If I wrote a Lost Zombies book...

I'm considering taking part in National Novel Writing Month this November. The goal of NANOWRIMO is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. I have a Lost Zombies story I want to write. The story is told from the perspective of an individual who has first-hand knowledge of what happened at the testing facility mentioned in the LZ timeline. The story would shed light on how the flu mutated and eventually spread to the general public. The story would also explore who was involved in the mutation of the virus and why. Structurally the story would be formatted as a collection of letters and notes written from a single perspective. My goal is to create a collection of entires that appear as though they were found in the Lost Zombies universe and which flow together to tell a compelling and cohesive story. 

This is a story I've been thinking about for several years now. Elements of this story have been floating around my head since before the site was launched in 2008. This would not be a typical community-created LZ project. This is something I would write, which would fill in some of the gaps in the Lost Zombies timeline. However, I would still like to involve the LZ community. Here's my thought...

What if I were to ask you guys what aspects of the LZ story you want to hear more about and then I work those into the story?

Examples: 

"I want to know more about Camp St. Teresa" or "I want to know who patient zero is."

My question and the point of this post is to determine if this is something you would like to read? And if you would you like to make recommendations for the story? 

If the answer to either question is yes, I'd like to hear you thoughts.

Thanks,
Skot

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Permalink Reply by PRIME_Ω_PREDATOR on October 19, 2011 at 4:24pm

I can see a book working from two perspectives. A Lab tech who has to clean up and take care of patient zero. A detainee/refugee/resident type who is involved with the inner workings of the St. Theresa " civilian" leadership that would grow from the discontent of living in basic squalor that could only happen when too many people crowd a .gov shelter.

One sees the flu and its development even before the lead researchers/doctors. This person sees the interaction with the government agencies who may have started the whole thing. They see the beginnings of a cover up and then are there when things go very badly. It started as a case of the flu. One person with a certain gene set it all in motion when they got sick. Who did this person have contact with? Are they all sick? Some people are real bad. They attacked others. Now they're fenced off from the rest. They just stand around and moan. if anyone goes near them they try to grab them and bite at them. "What have we done?" "I've got to get out of here."

The other sees his friends and family run to the government for help. At first it appears that the camp is clean and sterile. They have chores initially and stay busy. There is food and clean clothing. Then more and more infected begin to show up. People begin to be herded to different areas based on their level of exposure. They are no longer in family groups. They are no longer allowed freedom of movement, no more jobs. Notes are passed back and forth between family and friends. Soon "Malcontents" begin to make noise and complain. They want to leave but they aren't allowed, "For their Own Safety." The government is willing to keep people in place by using force. Alliances are formed. Crimes are committed and go unpunished. The camp that was once a sterile clean place is now seperated by fences and razor wire. Water and food are trucked in and in short supply. If you complain you might just disappear. "Did Jake and his friends make it out last night?" "If not, where are they?"

 

Maybe these two meet up when the SHTF. They bail and run for safety together. Then they get to tell eachother their stories. Only one of them survives. The other is set upon out of nowhere. Were they able to tell the other all of the information they wanted to get out? Does it even matter?  

Permalink Reply by Omega on October 19, 2011 at 9:48pm
Yes. I would love to read it. I have heard you talk about a backstory about the story that you haven't revealed and I would like this book to be that story. Kind of a fill in the blanks.
Permalink Reply by Jericho Syndrome on October 19, 2011 at 10:43pm
ooooooooh....thats a good one....i guess patient zero. what was he/she like, what type of zed did zero turn into or even IF zero turned into anything like the woman with the two eye colors on 28 weeks later. bleed the story into the formation of St.Teresa afterwards.......see if you can tell it from the perspective of a researcher who first tested on Zero before dying at the end of St. Teresa.....
Permalink Reply by Claire on October 20, 2011 at 12:17am

Would defo want to read this!!

