Writing advice needed

[Jax_Dragon]

I'm going to write a short zombie story. What I need, is some tips on making believable characters. I've been thinking about how to create them, but I seem to be having major difficulty. They always don't sound just right.

[Kusy]

1) a school teacher - not too strong and not too helpfull. Teached something humanistic like history or something like that. First to freak out and go insane.

2) Soldier seems too obvious and overused - policeman maybee. His/her partner was bitten by zombies and he/she was forced to finish him off. Strong personality.

3) Small criminal - shoplifter or a burglar. He knows how to shoot and stuff, he swears a lot like "Oh fuck what am I doing here? Fuck - it's just a dream right? Jesus fucking christ" or just "Fuck!", he blindly follows the others mostly bacause he have serious problems with finding himself in a situation like this - (obviously…)

3) Zombie plan kid. A teenager who had a baseball bat under his bed and knows all the good possible resistance spots around his district - little freak even made himself a map. He seriously lacks leadership skills so he's only a usefull helper to the person leading - prefably the policeman/wooman. The fact that he was prepared all along is more frightening than helpfull.

You can use any of those but only if the storry will end with everybody dying. lol.

[Thorn]

A tip for believable characters: just think of someone you know who is similar to the character you're thinking of personality wise, and use them as a starting point for dialogue and actions. The amount you'll need to exaggerate depends on what kind of personality the person has and what you're aiming for.

[The New World]

All fictional stories are written in a non-fiction way of thinking, thats where the realistics come in, add factual ideals to your fictional assessments.

[Jax_Dragon]

@Kusy:

> 1) a school teacher - not too strong and not too helpfull. Teached something humanistic like history or something like that. First to freak out and go insane.
>
> 2) Soldier seems too obvious and overused - policeman maybee. His/her partner was bitten by zombies and he/she was forced to finish him off. Strong personality.
>
> 3) Small criminal - shoplifter or a burglar. He knows how to shoot and stuff, he swears a lot like "Oh duck what am I doing here? duck - it's just a dream right? Jesus ducking christ" or just "duck!", he blindly follows the others mostly bacause he have serious problems with finding himself in a situation like this - (obviously…)
>
> 3) Zombie plan kid. A teenager who had a baseball bat under his bed and knows all the good possible resistance spots around his district - little freak even made himself a map. He seriously lacks leadership skills so he's only a usefull helper to the person leading - prefably the policeman/wooman. The fact that he was prepared all along is more frightening than helpfull.
>
> You can use any of those but only if the storry will end with everybody dying. lol.

Oh of course. I hate happy endings. They will all die a horrible death. The last one becomes a science experiment and is taken apart piece by piece while still alive. I will of course be extremely graphic and EVILE.

[Jax_Dragon]

@Thorn:

> A tip for believable characters: just think of someone you know who is similar to the character you're thinking of personality wise, and use them as a starting point for dialogue and actions. The amount you'll need to exaggerate depends on what kind of personality the person has and what you're aiming for.

@Rose:

> All fictional stories are written in a non-fiction way of thinking, thats where the realistics come in, add factual ideals to your fictional assessments.

I'll keep that in mind. I'll make them as much like me and my friends as possible.

PS sorry double post.

[death]

Kusy has got it on the dot.

A normal person.
A leader
A criminal or something like it.
A Wierdo.

Make the Wierdo become the experiment. Him or the leader.

Kusy, you put 2 3's :)

[Dark Crusade]

Make a zombie game with a various serious and survival concept. Overall (especially in the first half of the plot), the protagonist should want to avoid the undead, and instead survive. However then the time to gather supplies may become important, and they could be ambushed or confronted. The characters, regardless of their personality should all be terrified and in disbelief when they first hear about the outbreak. Don't make some tough punk ass kid who confronts them.

As the story progresses, assuming the main party of characters have fortified some sort of base, and are supplied with ammunition, then may reach the conclusion that the only way out of this is to fight, and thus work out a strategic realistic plan to destroy them.

Heres a random character idea, off the top of my head making it up as I go lol

A prick who before the undead outbreak, was careless of others and never thought of anyone but himself. Was a snob. However after the outbreak, has become scared and overall useless. He tries to suck up and stick with others for protection, however when the opportunity for freedom or survival faces him, he once again resumes his old ways and ditches them for it, offering no help once again. One of the following events could happen to him-
1\. Gets killed in a rough situation, and the other players do not risk their lives to go back and help him, he gets a taste of his own ways.
2\. He is saved through the companionship of others through a tough situation, and thus undo-goes a change and becomes less selfish.

[death]

OR.

3\. He runs off taking an opertunity to make it to the safety of somewhere. The zombies follow him and kill him.

[Jax_Dragon]

OR 4\. He turns out to be an evil genius who created the virus and infiltrates the survivors to try and sabotage them.