Climate change could make much of the world uninhabitable. Ideas for writers: A global infertility pandemic would essentially give humanity a countdown toward extinction. Required fields are marked *. Just watch the news. It’s a must-read for science fiction writers, or anyone who is interested in future technologies and how they shape our world. Michael grinned widely to see the little girl in the pink puffa jacket, bouncing as she ran towards him, probably more vertical motion than forward movement. The novel At Winter's End (1988) by Robert Silverberg 4. There would probably be some form of nuclear winter, with global temperature decline. The versatility of it enables writers to create their own post-apocalyptic vision of a future existence. Home Episodes Guides Book Subscribe Submit Your Story Home Episodes Guides. The salt had eaten away at the foundations, the water churned and crashed into the walls, until it buckled under the weight of sixteen storeys of concrete and collapsed. Simultaneous submissions are A-OK—just let us know if you need to withdraw your submission We don’t really know what caused it, but it sets the stage for a brutal story about love, loss and survival. The sun would disappear behind a perpetual ash cloud, killing plant life. James, is a good example of this type of story. Ask yourself: What haven’t we seen before, in terms of civilization-ending plagues? We’ll also be exploring some fresh ideas for a post-apocalyptic novel or short story. We mentioned previously the nuclear wasteland scenario. “You know who lives there.”. Andromeda wasn’t the first outbreak story. Ideas for writers: What will the world be like 100, 200 or 1,000 years from now, from an environmental standpoint? Writing and publish your own. Ah yes, the undead. Book Subscribe Submit Your Story. Noah’s ark and the flood that wiped Earth clean of wicked mankind is an early example of post-apocalyptic writing but the modern genre of end of the world literature can be traced back two centuries to Mary Shelley’s The Last Man published in 1826. Completed 4 months ago Alexandre. A well-written short story can pack a punch. Rick Yancey’s The 5th Wave gives readers a more modern take on the alien invasion post-apocalyptic scenario, with a female teenage protagonist. 00 $2.99 $2.99. I got out of bed, and shivered. 260K 19.1K57. In zombie fiction, the disease itself is a threat. Shuffling flesh-eaters can be thrilling. My new horror-thriller, Purgatory, is out now! That made for a stronger story, in my view. Blurring the lines between post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction, Children tells of a near-future world where women can no longer produce offspring following a worldwide infertility pandemic. In the alien invasion post-apocalyptic story, intelligent beings from another planet or solar system attack Earth, ending life as we know it. The Children of Men, and other stories like it, share similar themes with the other books and categories on this list. They resonate with us. Episode 22 - Lakeside Doomsday Cult. His epic Swan Song occurs during a nuclear winter following a nuclear exchange between the U.S. and Soviet Union. Looking for some post-apocalyptic story ideas and scenarios to fuel your next writing project? Category: Post Apocalyptic. Ask Question Asked 2 years, 3 months ago. If you're going to write about it in the past, then make … Active 2 years, 2 months ago. You get the idea. In some stories, the “apocalypse” comes from humans themselves. Anders is crying. Oren: Because you can easily have, like, survival type stories. A dying sun. That’s what we can relate to, as humans. That’s where the real drama lies. There are very few stories that are so powerful, so artfully directed that when you finish the last page, you close the… The Matrix is a good example from the film world. I read the story I'm looking for in the early nineties, as part of an anthology. Her work has been nominated for the Philip K. Dick and Boomerang Awards and her recent ebook, Spirits of Glory, tells a semi-apocalyptic story and can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other online retailers. … Et cetera. Small bands of survivors remain, scratching out an existence in a harsh, post-civilization world. When aliens invade, … And what happens when the questions get too much, when life stops making sense? Brandon Cornett has been writing fiction for many years. Format: Please upload in .doc, .docx, .rtf or .txt format.Stories should be free from typos, grammatical errors and unconventional formatting. Tweet. Set it at a specific year or time period. “I’ll take five diamond earrings,” the lady from the fourth encampment north said. Miscellaneous / Other. The cities are the last bastions of civilization, and everyone outside of them has to fend for themselves. Ideas for writers: This kind of catastrophe could be global or