This article is part of a series that focuses on the process of writing zombie stories, novels, and fiction in general. Today, we’ll focus on the importance of realism and believability in fiction, by answering a common question among beginning writers:
How can I create a more realistic zombie story?
Writing Realistic Zombie Fiction
Readers of zombie fiction have a dizzying array of novels and story collections to choose from. It’s a crowded genre, to say the least.
So, if you want your work to stand out, you have to create an original and compelling world that hooks the reader and doesn’t let them go.
Realism can help you accomplish this goal.
If you create a realistic, believable, and detail-rich world for your zombie story, you’ll make it easier for readers to enter that world and live there for a while. This is called immersion.
When readers get immersed in a story, they feel like they’re inside it—right there with the characters. They follow the characters through their struggles and triumphs, with a fly-on-the-wall perspective.
Okay, great. But how does a writer actually accomplish these things?
The recipe: Look for ways to add realism to your zombie story. You can add realism to everything from dialogue to action to setting.
Sure, you’re writing a zombie story. It’s fiction, as in not real. But you want it to at least feel real. And so do your readers. So let’s explore some strategies for achieving realism in fiction.
1. Do the necessary research so you can write with authority.
I’m currently working on a sequel to my post-apocalyptic novel The Holdbacks. In the first chapter, the main characters are driving through a neighborhood where they once lived.
They’re driving a Ford Explorer Police Interceptor, an SUV designed for police use, discovered in an alleyway amid scenes of carnage.
Before writing this chapter, I spent a couple of hours researching the Police Interceptor. I went onto the Ford website and read about the vehicle, studied photos, watched videos, etc.
Did you know some of the newest police vehicles have a perimeter warning system that monitors the surroundings for “potentially threatening behavior”? It’s true. And I found a way to work that detail into the scene.
In this example, realism allows the reader to enter the story (and the vehicle itself), as if they’re on a ride-along instead of just reading a book.
Research paves the way for descriptive writing. It enables you to create a more realistic, more believable, and more immersive story. It’s a prerequisite for good fiction, regardless of genre.
As a writer of zombie fiction, you might have to research the following:
- Survival tactics and skills (foraging, building shelters, first aid, etc.)
- Epidemiology and disease spread mechanisms
- Weaponry and self-defense techniques
- Psychological effects of trauma and isolation
- Post-apocalyptic environments (urban decay, natural reclamation, etc.)
- Character behavior in high-stress situations
- Emergency response protocols (law enforcement, medical, etc.)
- Vehicle mechanics and capabilities
Much of this information is available online for free. With a Google search, you can find training and reference manuals, field guides, government handbooks, and other resources. It’s all right there at your fingertips!
2. Define clear and consistent rules for how your zombies behave.
As an author, you have to think about how your zombies “work” from a biological standpoint. Establishing these rules in advance will save you a lot of time and energy later on.
The key here is to be consistent, logical, and believable. Feel free to create something fresh and original. Just be sure that it makes sense for the reader, from a scientific standpoint.
Most zombie stories are grounded in scientific realism rather than fantasy. They talk about pathogens and vectors and propagation, basic concepts from epidemiology.
If this is the path you plan to take, be sure to establish some clear rules for your zombie story. The reader needs to understand them in order to accept your fictional world.
Here are some details to work out before you start writing:
- Can your zombies be killed, and if so, how? Is it only by destroying the brain, or are there other methods?
- Does the infection stem from a virus, bacteria, or some other cause? How does this source transform a normal person into a zombie?
- How does the infection spread? Is it transmitted through bites, scratches, or other bodily fluids?
- What’s the timeline for zombification? Is there an incubation period with a slow transformation? Or does it happen within seconds?
- Are there any individuals who are immune or resistant to the infection? What are the implications of immunity?
- Are your zombies fast or slow? Can they run? Can they perform explosive movements?
- Do they retain any memories or cognitive functions? Or are they purely driven by primal instincts?
- How does their physical condition change over time? Do they decay? And if so, how does this affect their physical abilities?
- Are there any efforts to cure or contain the infection? What methods have been used and how successful were they?
It’s okay to leave some things to the reader’s imagination. In some cases, withholding information can improve a story. But as the author, you need to understand these things in order to be consistent.
3. Create a backstory that leads up to the apocalypse.
A zombie story can start before the outbreak, during that event, or even long after it. There are pros and cons with each approach, but that’s beyond the scope of this article.
If your story begins in a zombie-filled world (weeks, months, or years after the initial outbreak), you’ll need to work out the backstory. These are the events that took place before and possibly led up to the current world order.
Again, you don’t have to explain all of this in detail. If you choose to, you could focus on the post-apocalyptic timeline and only hint at “the time before.” Or maybe you’ll choose to give the reader glimpses of the past through character flashback or other methods.
Alternatively, you could completely ignore the past and keep your readers immersed in the present-day struggles of the characters. You have options.
