How to Write Apocalyptic Stories

Last Updated: August 10, 2021 Approved

The end of the world, and no matter what, is always interesting. So here's a guide of how to write an apocalyptic story, making it as good as possible!

Steps

1
Decide what kind of apocalyptic story it is: before the world ended, while the world ended, or after the world ended.^{[1]
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2
Decide why the world ended and how: plague, nuclear war, aliens contact, etc.^{[2]
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3
Decide how your character(s) survived the apocalypse (e.g. immune). If you don't, you'll leave major holes in your story. If you're writing a story placed before or during the apocalypse, you can use a character's survival method to your advantage by making it the story line.
4
Set it at a specific year or time period. If you're going to write about it in the past, then make it obvious your story isn't true.
5
Write an ending early on in your process. Decide how and where your characters end up, either alive or dead, so you can thread a story leading up to this.^{[3]
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6
Make the plot believable, even if the premise isn't. The main story line, as in any story, must be interesting and sensible to readers. Gaps in logic detract from a story's quality.^{[4]
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7
When you're done, all plots and subplots will be tied off. Leave the readers with a certain sense of closure (for a single book) or an urge to know more (for a series of books). Be sure to read through and edit your work.^{[5]
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Community Q&A

Question

How do I know when to add details to my story?

Community Answer

What I've always done is go back and read my stories again and if a scene feels empty or goes by a little quicker than I'd like, or if I want a scene to be more intense, I add description and details.
Question

What positions should exist in an apocalypse team?

Community Answer

In mine, I always make sure there are hunters, runners, doctors, guards, etc. If you would like, you could assign someone to be the teacher if there are kids in your group.
Question

How do I begin a zombie apocalypse story?

Lily Wolfe

Top Answerer

There are many ways to start it. You could start before the apocalypse, explaining how zombies started to invade. You could start during the apocalypse, filling in gaps along the way. Or you could think of it as a virus and go from there.

Warnings

If you are going to write one, be scared for what might happen to your own characters. If even you are scared about what might happen to them, then the readers especially will!

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If you are going to make it sci-fi, try to avoid making it defy the laws of physics.

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Avoid your characters being too cool about things. A large part of what makes apocalyptic writing so fun to read is the psychological effects that something like an apocalypse would have on a human mind.

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