What draws you to write apocalyptic stories?
And here are their responses (just follow the link to their articles):
Daron Fraley
I love the picture Daron used in his post. It really helped drive home his response, which is that apocalyptic stories allow him to make effective use symbolism. And I think he is absolutely correct. Stories of our doom are like fairy-tales set in the future.
Daron also mentions an element of speculation. And really, who doesn’t at some point wonder how the events that have been foretold by religious leaders and men of vision will actually transpire?
Wayne Roux
Wayneis able to sum up his answer in a single word. Thankfully, he expounds on that word a bit so there’s a whole article to read along with it. And even though his word is not the one I used in my answer I think our two responses are closely related.
My word would be – explore. I find apocalyptic tales a wonderful genre for exploring concepts about death and what is important to us as individuals and a society. Move the story beyond the point of apocalypse and you have a wonderful vehicle for exploring a new world. A world that has been significantly altered from the one we know. Just thinking about the possibilities is exciting to me.
Angie Lofthouse
I have to admit that Angie offered a confession in her response that rattled me a bit. It’s located in the first line of her answer. For the moment, I’ll try to bury the memory of that response away from my conscious mind and emotional center and instead focus on the perfectly acceptable reason she wrote Defenders of the Covenant.
In a way, Angie reverse engineered her story. I had never considered starting with the answer or situation and then deciding to put it to the ultimate stress test. But now that she has started my mind percolating I’m all tingly with the excitement of possible stories.
Anthony E. Larson
Anthony gave a short and sweet sort of response in the comments section of my article last week. He said:
“What drives me? A thirst for knowledge. Understanding the past (which is where my research is based) helps me sort out the present and know the future. Pretty simple.”
That certainly sounds better than when I tell everyone I write apocalyptic stories because their “cool.” Good for you, Anthony.
Tim Malone
Tim also responded in the comments section of last week’s article. This is what he had to say:
“I am driven by a desire to share knowledge and my perceptions of human nature in desperate or catastrophic situations. It brings out the best and the worst in people. Science Fiction or more precisely, disaster fiction is based on ideas that have truth in them. From HG Wells War of the Worlds to 2012 The Movie, we are intrigued by the idea of the end of the world or at least of great destructions before the end of the
world. We put just enough science in there that readers are willing to suspend
disbelief long enough to be entertained. And while we seek to entertain, we teach. My personal desire is to share scriptural evidence of the last days, end-times or of the apocalypse (the unveiling) through entertaining stores and believable characters. I write to connect with my readers in an imaginary world that all too soon could become catastrophic reality.”
This is perhaps the most noble of all reasons to write any story – to teach and share knowledge and insights. And as I mentioned previously, an apocalyptic setting provides an excellent environment for that.
As I was putting together all the response for this article, I noticed
that each answer held true for me as well. I am drawn to the symbolism in tales
of the apocalypse. I love the chance to explore the myriad of “what ifs” that
are tied to the world we live in now, making them the world we could be living
in tomorrow. I want to share my insights about the world with others and hope
that will help them with the present and the future. And I jump at the chance of
taking a concept to an extreme and then turning that into entertainment.
Wow! I can hardly wait to see next month’s question and how the panel
will respond to it.
If you have any questions that you’d like us to explore you can post them
in the comments below or use the contact section of the webpage. We are also
open to adding a few more members to the panel. So if you are a doom-writer and
would like to participate go ahead and let me know.