IT'S the End of the World! Or, is it?

So you're probably tired of all the end of the worlds we have gone through in just the last year. But the thing of it is, the end is always a true threat. Doesn't mean it will happen, just that it could.

For all the reasons, and many that are actually in place (copious info out there to back it up along with logic and gut feeling), we could also keep going. The country is in a huge hurt, we face a threat called hyper-inflation (don't get me started on all the other things to worry about), which could bring us down. I don't care what the President says, how much he tries to downplay things (that's what most of them do) we have some nasty times coming if things aren't fixed.

But what if those things are fixed? What if we scrape by the skin of our teeth? What if this time in history is up there with the Cuban Missile Crisis? On the brink of the end, and we made it out intact? That'd be nice, and we can all hope.

The point is, we are living in interesting times. As writers we have so much to draw on, this is why Post Apocalyptic stories never get old. From the formation of the United States, to the war on Native Americans (which started before the States) to the Civil War, Great Depression, WWI and II, Vietnam, the Cold War (remember the 80's scare for the end? Well Russia ain't done with us yet and with US support, but the point is, it was a very PA aware era) and now we have so many to pick from.

All of those time periods people knew how bad it could get. For one reason or the other they found out as they went. Revolutionary War, death, bullets, and canon balls tore the backyards of those who lived here. Native Americans were slaughtered, abused and forced to surrender their way of life for ours. Civil War much like the Revolutionary War. The World Wars was terrifying, the world itself being one big warzone, it was a prelude to what will one day come again, and it will be the end. Vietnam wasn't near as big, but it was nasty enough to take our young and throw them in hell. The Great Depression is a prelude to what will hit us at some point, because of our economy it's inevitable. You know how bad it was then? Read some stories by those who lived during it, multiply that by three, and that's where we're headed. Maybe we get out of it, maybe not. Cold War, where we spied on everyone, but mostly Russia. They of course spied back. It was a time where we were afraid nukes would take us all out. A very PA aware time in history.

History shows us previews of what's coming. If we want to write about interesting characters going through the very worst, I suggest learning from people who went through these times in history. From the government's POV, to those just trying to get by, to those fighting for this country, for those who committed crimes for this country, and so on.

History is our pallet, so much to choose from. I say soak in everything, and go from there. As writers we may entertain, but a lot of us write about what's important. I've lost track of how many anti-Bush and pro-green books that are out there (which I'll read in a heartbeat if it's done well), but there's room for everyone. We're all humans, we all have a certain idea of how we want things to turn out. We might even consider each other enemies in creeds, but we are people. As long as we can do it, we should learn from each other, inspire each other, and create stories that can affect a broad range of readers.

It might be the end, or at least for some folks like myself, but that shouldn't stop us from trying to make it. There's always the "what if" factor. And I'd love it if I got some books out there that became hits, and affected readers, regardless if I continue to make it or not.

The world, and its history is our muse, soak it up!