Once in a while, somebody invents something that seems like it’s always been there.
The Onion seems like it’s always been there. So does The Simpsons.
When I was a kid, the only monsters were Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Invisible Man, mummies, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. That was all.
We didn’t have zombies.
Zombies were invented by George Romero in his screenplay for the classic 1978 movie, Dawn of the Dead.
It’s possible to invent something new. You just have to think outside the box. With no parameters. No bad ideas. Write down every single one.
Who knows? You might invent the next zombie.
I wouldn't say I'm inventing something new, but I believe I am doing something that is outside of the box. at least compared to the Hollywood norm.
Romero didn't invent zombies- they've been a prominent part of Voodoo for centuries. What he invented was the modern concept of the slow-witted, ambulatory, brain-eating zombie- before that zombies were merely reanimated bodies with no free will.