Right, So. What would be (apart from zombies) a fearsome and dangerous enough scenario to drive a city, perhaps even a country into unbridled madness? My problem lies in this. I have all the other components as to what my MC will do in the years to follow the 'Apocalypse', I know that she will flee civilization and find humanity, and perhaps inhumanity, in the wild. But what I don't know is WHY she would leave civilization in the first place. What would be so dangerous and inescapable to do such an illogical thing. I mean yo would give up electricity, warmth, shelter, supplies, to venture into some vast unknown. It's not like she's skipping off into Kansas either, we're talking rocky-mountains and bitter cold winters. WHY would someone leave into something like that. Either she's got no choice or it is a pleasant alternative. I've thought of sickness, a plague, but the variables of that are to finicky. There are so many different things that could go wrong with that, so many holes for the reader to possibly see through. Ah, but what of political upset and anarchy? I don't comprehend enough of the damned system to create a flaw. What would cause men and women to strike out at others? What would make it ok to kill and ask questions later? Much thanks in advance for any advice you wonderful people could give me.. -Em
My suggestion: If your story involves unbridled madness, write the story using a placeholder (in your head) for the cause of the apocalypse. If the story makes sense, the cause of the madness will come to you later. Welcome to the forum.
some people enjoy a good trip no matter the circumstances, or maybe she is alone wolf , a problem with her family.
It can be something quite simple and unexplained. In SM Stirling's "Dies The Fire" series, both electricity and explosive combustion (think gunpowder and cars) stop working overnight for no known reason. Everyone is dumped in a pre-industrial world. Cities become charnel houses because of the breakdown of the transport and utilities infrastructure.
You don't have to know anything about political upset and anarchy if your character doesn't. Her own confusion could even add to the atmosphere?
Aha. I like. This is an important statement being made here by @AlannaHart. Your character experiences the world through herself, not through some eye-in-the-sky floating above her. It's like the fact that I live in America, but I can't be arsed to understand the politics. It's on the news, on the TV, on people's lips, and it still sounds like a bunch of senseless bullshit, everything said by one person contradicted by another as the voices do grow louder and clamor to be the loudest because loudest is rightest.... (my culture is tedious) Anywho, what Alanna said.
You might want to check out a cool, post-apocalyptic series The Survivors on Youtube. It deals with a lot of logical ideas about ground zero - most of the characters realize their inadequacy ( unable to fix a motor, hook up electricity, even make a candle - how many of us could do any of this without a manual? ), pillaging only will last for so long, rats have over taken cities and made them inhabitable, without vaccination & care pets & animals are susceptible to diseases - and hungry making them dangerous, gangs start to claim pillaging rights to certain areas driving the weaker out of the cities.
Do you have a link for that, @peachalulu? Please post if yes! Permission is to be considered explicit.
Thank you for all of your advice, I like the idea of a placeholder. It will allow me to sculpt the latter part of the story and not worry about the details. I think what I have been struggling with is the public's reaction, I know what my MC will do, but how can the general public influence her to run, to seek shelter in somewhere so dangerous. I will check out those Youtube episodes-- I have also been reading copious amounts of post-apocalyptic material, so if anyone has any other suggestions please enlighten me... Much thanks, -Em
Here's a thread from days of yore that came to mind that might contain some info for you... https://www.writingforums.org/threads/post-apocalyptic-reads.32285/#post-648900
Thankyou @Wreybies ! That is definitely fodder for my mind! I have read a good chunk of the ones mentioned but it is good to know there are more
Thank you! Post-Apoc, Terry Nation, I have to watch this! (I'm not the only one who knows who Terry Nation is, am I?)
