anti-zombie platform ran for president in 2012?)

Last year I watched “Zombie Apocalypse” on The Discovery Channel. Shockingly, some scientists are studying if humans can turn into zombies. Also, there are “zombie preppers” who believe humans can turn and are ready for the inevitable in their underground bunkers. (I had no idea the undead were such a problem.)

However, excessive fear of the undead can lead to hazardous situations. In May, a man stole a big-rig in Temecula, CA causing several accidents which injured a number of people. The rig then flipped over on a freeway, blocking traffic for miles. When caught, the man said he was running from zombies.

Zombies are alive and well in books too. This summer, #2 on the Washington Post Bestseller was World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. It ranked above a Brad Thor book and was only surpassed by the classic, The Great Gatsby.

Carolyn Book Chick City, a book review site of urban fantasy and romance, declared a new genre called, Zombie-Apocalyptic Romance.

Jumping on the zombie craze, my county library held a talk by Isaac Marion, author of a teen zombie romance. They also taught kids how to make zombie pillows, apply special effect makeup to look like a zombie, and fed them pizza.

Surprisingly, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses zombie-mania as a promotional opportunity to encourage a new audience to visit their website and learn about disaster preparedness. They released a couple of tongue-in-cheek "zombie warnings," which are really disaster-preparedness stunts .

Then there are the practical jokers...  In February, the emergency alert system at a Great Falls, Montana TV station was hacked, interrupting a broadcast of the Steve Wilkos talk show. A message broke in announcing that "dead bodies are rising from their graves" and residents should seek shelter. It’s unknown how many people believed the message and took action.

But what is the definition of a zombie?

After hours of mindless research to answer this crucial question, I learned that a zombie is an undead person incapable of fatigue who will persist at any cost; a rote automaton powered by a supernatural force.

Not to be left out of a trend, I decided that October was the perfect month to embrace zombie writing.

What’s zombie writing you ask?

Well, it’s a term I made up, but for me it means I pledge to give up distractions such as over-researching and reading for pleasure in order to concentrate on my writing. Like the indefatigable zombie powered by an otherworldly force, I will persist at any cost. I’ll keep writing and finish those stories that are languishing on my computer.

Perhaps I may even turn into a zombie.