Hello fellow zombie enthusiasts, I've been gathering some data and wondering some things that I'm looking answers for:?

What makes a good zombie story?

There's dozens of them but not all of them are as good as the next, so I'm curious what you people think what makes it a good zombie story to you personally.

Realistically speaking is putting an entire town or city under complete Quarantine possible?


In movies it all seems possible but can you really put an entire zone that big under complete lock down that nobody gets out without passing security checkpoints or flying over it?
Is it even possible to do when the government finds out when the outbreak is happening, mass panic seems a hard thing to control.

I've been suggested to looking into how the Berlin Wall worked and the Korean border, but is it actually accomplish able?

What about Marshall Law would that help with Quarantining a zone like that and would it work in central Europe?


Stories with secret organisations is it predictable or still enjoyable?


Not all secret organisation belongs too the bad guys, but is it over used and would an actual military perspective be something better?

What kind of protagonist is the one you'd prefer to see and follow (story wise)?


We all know protagonists like Rambo, McClane, Jack Ryan are people who can do anything the world throws at them. But this isn't how people would be in the real world, there's not really jack of all trades who can save the world every time over.

Will protagonists who's name or features are never revealed be interesting to follow?


Do you always have to know who the person is under the helmet, the name, the age, the gender?
Or can you enjoy the mystery about the person in question so you can fantasize and give it your own twist?
Will you settle with code names like H.U.N.K or does it make the protagonist distance themselves from yourself?

Does the origin of the virus have to be explained and should there be a cure to it all?

The overall generic explanation of the virus is mostly an experiment gone wrong, a chemical incident or caused by a diseased animal. Is it really needed to know where the virus comes from, if the people themselves don't know should the reader know? If there is a cure in the end does that always count in a happily ever after? Or is it a satisfaction for the reader to know a cure can't be found?

Any and all suggestions and feedback is welcome, I'm looking forward to seeing your ideas and have plenty of back and forth discussions.

What makes a good Zombie story?
Really it comes down to two real factors. One is the clear one being that theres a small group of survivors facing unbeatable numbers of the undead. Its a staple, but if handled correctly then it can make a pretty compelling story. However the other is what makes a zombie story fantastic, and that is if the Zombies are NOT the TRUE evil in the story, Humanity is. Treating the zombies as a virus, as opposed to monsters is vital for this. The zombies are no better than wolves,bears, tigers or any other living creatures that usually people are fed to. The only things that make the zombies different is that people can become them if scratched, or bitten, or spat on, or after a night of hot passionate love.
It all depends on the approach. Even movies like Zombieland dont paint the heroes as heroic, because they are not. Tv shows like the Walking Dead Really capitalize on the human is evil trope, because when people are in danger they do cruel and crazy things under the guise of fear.

Is it possible to Quarantine an entire town?
I think that depends on the towns size really. If its a small enough town, maybe. But realistically there is a lot of factors to consider and then you have to remember that there were people who snuck by borders and security measures during the likes of the Berlin Wall. Which honestly would also probably happen today, if one was made. Then you have the likes of social media as well, sending the outside public into an outcry over how they people inside of the lockup would be treated. It would only be a matter of time before people either rebelled, escaped, or the entire town was wiped off the map.

Predictable or Enjoyable?
Depends once again on how well its handled. If the dots connect, and its not blatantly obvious from the start then yes it can be enjoyable. Look at Umbrella, they are supposed to be a pharma group, not a zombie making machine. Yet they have enough power because of how great their products were beforehand, and had contracts with the government for biological weapons. That being said, you can always have a shadow organization that was there all along. Like have the people see the symbol but not know its name till the end, after the hero discovers hey that was the name on my shrinks clipboard.

Protagonist
This can be almost anyone as long as they dont ALWAYS crumble at the sign of the dead/villains. Its not about being a full blown pacifist, but maybe not go all guns blazing at the zombies. You dont need to be a genius, and you dont need to be an expert survivalist, but you do need to have some common sense. Honestly its fine being hesitant and cowardly because lets face it your facing 50 to 1 odds, and you may just have a nail gun. Wear clothes that are harder to rip through and easy to run in. (Leather jacket, and some comfy pants maybe? Just make sure you can run in them). Its all about the journey of the cahracters and how they bounce back and fourth off other characters.

Names
Names can make or break a character. Sometimes it works, other times it sucks. Like you dont need to know the main character watched a cat piss itself if its not neccessary. I think this is where nicknames come in handy. Have them go by nicknames instead of anything else might make the character keep a layer of mystery while also appear really human, because someone gave them that nickname and they carry it on.