I'm writing a side story to my Nano novel, a comedy about the end of the world. Except after the end of the world, nothing really changes (the apocalypse becomes sort of a fad).
The only point I'm stuck upon is: how can everyone suddenly realize it's the end of the world without a giant catastrophe (which would make the story depressing)? How do I have an end of the world...without the end of the world?
Any suggestions?
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30,695 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2007 - 20 38
You could have a giant meteor discovered flying towards earth so everyone thinks it going to be the end of the world--but it hits the pacific ocean, causes a few minor tidal waves, and instead of destroying the earth just becomes a new floating island beach resort
6,149 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2007 - 18 14
Excellent idea!
41,011 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2007 - 12 26
I'm toying with the idea of the end of the world to end the novel, but not sure how to do it in a way that's not too big of a leap. I was thinking meteors, wildfires or similar disasters. So far my characters are very normal people with money and marriage problems, so not sure how that all fits in.
----------Yu-Han (Eugenia) Chao
"Passport Baby" and "We Grow Old" forthcoming with Rockway Press and the Backwaters Press.
http://www.yuhanchao.com
52,743 / 50,000
Nov 15, 2007 - 15 52
Hey, I'm writing a comedy about the end of the world, too! Ran into the same problem- it's difficult to pull off an apocalpyse without getting heavy. My characters are such that even the most catastrophic events don't really phase them (when the fires of Hell run in rivers over the earth, my female MC roasts marshmallows over them). But here's a couple suggestions if that doesn't fit your characters:
- Public Service Announcement from God.
- An alien/ otherwise supernatural race that offers an apocalypse facilitation service (for the most professional, efficient apocalypse this side of the universe).
Hope something in there helps! Have fun ending the world :D
50,031 / 50,000
Nov 25, 2007 - 10 12
Great idea there, except that if a meteor(ite) was large enough to be an island resort... it would probably cause some pretty severe damage. But then, all the people along the coast who lost their homes from the wave could just live on the meteor. Or something.
:S
50,109 / 50,000
Jan 25, 2008 - 05 55
In the Christian tradition, isn't the end of the world preceded by the delivery of the new one? (And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, etc.) Everyone has to evacuate the old earth and move onto the new one. After that the old earth expires due to a combination of hyper-inflation, obesity and a choking accretion of rubbish on television.
----------Script Frenzy 2008: The Cross Dressing Detective
NaNoWriMo 2007 winner: Hell and Highwater
Occasional Trainer's Diary