But you have to at least know what the world was like before and how it changed, even if you don’t share all of that with your readers. This will make your zombie story or novel more consistent and believable.
4. Describe the decay and deterioration of your fictional world.
Have you ever thought about what our neighborhoods, towns, and cities would look like if they were no longer maintained? Like years from now?
No more street sweepers. No more landscaping crews. No more maintenance or construction or upkeep or repair…
Things would fall apart. Nature would take over. Buildings would start to resemble tombs.
As speculative fiction writers, we must strive for realism and authenticity. We want our stories to be believable, even if they are made up. We want them to feel real.
One way to do that is by providing detailed descriptions.
Here are some noteworthy details in a post-apocalyptic setting:
- Overgrowth: Grass, weeds, and bushes growing unchecked through cracked sidewalks and crawling up buildings.
- Vehicles: Cars and trucks left to decay, with flat tires, broken windows, and rust eating the metal.
- Infrastructure: Bridges sagging or collapsed into rivers. Roads crumbling and riddled with potholes.
- Bodies: Skeletons or decaying corpses lying in the streets or trapped inside vehicles, forgotten and unburied.
- Animals: Deer grazing in city parks, birds nesting in the rafters of abandoned buildings, and predators stalking the once-human habitats.
- Buildings: Office towers with shattered windows, cracked facades, and chunks of concrete missing.
- Stagnation: Pools of stagnant, greenish water filling alleys, streets and ditches, breeding grounds for insects and disease.
- Stillness: Streets eerily silent except for the occasional creak of a distant building or the rustle of wind through abandoned structures.
You don’t have to describe everything, and your story will be better if you don’t. But you at least have to color in some brushstrokes, so the reader can fill in the rest.
The end result? A more authentic and immersive zombie story.
5. Create complex characters with believable reactions and growth.
In Hollywood blockbusters, it often seems like everyone’s a hero. Right from the start. The main characters tackle threats with courage, poise, and the occasional one-liner.
In real life, it’s usually a lot messier.
Real people who face mortal danger might display a wide range of behaviors. They panic. They freeze up and shut down and sometimes retreat into a childlike state of denial. Some might act like heroes, rising to the occasion. But not everyone.
Some people even shift into predator mode, using traumatic events as a justification to take from others. That’s why we often see looting in conjunction with natural disasters.
(Sad but true.)
The characters in your story will react to the traumas of a zombie apocalypse in different ways. Their reactions stem from their life experiences and “who they are.” It’s like an emotional fingerprint. Everyone has one, but not two are identical.
In fiction, the most realistic characters usually have flaws. They’re not perfect, because who is? They have worries and anxieties and fears, and sometimes hidden agendas.
Find ways to bring this kind of realism into your story.
6. Use sensory details to enhance immersion and realism.
As a writer of zombie fiction, you can also use sensory details to add more realism to your stories. Sensory details are descriptions that engage the reader’s five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.
You’ve probably heard the expression “show don’t tell.” Sensory details can help you achieve this in your writing.
Instead of telling the reader what something looks, feels, or smells like, you can show them by using sensory details—perhaps from a character’s point of view.
Note the difference between these two examples:
| Telling (No Sensory Details) | Showing (Sensory Details) |
| The whole city looked burnt. | The buildings stood like charred logs, some of them leaning precariously. The pavement below was cracked and crumbling. Even now, after all this time, ash still drifted through the empty streets. |
Sensory details bring scenes to life by allowing readers to experience the story in a more immersive and vivid way. By appealing to the senses, writers can evoke emotions, create atmosphere, and make the fictional world feel more real and tangible.
Be selective and purposeful with your descriptions. Describe settings, objects, and events that add something to the story.
You don’t have to describe every little thing your characters encounter. Sometimes a bush is just a bush and warrants no future description.
Here’s a rule of thumb you might find helpful:
- Use sensory details when they enhance the reader’s experience, deepen the mood, or reveal something important about the story or characters.
- Skip them when they don’t contribute to the narrative or distract from the main focus.
Use sensory details to immerse the reader, not to overwhelm them.
The 6 Most Important Points in This Guide
We’ve covered a lot of information here. So let’s wrap up by summarizing the most important points covered in this writing guide.
- Research thoroughly: Conduct research to add realism and authority to your story, making it more immersive for readers.
- Establish clear rules: Define consistent and believable rules for how your zombies behave to maintain logical consistency.
- Develop a backstory: Create a detailed backstory to explain the events leading up to the zombie apocalypse, even if not fully revealed in the story.
- Describe decay: Use detailed descriptions of decay and deterioration to create a believable post-apocalyptic setting.
- Craft complex characters: Develop characters with realistic reactions and growth to make them relatable and believable.
- Incorporate sensory details: Use sensory descriptions to enhance realism and immerse readers in the story, but be selective to avoid overwhelming them.
I hope this guide helps you create some awesome zombie stories, and I wish you all the best in your writing ventures!