This may be my worst idea ever...

[smsarber]

Or it could be really good...
I'm asking this question in this, and the horror forum.
Would it be a terrible idea to have a story about zombie gunslingers and cowboys? A kind of undead town.

It was one of those 'about to fall asleep, pop you awake kind of ideas. I thought I would get some feedback before I even consider trying it.

[beezle]

Would make shootouts interesting. And a bit pointless.

[alleycat]

Kind of worked for Stephen King . . .

But it wouldn't be a western (or at least not one that traditional western readers would call one).

[davids]

Even better-gay zombies and gunslingers

[beezle]

Aw fudgeit... this thread just reminded me that I came up with two cool ideas just as I was falling asleep last night... and now I can't remember what they were!

[alleycat]

Even better-gay zombies and gunslingers
. . . being hunted down by Mormons.

[dpaterso]

Hmm, why do I get the feeling this has been done before? :) The story would need a good reason for being set in an undead town, so it doesn't seem like a gratuitous or whimsical throwaway idea.

That's not to say I'm allergic to it. Western genre is big enough and wide enough to cover all kinds of variants, check out the Weird Westerns (http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58341) thread.

I'm just gonna move this thread to the Western discussion forum, and leave a redirect in the SYW Western forum.

Edit:
Just FYI if anyone's interested there's a similar "This may be my worst idea ever..." thread in Horror discussion forum,
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61201

-Derek

[smsarber]

You are referring to "The Gunslinger", I assume. I've only ever read the first of the "Dark Tower" series, and there were no zombies in it.

I was thinking maybe a teenage boy living in Arizona comes into possession of a spell book, flubbs a spell, and brings all the former members of the neighboring "ghost" town to life. Maybe they reanimate at sundown, or something cliche like that.

[Festus]

Said it before, will say it again. Our forum is only limited by the imagination. Though I think that brokeback mountain zombies is one hell of a stretch, doesn't seem that they'd have much in the way of sexual desires, nor do I think openly gay gunslingers would have had an extended lifespan in the old west.

Check out our comments on weird westerns like Derek said.

[beezle]

You are referring to "The Gunslinger", I assume. I've only ever read the first of the "Dark Tower" series, and there were no zombies in it.

I was thinking maybe a teenage boy living in Arizona comes into possession of a spell book, flubbs a spell, and brings all the former members of the neighboring "ghost" town to life. Maybe they reanimate at sundown, or something cliche like that.

Simpsons did it.

[smsarber]

Sorry... don't watch the Simpson's.
Perhaps a meteor strikes down in rural Nevada, and it causes strange things, such as dead coming back to life.
Let me guess, Futurama did this one?

[Cav Guy]

No, but I think Dawn of the Living Dead did....;)

[Festus]

Aw hell, Steven, ain't no reason to drop your idea. A whole bunch of different things could cause zombies in a western town that haven't been written about yet.

Let's see; Pact with the devil, strange mineral leaking into water supply, a curse from an individual or an old medicine man, doctored whiskey that went wrong, an arcane artifact arriving in town, UFO flying by doing a scan - unaware that their scanning beam would cause such an effect, the inhabitants accidentally reading some of my stories - all kinds of stuff!

[Vanatru]

If it works for Deadlands it can work for you here. Give it a try and post the work..........we can heckal and decry your work, or praise and salute it. :)

[JeanneTGC]

Look in the Writer's Wanted: Paying Markets forum. There's a thread about cross-genre Cthulu. I'm writing a story to submit there, why not you, too? There IS a market for cross-genre stuff, which is what you're describing.

Also, there are NO new ideas under the sun. Anything the Bible missed Shakespeare covered. So, so what if someone else has done a zombie-cowboy story? The thing is -- no one will write that zombie-cowboy story just like YOU will. That's why we have many creative types, not just one. So, go for it!

[smsarber]

There's nothing new under the sun... I want to get that needlepointed to put up over my desk, I love that one!!
I think I'm going to let this idea percolate for awhile, unless someone might be interested in a co-write/joint-partnership kinda thing.

Good news, my wife, son, and myself are moving in to our new apartment tomorrow. (Been living in my parents basement since I got out of prison, 4-3-06)

[smsarber]

Okay, I checked out the cross-genre Cthulu. I think I will give it a shot, though I have never read HPL. Hafta stop by the library. The partnership idea is still on the table, as well. I could do a longer piece, and could probably use some guidance. My writing is fast improving, but it needs help.

See, I knew Ktulu (Chtulu) wasn't just a Metallica song off the "Ride the Lightning" album!

[poetinahat]

Zombie cowboys and Indians -- hey, add in a zombie motorcycle cop and construction worker... Hey, presto: Undead Village People!

(Actually, a story like yours would catch my eye. It sounds like a hoot!)

[dpaterso]

A couple of quick Google searches might be in order:

http://www.google.com/search?&q=zombie+western
http://www.google.com/search?&q=Cthulhu

If you're wanting to get into H.P. Lovecraft, here's a nice site with fiction and info (plus links to other horror author fiction/info):
http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/index.html

You'll find The Call of Cthulhu here... tho' I'd start with At the Mountains of Madness which I think has more spooky atmosphere due to its firmer grounding in reality, but that's just me.

My woefully inept Lovecraftian homage story Blood & Ice (http://hometown.aol.co.uk/dpaterson57/blood.htm) earned me the princely sum of $20.00 and got me an admiring fan email from a young lady in Hungary who said the goose bumps creeped her arms.

-Derek

[Cav Guy]

You could also dig up the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game if you want handy bite-sized examples of some of the...uhh...'wonderful' things ol' Lovecraft came up with.

[alleycat]

Zombie cowboys and Indians -- hey, add in a zombie motorcycle cop and construction worker... Hey, presto: Undead Village People!
It's fun to stay at cemetery YMCA . . . !

[Vanatru]

I nominate Alleycat and Poetinahat for lashings with wet noodles.

[dpaterso]

You could also dig up the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game if you want handy bite-sized examples of some of the...uhh...'wonderful' things ol' Lovecraft came up with.
That's one of my main reference books!

-Derek

[smsarber]

I don't know if I could say I want to get into Lovecraft, but if I do astory for this compilation book, I should have an idea. A guy I work with is big into HPL, I figured I'd ask him a few questions.
I've been told in the past if you liked Dante's "Inferno" you'd like Lovecraft; I hated the "Inferno". But who knows--- some of the best books I ever read I was 'warned' about.

[Vanatru]

Tell me about. I never believed all those warnings about Playboy, Penthouse.......my eyes, my poor eyes........I was scarred for life.

[Jamesaritchie]

I don't believe any ideas are bad. It's how well you execute the idea that counts.

[JeanneTGC]

Couldn't read "Inferno", like Lovecraft.

And, Playgirl was exactly what it promised. :D My eyes, my happy, happy eyes!

[dub]

Like this thread, sometimes when you dig up old things strange things happen. The American Indian of the 19th. century certainly believed in walking spirits or in modern vernacular - zombies; why not zombie cowboys.

Totally practical. I belong to a ghost hunter organization, while I will not write a disseration on ghosts here, I will say that trapped energy sources are quite real. The practicality of digging up a ghost town or parts has a lot of merit.

I think it's an interesting spin - Playgirl, not included.