“Where can I find ideas? or “How to eat brains faster.”
One of the biggest problems I have with writing is starting to write. If you want to become a better writer you must write, and therefore you must need something to write about.
Finding things to write about gets easier the more you do it. I think it’s really a case of developing the habit of looking at things as potential writing topics. Here’s an example.
In searching for funny and spooky clips on Youtube (it is, after all, only 26 days until Hallowe’en!) I discovered this little gem filmed by the staff at the Fuji- Highland Amusement park in Japan. Apparently, the people who play zombies at the park’s haunted labrynth weren’t deemed quite scary enough by their boss, who puts them through a series of undead-inspired calisthenics on a beach in full makeup and costumes. My Japanese is a little rusty, but it seems that Zombies whose abdominal strength or menacing growl are not up to par get taunted and poked with long sticks. Apparently the video was released as part of a promotional package for the amusement park … and to be truthful, having seen it … I would go there.
Now, I have no idea whether or not this is true, or an elaborate hoax. I did check www.snopes.com, an online hoax catalogue (and another great source of writing inspiration,) but there was no mention of the “Zombercise” video in question. But really? Who cares. Let’s think about the writing possibilities here …
1.) On your blog. What excercises are deemed most effective for zombie development as illustrated by the video, and could you come up with a better regime for Zombies in training? Would you go to such an amusement park? Would you work at such an amusement park? Is the zombie fad in movies and books finally petering out, or are we just getting started? How scary are zombies compared to other “creatures of the night?
2.) Short or long fiction. You could write a story about an employee who inspires her zombie co-workers to revolt against the park administration in full make-up, or someone who has taken the zombie job because it’s at night and he needs a night job because in real life, he’s a vampire. What about a love story between two people who find themselves playing zombies at a theme park? Or a human rights pamplet that asserts that “Zombies are People Too!”
Sure, it’s silly, and perhaps it’s been overdone (Woody Harrelson’s “Zombieland” opens this week, and promises to be only a pale shadow of “Shaun of the Dead”.) But the point of all of this is to get writing, and if you need inspiration in the weeks leading up to Hallowe’en, perhaps zombies aren’t a bad place to start.
The writing challenge: Faff around on Youtube for a while, and see what could inspire you to write at least 200 words of fiction or non-fiction material. Remember that all material posted here, including videos, needs to comply with the rules listed in the “Hello, world!” post.