local, depending on the kind of story / novel you want to write. How long before the questions begin to arise, before the legends stop making sense? “Five pairs of diamond earrings?” I asked. The poem Bedtime Story from Collected Poems 1958–1970 by George Macbeth 5. There is no way of determining what the danger is, the fear of the unknown. The twentieth and twenty-first centuries have given rise to what many consider the best post-apocalyptic books and post-apocalyptic stories ever written. And with everything going on in the world today, these stories are more relevant than ever before. If the event has already happened, it is post-apocalyptic. It (2017): The Sewer Scene With Georgie and Pennywise, The Shining (1980): Hallway Scene With the Grady Twins. Zombies could fall under the “disease / outbreak” category mentioned above. That’s another common trait among these stories. Insidious (2010) Baby Monitor Scene: I Want It NOW! Probably the earliest known work of post-apocalyptic fiction is Mary Shelley’s 1826 novel, The Last Man. The environmental apocalypse is one example. Buy now with 1-Click ® Foxwood. There are other advantages of post-apocalyptic stories, primarily that post-apocalyptic stories give you a lot of conflict to work with. A short story I wrote for an assignment a while back. This kind of post-apocalyptic scenario was all the rage in the 1950s and 1960s, largely due to tensions associated with the Cold War. McCarthy left the firestorm vague, choosing not to shed light on it. It spreads via saliva, just like the common cold or flu. Latest post. We’re about to take a deep dive into the world of apocalypse fiction. These books are often also cross-categorized as dystopian fiction and speculative fiction. In the 2010 novel, The Reapers Are the Angeles, Alden Bell manages to combine the post-apocalyptic horrors of zombiedom with a southern gothic literary style. ... prizes, and opportunities to get published. I actually wrote a post apocalyptic short story, i'd love if you'd give me some feedback on it! It’s okay to create mystery around it, and your story might be better that way. And what kind of story do you want to tell? Edith said it was the middle of April, and even I remembered April being warmer than this. In The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood created a world where the few fertile women left served as childbearing slaves for the powerful. Action World War Post Apocalyptic. 2. The survivors assume that it’s something that you can’t see and deletes your existence instantly. It’s strange writing about disease outbreaks as a post-apocalyptic fiction scenario, at a time when the very real coronavirus is dominating the news. There has never been a better time for writing apocalyptic stories. The Road won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2007. As stated on Twitter, I recently picked up Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse an anthology of post-apocalyptic shorts. So there’s a lot of room for innovation, and many ways to create a post-apocalyptic scenario. Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic stories tend to follow characters trying to survive a devastated landscape. Episode 20 - Body Parts Jewelry Store Man, Episode 8 - Jacob and Katy and the Building People. Mention “outbreak fiction,” and many people think of Michael Chricton’s The Andromeda Strain. Check out this article about a slow-moving infertility crisis, and then accelerate it for story purposes. In that novel, scientists race to contain a deadly pathogen from outer space that hitched a ride to Earth on one of our space probes. Or maybe people have forgotten (willfully or otherwise) that we do still live in a nuclear age, an age when individual nations have enough firepower to destroy all life on Earth several times over. Story about the lasting effects of war with an ironical twist in the end. Things can always be worse and you can rely on novelists to put that phrase into cold, hard words on the page. Ideas for writers: The real story here is not the alien invasion itself, but how humans respond to it. The 1969 sci-fi thriller became a bestseller and spawned both a movie and a TV miniseries. How does one adapt? Tags: dreams, post-apocalyptic, short-stories, trigger-warning. I get that. They envision a world unlike our own, a world where humanity has been pushed to the brink and forced to adapt. 