by Jay Wilburn

In the past I have been very forgiving of bad zombie movies. I watched a ton of them. I loved some of them. I saw it as the cost of finding the great movies out of the trash. Even now, I’ll still really like a marginal zombie movie. I have also found that my tastes in movies tend to range a little differently than other fans of the genre.

With books, I’ve grown a little less forgiving. I’ve had to read a lot of zombie books in preparation for the zombie tours twice a year. I am willing to look at all different styles and modes of storytelling. I’ve even grabbed up zombie stories which come at the trope from outside the genre. I am willing to consider any and all types of zombies and settings. I even specifically look for what is unusual between different authors and different works just to get a feel for what’s out there and to give fans of the tours more variety to explore. That being said, I have less patience for poor storytelling. It does not have to be my preferred styles or even my favorite story, but I have to see something good. I have seen A LOT that is not good. On the tours, you will see a variety from the top pieces and writers I’ve come across.

There is a lot of subjectivity in defining a good story from a bad one. A story that has been told a thousand times and many times better becomes a bad story by default. There are a lot of cliché traps in this genre in particular. Still, I’ll read classic stories with more traditional takes on zombies and familiar premises, but still be blow away by a well-told story. Another will come along which follows the same track, but falls flat for me. They explored familiar territory badly. It may be subtle, but important differences in the storytelling or characterization can make the difference.

The protagonists, villains, and other character archetypes common to zombie stories can be different in subtle ways. We are familiar with the Big Bads we see in stories. We know the flawed heroes and the betrayers of our heroes. These archetypes can appear in different stories to very different results. One beat too many on a hero falling short or a villain doing evil for evil’s sake and the story can be broken. That thin line may be crossed with one beat too few which flattens the character or shatters the logic and realism of their reactions. One change between a common reaction and a surprising one can make a story good. Or by not hitting the mark, that same trick can ruin the character and the story.

Doing something different with the zombies, the rules, or the premise can create a good, fresh perspective. With bad storytelling though, this exercise can fall flat and make the story seem little more than an empty celebration of a new “what if” in zombie stories. It could have been great, but it turned out awful.

Hard Core Zombie Fans know their stuff these days. You screw up weapon details or the process of purifying water and you’ll have a mutiny on your hands. If you can’t justify how long the power stays on or how quickly society breaks down in a story, you’ve lost the audience and the good potential of the story.

Much of this is ethereal in nature. Load up on the action, neglect the character’s emotions, make transitions poorly, put in a personal touch, do your research, or fall into a tired plot. Any one of these things and hundred others can dance a story back and forth across that thin line between good and bad. Overthinking the story or not considering details enough could be the difference too, depending on the writer and the style. It’s tough to tell, but worth working on, if you love this genre. If you are a reader and fan, it is worth searching for those stories which stay well on the good side of the story line for you in your opinion. There are enough zombie stories out there that you will be able to find the ones you’re looking for.

Jay Wilburn

Jay Wilburn has a Masters Degree in Education that goes mostly unused since he quit teaching to write about zombies. Jay writes horror because he tends to find the light by facing down the darkness. His is doing well following a life saving kidney transplant. Jay is the author of Maidens of Zombie Kingdom a young adult fantasy trilogy, Lake Scatter Wood Tales adventure books for elementary and middle school readers, Vampire Christ a trilogy of political and religious satire, and The Dead Song Legend. He cowrote The Enemy Held Near, Yard Full of Bones, and The Hidden Truth with Armand Rosamilia. You can also find Jay's work in Best Horror of the Year volume 5. He is a staff writer with Dark Moon Digest, LitReactor, and the Still Water Bay series with Crystal Lake Publishing.

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