How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse

You get to learn a lot about surviving the zombie hordes when you’re writing a zombie novel. Aside from the obvious barricade-the-door, stock-up-on-tinned-food rules, there are some key things to keep in mind. Here are my top five tips to surviving the zombie apocalypse:

When You’ve Lost It: Top 5 Ways to Get Your Mojo Back

The book I am reading is 292 pages long. Far from the longest book I’ve ever attempted. And yet it’s taken me nearly 2 weeks to get 137 pages in. The story I’m writing has zombies in it – one of my favourite topics – and has one of the easiest characters I’ve ever dealt with in it.

Stepping in to the Writing Waters

I recently read a blog post that recommended some writer’s podcasts to listen to. Which I dutifully did – although I have never listened a podcast before. And it enraptured me.

On the Importance of Tea

I love tea. I’m a big tea fan. If I saw tea in the street, I’d ask for tea’s autograph. In fact, I have waxed lyrical about tea on this blog more than once.

But the simple fact of the matter is, I can’t get through the day without tea. And I especially can’t write without it.

If You’ve Got Nothing to Say

Let’s talk about dialogue. That good old he-said-she-said back and forth. The daily vocalisation of thought, feeling, need and want. We are the only creatures to vocalise in the way that we do. Animals use their bodies and sounds to express their feelings – anger and love and fear and curiosity. But we are the only animals to have names for those things.

A Blank Page

It’s 6.10am. I’ve just been staring at a blank screen for a good 20 minutes now, and add that on to last night’s staring match, you’ve got yourself a good hour and a half of writing nothing.

Writing is a compulsion for me. It’s strange not to write. But some days, the words just don’t appear. It’s increasingly frustrating as all that energy you had the day before (or even the hour before) has drained away and left you feeling a bit blank.

In Case You Missed It

Good grief, what are you still doing here!?

You’ve had two days to check out the new blog – right here. Now, go away and read it!

It’s Z-Day

The apocalypse has arrived.

That’s right folks – I’ve just put my world to the sword, and infested it with some rather wonderful zombies. My characters are surrounded and outnumbered, and the zombies are those annoyingly persistent (and intelligent) kind.

The Big Announcement!

So there’s a reason I didn’t post yesterday, and it’s not because I was being lazy.

No, instead I waited to post today so that you only have ONE NIGHT TO WAIT!

Yep – that Secret Project is Secret no more.

Zombies!

That’s right. I’m going for it.

I’m going to write about zombies.

If you know me, and if you know my tastes, I love a good zombie story. I even discussed the merits of zombie-telling (and cheese dreams) a while back on the blog.

Now I have my perfect opportunity to tell my own zombie apocalypse, thanks to my rather demanding, daring and fabulously-dreadlocked SFC.*