4.0 out of 5 stars 90. Check your email to hear from us. There are too many popular zombie novels to name here. What Is the New Halloween Kills Movie About? Ideas for writers: Like the other apocalyptic scenarios above, zombie stories work best when they focus on the human side. Sure, the invasion / attack / annihilation is entertaining in a flashy kind of way. Twenty-year-old Ethan Jones has a secret that even his parents and foraging companions… A zone apocalypse. In The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, the planet is scorched by some inexplicable firestorm. Ideas for writers: Want some ideas for writing a post-apocalyptic plague story? Actually, zombies could be classified as horror, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, western, even romance. Tales of the apocalypse can be traced back centuries, but post-apocalyptic stories are a more recent phenomenon. But we don’t see it as much today, at least not in the classical sense. This is a broad category of post-apocalyptic fiction that includes all scenarios in which manmade robotic or machine creations rise up against their creators. Arisia Chronicles: Shade. Chains and ropes creaked on the other side of the great gate. Thank you! A localized version might be a supervolcano eruption, as in the novel Ashfall by Mike Mullin; a series of massive earthquakes unfolding in a chain reaction; a tsunami unlike any the world has seen before. The latter part of H. G. Wells' The Time Machine (1895) 2. In the year 2028, the world encounters its first Nuclear War, also known as World War 3. by Sean Platt and David W. Wright | Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC | Oct 13, 2020. He is currently working on a sci-fi horror thriller about murderous androids in a shopping mall. At some point, there would be no children left, no babies, just an aging population headed toward oblivion. The first of the buildings fell today. Wells, exemplifies this type of post-apocalyptic scenario. With robot uprising apocalypse scenarios, humans create technologies that ultimately turn against them with tragic results. The Chase (When You're Sleeping - Night 4) By Sock Monkey Enthusiast. Hundreds of free Post-apocalyptic stories, books, poems, articles and more. Chronic, ongoing drought could cause water scarcity, societal collapse, and tribalism. The different types of post-apocalyptic scenarios. What might the world look like in that fictional yet realistic scenario? Here are three more reasons why post-apocalyptic doomsday fiction is popular with writers. Apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural phenomena, divine judgment, climate change, resource depletion or some other general disaster. Regardless of what kind of post-apocalyptic scenario you explore, as a writer, there has to be some spark of light in the darkness. How do you think people would deal with such a world-ending scenario? September 03, 2020. The War of the Worlds, by H.G. “Nature gone wild” is another post-apocalyptic fiction scenario employed by writers. In the outbreak / pandemic story, a highly contagious and deadly pathogen wreaks havoc on humanity. Because the… mechanisms that we all depend on to live have broken down. It all depends on the path the writer chooses. Readers and writers alike flock to post-apocalyptic fiction when they want to envision a world beyond our own. But the carriers of the disease are the real terror. That, combined with the immense popularity of the zombie genre, puts it into a separate class of post-apocalyptic fiction. A shift in gravity. There you’ll find a wealth of ideas to get your creative juices flowing. The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Endurance! We tend to think of post-apocalyptic fiction in terms of asteroid strikes, zombies and nuclear war. Creepy post-apocalyptic short story with walking roses. Chris: And conflict of different types, too, which is also very valuable. Side note: Daniel H. Wilson, mentioned below, wrote a sequel called Andromeda Evolution. We talked about a global scenario above, used in The Road. Some things never go out of style. A woman is living in a garbage dump that services one of those cites. Let me explain, in some areas some people seem to disappear for no reason. In a post-apocalyptic novel, the worldbuilding must follow the rule of cause and effect. One way or another, the fallout has carved its marks on all of us. And if so, how might it view us here on Earth? But it was one of the most successful. 4. Halvar sheltered under the branches of an old willow tree, hidden from sight by a thick curtain of fronds that trailed the river’s surface. I have posted this on Wattpad, as well. His face remains composed, not a single twitch, but his eyes are shining. Beyond, Grade could hear the sounds of life and livestock, mingling with the rain. As for books, Daniel H. Wilson’s Robopocalypse explores the AI uprising doomsday scenario. “Yes, five pairs, and I want them all fingertip.”. P.S: Hearing, feeling, tasting, smelling, sensing and knowing what it is somehow is an instant death but seeing it deletes your body. “We really shouldn’t go near that place,” Katy said as Jacob led her toward the dark building in the middle of the abandoned village. Realism makes these stories more engaging and, in some cases, more terrifying. 