A couple of years ago, I decided to try my hand screenwriting. Rather than trying to come up with a new story and learn screenwriting at the same time, I decided to adapt one of my short stories.

I started with Pod Fifteen and ended up submitting it to a few screenplay competitions. I even won one.

Since then, I’ve kind of been bitten by the screenplay bug, and having learned a few lessons with Pod Fifteen, I decided to write another short screenplay, this time based on my short story Love in the Age of Zom-boys (originally published as The Z Word).

This one is much shorter (~11 pages) and very light-hearted, despite the zombie theme.

I’m pleased with how it turned out, and unlike Pod Fifteen, I could see a world where it could actually get made as a low-budget short.

And maybe I’m not the only one, because Love in the Age of Zom-boys was awarded Best Zombie Short Script at the recent Hollywood Horrorfest.

To say I’m chuffed is an understatement. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend the awards night but that means you don’t have to suffer any photos of me gurning on the red carpet.

This really is an honour, though, and I’m already eyeing up my longer fiction to see what might work as a full-length screenplay.

Thank you to Hollywood Horrorfest for the award, and congratulations to all the other winners. If you’d like to check them out, you can find them right here.

And if you want to read the original story, it’s available here.

[Zombie Love by Philip Harris first appeared on Solitary Mindset on 23rd October 2024]