How did “We Shall Not Be Bitter at the End of the World” originate? What inspirations did you draw on?

This story grew out of a writing process I was experimenting with last year where I would write each morning to a prompt nonstop for ten minutes. The idea was just to gather a little more raw story material to work with. I also should confess that I was looking for an excuse to write longhand and make use of my modest collection of fountain pens and inks.

It took me a little while to find writing prompts that worked for me and my purposes. I eventually found a list of prompts in an old book I had on hand about writing flash fiction. They were simple, along the lines of “write about a plan” or “write about something big.” I only stuck with this plan for about 2 months, but several short stories leapt out of the daily practice, including this one.

The prompt for “We Shall Not Be Bitter at the End of the World” was: “Write about something that hasn’t happened yet.”

How do you write about something that hasn’t happened? I thought about feelings of anticipation or even apprehension. Because of the times we’re living in, I wrote the opening sentence “We’re all waiting for Wormwood” (which was also the original title of this story). I think, at least subconsciously, this was a riff on the joke wishing for an apocalyptic meteor to just hurry up and end it all. Before I had gotten to the end of the page, Bigfoot had shown up to challenge Big Pa to a rock-lifting contest.

(For my fellow fountain pen enthusiasts, the original prompt was written with a Dragonet Sapphire Nahvalur Schuylkill with a fine nib using my favorite sheening ink, the very reliable Nitrogen Royal Blue by Organic Studio. This ink has an amazing reflective red sheen that feels very alive. My notebook of choice for the writing prompts was a lined A5 Clairfontaine My Essential, which takes any kind of ink I throw at it like a champ.)

Where are you in this story?

I am very much the twelve-year-old in this story. Not because I’ve ever had a birthday party like this one, but because I wrote this story as an act of self-comfort. It seems we’re living in End Times that stubbornly refuse to end. And I desperately wanted to see if I could find some comfort at the end of the world.

So I gave myself a birthday party and invited all my favorites. This story is a love-letter to my 1970s paranormal pop-culture infused childhood. If you’re an old Gen Xer like me, then killer bees, Easter Island, and UFOs will be very familiar to you. It’s impossible to overstate how ubiquitous these things were, especially Bigfoot. Basically, if it was an episode of In Search Of . . . I tried to squeeze it in. Sadly, some things get only a passing mention, and I had to leave a lot out altogether. There are also a few real things from my childhood—like my mother’s go-to block party shish kebabs, and my stepdad’s aversion to mushrooms. I think some of the carnival folk wandered over from a Ray Bradbury story. The story ultimately was just about everyone vibing and being together. In the end, you just want to be with the people you love.

I did feel comforted after I wrote this story, and I hope everyone who reads it also finds a moment of peace. I think I was fair and didn’t cheat, which is why the tale is also very sad and bittersweet. It might be too late for them, but it’s not too late for us. That’s the ultimate hopeful note. It’s not too late, not yet. Let’s not wait for our own funeral to come together.

What are you working on lately? Where else can fans look for your work?

My agent is patiently waiting for my middle-grade novel and I’m deep into the first draft. Then I have several more long-form ideas circling the runway: more middle-grade, a weird western series I’m aching to write, a fun take on mythology. I’m all over the map with genre and age categories, but to me it’s just about telling a great story. Also, I’m a very impatient writer and a little bit of a glutton. I want to write it all and right now.

Those interested can find more of my stories right here in Lightspeed, and visit my website at davidanaxagoras.com to see what else I’ve been up to.