1. Thanks for stopping by, Sayyidha. Not even an hour into Mare Imbrium’s two-week-long night, Commander Gordon Gooch III was snoring through the end of the world. Really big. Wells, exemplifies this type of post-apocalyptic scenario. It follows the lives and loves of the European nobility of the 21st Century, which is shattered by the arrival of a plague that wipes out mankind. “Hear that si–” …lence, boy? The alien apocalypse type of story has fascinated readers for many years, just as space itself fascinates us. In a separate article, I’ve offered some suggestions for innovating within the zombie genre. Some also fit the young adult subgenre. (It gets technical, so you might want to stick to the abstract and summary portions.). Two or more nuclear-armed powers unleash fire and fury on one another, and the world as we know it vanishes in a flash. Speech Sounds by Octavia E. Butler. It’s open for innovation. I absolutely loved them and can remember why I’d stopped in between the series. Writers of science fiction and apocalypse stories often turn to this theme because (A) we can relate to it and (B) it’s versatile. Terra gives her best impression of a scowl up at me, though to my eye she looks more like a puppy that’s about to sneeze. Science fiction and horror writers exploring this theme could start by asking some tough questions. , Your email address will not be published. In Frankenstein, a human creates an inhuman “thing” that brings tragedy to its creator’s life. Deadly viruses and antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” aren’t the stuff of fiction. 7. by Joe J. Jeremiah Brock was a violin playing muleskinner, a veteran of … 17 Oct. Her short fiction has appeared in Asimov’s, the Full Spectrum anthology, Uncanny, Clarkesworld, and Aboriginal Science Fiction. There are many variations of this post-apocalyptic theme. October's Gone: A Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Survival Story. You’ve come to the right place. Som… Jack Finney’s The Body Snatchers is another early example within this subgenre. From a writing standpoint, there’s a lot to like about the post-apocalyptic fiction genre. The Four Baristas of the Apocalypse by Geoff Blackwell. Kim Stanley Robinson’s New York 2140 is a prominent example of this emerging subgenre. How would you behave in that kind of world? Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun series 6. Bastian sat heavily in the angle formed by tree trunk and crust. Arisia Chronicles: Shade. Otherwise, what’s the point? And if you really want to know what might happen to the Earth following a nuclear war, check out this scientific study and projection. Almond Press is an independent publisher of dystopian and apocalyptic short fiction. Read More. As the plague slowly consumes the world, men and women turn on one another, spiraling into madness. And somehow it works. Thematically, they are very different from the typical outbreak or pandemic story. Here are some highlights of the genre, divided by theme: With this series, I want to look at each story to get a better grasp on the plot, characters, and the apocalypse itself. This idea has evolved, thankfully. But they’ve earned a special prominence within the realm of science fiction and horror. This page has been made as a personal daily diary for when I am on the road for business, but I will tell my tale as a post apocalyptic world. That book came out in 2019, fifty years after the original. It challenges the writer to create something new, to envision a world beyond our own. The question is, how does one survive in such a world? Different execution, but similar themes. Muleskinner Blues. How long can someone wait? When … Elani sheltered under the branches of an old willow tree, hidden from sight, her aluminium canoe bobbing on the water. The post-apocalyptic event is the cause, and the world you create is directly affected by it. The Children of Men, by P.D. And how might it change the way we live? They come last in this list of post-apocalyptic doomsday scenarios due to alphabetization. I think some would accept it with a kind of stoicism, while others would go mad grappling with the idea. Apocalyptic / Post Apocalyptic The new kid at school finds out some friends are harder to make than others. Tags: science_fiction, fiction, war, irony, post_apocalyptic, ironical. Is there intelligent life out there? https://best-sci-fi-books.com/21-best-post-apocalyptic-science-fiction-books Would it be hostile? Explore our library of original post-apocalyptic short stories - free to read, forever. The story was set in a post-apocalyptic setting. In this type of post-apocalyptic fiction, the world is either partly or wholly destroyed by an asteroid, a comet, a burst of gamma rays, or some other extraterrestrial force. The 1939 cartoon short Peace on Earth by Hugh Harman, in which animals rebuild a post-apocalyptic world after humanity has fought