I like the Researcher idea.  Starts off as the mastermind but then grows a concience when he realises or forsees how the virus is evolving.  He can't really bail out on the experiments/research as it's government and if they catch wind that he's looking to bring it down then he'll likely be killed so he's trying to leak info via letters to perhaps another researcher in London?  Perhaps his Ex-wife who he used to work with?  (thinking out-break relationship)... 

 

Would love to know more about patient zero...  also the (Ex-wife or friend in London) may be a way of leaking the info into Europe and why some agencies were seemingly prepared...

 

I dunno... but you have my support. 

 

GOOD LUCK

Permalink Reply by Claire on October 20, 2011 at 12:29am
ALSO - O/T I'm uber jealous i can't go to the book signing!!  : (
Permalink Reply by James Smart on October 20, 2011 at 7:33am

This sounds like a great idea. The patient zero and origins of Camp St. Teresa are great ideas. There are so many ways it could all go. Not seen that Contagion film yet but that looks like it covers some similar territory insofar as it illustrates an epidemic of some sorts.  Not got any zombies in it though has it? 

 

Reply by Claire 7 hours ago

ALSO - O/T I'm uber jealous i can't go to the book signing!! : ( Ha ha... me too..it would be cool for an LZ meet up.

Maybe the publishers will pay for a trip to Blighty?

Permalink Reply by Laz on October 20, 2011 at 10:06am
Ditto on the inner workings of St Teresa, conspiracy theories would crop up about if it was just a concentration camp to liquidate infected or for untested drugs to be tested on the inmates etc, would the red cross get access to inside it etc etc etc
Permalink Reply by Claire on October 20, 2011 at 12:14pm

LOL..  I won't hold my breath!  

 

LZ convention is a must once docu is done!   i've said this before and i'll say it again, organise it in New Orleans!  Origin of the US zombie lol...  The real "city that doesn't sleep" lol.... 

 

 

 

 

Permalink Reply by PRIME_Ω_PREDATOR on October 20, 2011 at 2:04pm
organize it in the area that is still abandoned from Katrina. It looks liek a Zpoc hit. :-s
Permalink Reply by PRIME_Ω_PREDATOR on October 20, 2011 at 8:36am
Got my copy of Dead Inside Do Not Enter from Amazon. Sorry won't be attending signing. Or will I. :-O
Permalink Reply by Skot (Lost) on October 20, 2011 at 12:33pm

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm thinking I'll setup a page or blog of some type that will allow me to document my progress and which will allow you guys to make recommendations along the way. I may post excerpts as I write. I'm using NANWRIMO as an excuse to get started but also because I love the concept of NANWRIMO and it feels DIY in the same way LZ feels DIY. Not sure if that makes any sense at all.... Regardless, I'll be writing the story in 30 days beginning November 1st. 

 

A few other thoughts I'm exploring:

1. The story will be told from the perspective of the main character but may include documents he/she finds. For example medical reports from the testing facility. If you have ideas on documents or found items that should show up in the book, I'd love to hear them. 

 

2. I'm thinking of having the timeline of the story follow the NANWRIMO timeline. Example, for each of the 30 days of writing I will create a single entry that represents a day's time in the story... I need to consider if this will allow me to cover all the plot points I hope to cover. Coincidently, November is the month in the LZ timeline where the outbreak occurs. It seems fitting to write a novel in November which is about the 30 days of November in our timeline. 

 

Thoughts?

Permalink Reply by Claire on October 21, 2011 at 12:35am

on point 1 - Defo!  HAving 3rd party documents will add depth to the story.  I think i sent you a document for the LZ submissions whcih described some experiments on barbary apes... if you want to use it please feel free, you can adapt it and twist it or simply just draw bits or ideas from it...  it's yours if it's useful for your purposes...  if you'd like me to forward it again to you just say the word.

 

On point 2...  Remember you don't HAVE to cover ALL the plot points.. or all the plot points in perfect detail.. sometimes less is more.  The daily entry idea is cool! 

 

Good luck with the story! 

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