Among the Confabulators, we have several sci-fi and fantasy writers, along with a few horror writers, as well. Most of us are also Joss Whedon and/or Doctor Who fans. Those things combined lend themselves to the possibility of our writing bringing about the end of the world, and possibly the world being saved. Out of morbid curiosity, this week we asked the Confabulators how many stories we’ve written where the world has either ended or been saved from ending.
Every time I write a science fiction story it’s the end of someone’s world. That’s the point of writing any fiction, isn’t it? To change the world of the main character? As for the end of the physical world, well, what’s more fun than writing that? I haven’t destroyed the world yet. Someone’s always managed to come through. So far…
“Flute of the Dead” is about the end of the Anasazi culture. It will be in Bete Noire Magazine in October. “Collectors,” which appeared here and will be reprinted in Separate Worlds Magazine, involves bumbling demons collecting souls in preparation for the card game that will decide the fate of the world. I’ve also written a nuclear holocaust short-short entitled “A Moment before Dying.” I’m currently seeking a publisher for that piece. Generally, however, I prefer small, personal disasters to the literal end of the world.
I have only written a story where the world was saved once. It was the very first novel I wrote, during NaNoWriMo 2010. An evil wizard threatened to destroy/take over the world and my main character saved it at the very last moment! I’ve also written several stories where the world was already broken, or it was ambiguous to how much destruction was caused that might have led to the end of the world. Interestingly, these not-quite-world-destroying stories were all posted here at the Cafe.
I wrote a Doctor Who fanfiction once, so of course the world was in trouble. It actually took place in Kansas, not Great Britain for once! I wrote a post-apocalyptic flash fiction for the Cafe last year, so the world as everyone had known it was gone. The novel I wrote for NaNo 2012 certainly had implications that the world might end in the sequel if certain things came to pass. It hasn’t been saved yet. I’ll let you know when I decide what happens. Or what my protagonist decides to do, rather.
Leave a Reply