writers are weird | Faith McKay

10 Apr

Kill Zombies, Sing Songs

Rockin' the Apocalypse

I’m still hard at work on this series. When I’m not coming up with new ways to kill zombies, or listening for what outlandish thing these girls will say next, I’m going through songs, pictures, and my trusty thesaurus, working to uncover a title for this series. Well, this series, the books, and the band itself. Those are the most important items on my NEEDS A NAME list, which grows longer every day.

I’m going to share some examples from my title list with you, because I enjoy embarrassing myself by showing off my struggles. Are you ready? Are you listening?

Spice World

Here we go.

KILL ZOMBIES, SING SONGS
KILL ZOMBIES, ROCK FAME
GIRLS JUST WANT TO KILL ZOMBIES
GIRL POPCALYPSE
FAME AND ZOMBIES
ZOMBIE QUEENS
ZOMBIES JUST WANT TO DANCE
DANCE LIKE A ZOMBIE
KILLING IT FOR THE FAME
FIGHT LIKE A GIRL
KILL LIKE A GIRL
KILL ZOMBIES LIKE A GIRL

I’ve got two different gifs ready, depending on your reaction.

I know, I know. I amaze even myself.

I tried, and therefore no one should criticize me. :)

Okay, really though, titling a book is harder than writing a book. Does that seem right to you?

If you’re picking up on a theme from this list, I want the title to tell people this is a story about girls killing zombies, with a humorous, campy, tone.

This is a small sampling of my lists. I’m working away at it. I’d like to believe I’ll know it when I see it, but I believe I’ve seen too many now to think clearly. I much prefer to dive into my untitled story and do things like…

Emma Watson can take of herself.

It’s a great life. 🙂

I’m so excited to share this story, it would be a lot easier if I knew what to call it. Any and all insight to this struggle is welcome. This is not a drill. I assure you: the struggle is real. (For this writer, anyway. I hear some writers find this titling stuff easy.) Josie and the Pussycats Make Up

All other thoughts, including gif appreciation, are also welcome. Yes, folks, this is me saying: you should leave this lonely writer a comment!

We'll Gossip

02 Mar

What Makes a Good Zombie Kill?

Zombie Kill

I’m well on my way into the work of my All Girl Pop Band vs Zombies series (temporarily referred to as Girl Popcalypse) so I have written quite a few zombie deaths at this point. That doesn’t make it any easier, however. These days if I’m staring off into space, I’m working to choreograph my next kill. I’m looking for things that are interesting, creative, the best ones are somehow surprising, but the most important factor is that I try to show a piece of the character’s personality in their kills.

I thought it would get easier as I went on. That’s both true and not true. It gets easier in that I’ve thought more about it and have a better feel for my characters. It gets harder in that I have to come up with something new, when I’ve already done so much!

To get my brain going, I do my research.

I am a weird, weird, duck.

Nothing makes me more aware of that fact than when I realize I’ve spent an hour or more on youtube, sizing up zombie kills in popular films.

Here is a great video with every zombie kill in seasons 1, 2, and 3 (up to episode 8) of The Walking Dead. Gotta love the use of the soundtrack.

(In case it’s not obvious, these videos are NOT SAFE FOR LIFE. I do not recommend you watch them while eating.)

What I love about this video is that you get a good look at how the kills on The Walking Dead have changed over time: they use guns less, they grow more confident, and they get faster. The zombies are more decayed over time as well. This is especially clear if you’re caught up on the show and compare season one to the current season.

There are a lot of videos and articles out there with Top 10 Zombie Kills. This video is as good of an example as any, especially since it has narration to explain what’s going on. It starts off with a very intense kill on The Walking Dead.

When you think about zombie kills, you probably think of gore. And there is plenty of gore in these top kills. But! What I think is important to note here is that more gore is not necessarily what makes a good moment. Yes, the top kill on this list is full of blood, and zombie killing isn’t known for being clean and tidy, BUT more gore is not enough to make it a great story moment.

The grossest zombie kill in either of these videos is arguably the zombie in the well in The Walking Dead, but The Walking Dead kill on this top list is the one with the heads. I’m sure we could start a debate on which one is better, but my point is they’re fair competition and the gore level is quite different here.

Also, the nun in Zombieland is about as clean and tidy as a zombie kill gets, and it’s just fantastic. Clever. It’s all you know about the nun, and yet you like her. Plus it’s got that quirky tone of the whole film.

One thing I definitely come away with in all of this research, is that everyone’s looking for something different in their zombie kills, but I think we’re all looking for something to surprise us.

What’s your zombie-fighting weapon of choice? Do you have a favorite zombie kill?

09 Jun

Pop Stars in the Apocalypse

Watched Spice World and made one off hand comment about an all girl pop band in the apocalypse, and now I’m spending my time dissecting the personalities that make up good pop band images. And relating this to zombie fighting methods, obviously.

Have I mentioned that writers are weird?

My girl pop gif collection is getting pretty damned amazing, bee tee dubs. Research.