Foreword

It's been one month since I first started preparation for Growing Cold.  Many forums posts, discussions, and a bit of research has led us to today.  I put out feelers on multiple sites for who would be interested in writing a zombie apocalypse story from the first person point of view of multiple characters.  The concept is by no means new, but was intriguing to me.  In all, I have four others looking to share my vision and write this story.  I'll be placing more information about the authors and characters in the Author's Guidance, as well as some base instructions.

I'm not certain what to expect; we've laid some groundwork, but the road is wide open.  I hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I plan on enjoying writing it.

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It is the fall of 2009. A virus has begun spreading from the small suburb of Forest Lake. Everyone that succumbs to the disease rises again as the living dead. This is the story of five individuals, the loss of their world, and their fight for survival.

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Characters & Authors:

Amber Ellis (shunoshi) - A 24-year old female nursing assistant. She works the overnight shift at Allina Medical Center in Forest Lake and lives about ten miles out of town in nearby Columbus at her parent's old house. She has a 23 year old boyfriend of named David Edmund that she's been seeing for one and a half years. He works at the local Holiday Gas Station on Broadway and lives in an apartment complex a short distance away on 11th Avenue.

Roy Mott (NationalKato) - A 67-year old retiree. He lives in a small rancher on Big Marine Lake. He was married to Lucille, but his wife recently passed away and Roy is coping with the loss. He and Lucille had lived in St. Paul while Roy worked at a meatpacking plant, but he moved out to the lake soon after retirement.

Dimitri Kasmir (Khrymsyn) - A 38-year old former Army Ranger, and Priest at Arden Hills' St. Katherine's Ukranian Orthodox Church. After experiences in combat and peace-keeping missions in various places around the world, especially in the Middle East, Dimitri felt that entering the priesthood would help ease his mind and allow him to help people more at home. Unfortunately, 3 years ago, Dimitri's wife died in a hit and run accident. The loss of his high school sweetheart has caused Father Dimitri to begin to turn away from God and toward the bottle.

Saul Wong (TheJackster) - A 14-year old, delinquent. He was orphaned at an early age and raised by his uncle, who didn't really treat him well. He attends Southwest Junior High School in Forest Lake.

Miranda Jacobs (Kielaran) - A 32-year old high powered business woman. She got there through manipulation and using anyone that she could. She stayed there because of her extreme paranoia. She can take care of herself, which is good because she doesn't trust anyone.

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To the Collaborators:

Everything should be written in the first person, past tense. Only write about the character's actions and what he/she knows or observes. Continuity is very important and all efforts should be made to keep your chapters contiguous with the timeline events that have been discussed.

Chapters should be a healthy length, nothing shorter than 750 - 1000 words. Maximum length isn't as concerning, however keep in mind that chapters can be split up if they encompass larger periods of time (Z-Day am vs. Z-Day pm). Another collaborator may have a chapter that will fit snuggly within your one chapter's time frame.

Try to have your upcoming chapter ready to post within one week from the time the collaborator preceding you posts. If the schedule stays on track, this will give you five weeks to complete each chapter. If for some reason you are unable to complete your chapter in that time, let us know. We can discuss waiting, modifying your chapter time, or having someone substitute for one chapter. The important thing here is to communicate any issues. This can be done in our planning thread on the forum.

Keep collaborating! Try to keep everyone in the loop on when your next chapter is going to take place and if any major events are going to happen. We'll continue to use the same planning thread that we have been. This is especially important should any of our characters end up in the same location.

Lastly, have fun! That's what this story is all about.

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To Everyone Else:

Please enjoy the story and feel free to comment/critique. I'm using this as a way to better my writing and comments or constructive criticism are always welcome.

The one thing I ask is that you refrain from joining. I initially left joining open to everyone in my interest thread and now the authors for this story have been chosen. Thanks.

updated Jul 23 '10 by shunoshi