Another attempt at a novel?

Hey guys, I want to start writing a novel again. This will be probably my seventh attempt and millionth idea for one, so I want to stick with it this time. I've been inspired by my last attempt, a The Walking Dead fanfiction spinoff, set in Missouri, and with a wider array of characters. Alas, I am a student, and I lost momentum very quickly. I also tried to develop my characters BEFORE I started writing... I later learned that's a giant no-no.

Recently I've been watching the sci-fi series, The 100 on Netflix, and I absolutely love it. It's my favorite show, alongside TWD (for those who watch it, I would die for Lexa). I'm in love with the whole apocalypse vibe, and I'm a sucker for well-laid character arcs. I think that the zombie apocalypse theme may be a bit overplayed in media, so I want the world to end with a fiery nuclear war, then introduce a zombie virus as a potential threat to the characters later in the series.

What are your opinions on that, honest?

Another thing, I really like ideas other people give me, especially when it comes to characters. If you're interested, leave me inspiration for a character in your comment! Be it a vague sentence, a description, a personality type, or whatever else, I want to incorporate other people into my story! Thank you!!

- S.K. Shepherd