wars to the point of extinction. Simple Tips For Writing A Great Short Story 0 Comments. Genres: Stories need to be post-apocalyptic, apocalyptic or dystopian in nature. What ideas might you come up with for this post-apocalyptic scenario? Cities lie in ruin. In the context of this new post-apocalyptic era, Austin and Tommy, his 7-year-old brother, will have to … Joss McIntyre sat on his favorite knoll and looked down at The Camp spread below in the small steep-walled valley. The zones constantly shift, move and suddenly stop existing only for more to appear. A short story on a post-apocalyptic world that focuses on two characters, Illijah and Allyson. So that goes to show you, you don’t have to explain your apocalyptic event in great detail. If there is a scientific component that leads to an undead scenario, then it’s science fiction. Ideas for writers: Space is big. If he wants to be her friend, he will have to meet her standards.This is a short story about Devin, a middle school student who is new in school. In 1987, Robert McCammon wrote a chilling entry in the nuclear holocaust / apocalypse subgenre. The series includes many notable authors, some of whom were recommended to me. Maybe it’s too scary to explore. Once you know that, you can create your own affliction to support your storytelling goals. Solar flares. A post-apocalyptic short story by Julianne Q Johnson. In Justin Cronin’s The Passage, a vampiric virus jumped from bats to humans. Today, a lot of science fiction writers are exploring the “space disaster” subgenre in new ways, creating new doomsday scenarios we haven’t seen before. I haven’t read the Gone series. October 11, 2017 Rusty “Speech Sounds” is a 1983 science fiction short story by Octavia E. Butler, and was the winner of a 1984 Hugo Award. Viewed 371 times 10. He is the author of Purgatory (available on Amazon) and Olive Undead (available on Wattpad). Ideas for writers: I’ve written a separate article that explores AI takeover scenarios, and the different ways they could affect humanity. But there has to be something more than the undead — something human. I read that book years ago, and I still think about Temple from time to time. It overlaps with the environmental / climate category mentioned above, but also stands alone. For more ideas, check out this article on author Dan Koboldt’s website. One day an alien ship lands and starts taking in the dogs that live around the area. Short StoryIn 2018, a war broke out. Seven stories of crisis and change, featuring Jonathan Titchenal, Stephen Hines, Elizabeth Galatis, Dorothy Reede, Julianne Q. Johnson, Nathan Terhune, and Peter Grave5. Another more recent example of this subgenre is After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall, by Nancy Kress (pictured above). Reads: 43 But there are “softer” types of apocalypse as well, scenarios that unfold gradually over a longer period of time. Seveneves, by Neal Stephenson, tells of humanity’s desperate efforts to save itself following the disintegration of the moon. This list may not reflect recent changes (). You’ll also find some fresh ideas and “story starters” you can use to break new ground within your own fiction. Beach – A Post Apocalyptic Short Story. If the disaster or catastrophe occurs during the course of the story, then the novel is termed apocalyptic. Thanks for stopping by to shout your opinion at me. *Cover is made by myself. Rick Yancey’s The 5th Wave gives readers a more modern take on the alien invasion post-apocalyptic scenario, with a female teenage protagonist. Art imitates life! People couldn’t get enough of these stories. Humanity has been eradicated. Is this plot taken from the book series Gone by Michael Grant. In Andromeda, the deadly microbe came from space. Word limit: 1,000 - 2,000 words. But let’s be honest. Peter R. Stone | Sci-fi Fantasy. 172K 7K53. But there’s one in particular I’d like to mention, for those who haven’t read it. I step through the door clearly marked FIRE EXIT and the cold December air wraps around me like an icy blanket. How would humans adapt to a life without civilization, a life without laws or government? Zombies deserve their own doomsday category. The Intellect by Hannah Neely. Pages in category "Post-apocalyptic short stories" The following 29 pages are in this category, out of 29 total. But there has to be something more for the story to work. Massive plant death could lead to a collapse of the world’s food supply. Do not steal it, regardless of whether you 'credit me. Machine-based post-apocalyptic fiction borrows much from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, written more than a century before the first computers. In the wake of that catastrophe, a man and his young son must navigate a treacherous, post-apocalyptic landscaped populated by thieves and murderers. 3. 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