Is this short story believable?

Question

Ok, so I'm writing a short story for my composition class.

In the story, terrorists have smuggled a nuclear bomb inside a city and are going to blow it up and everyone will die. The story tells the thoughts of four different people right before they die. Is it believable that the terrorists have to charge something for 10 seconds to set the bomb off? So while I'm telling the thoughts of the characters, there would be a count down until the bomb explodes....

Is that plausible?

Answer 1

I believe that that is entirely plausible. I mean, you pretty much see it all the times in movies, and things, right? And I have read stories before where a bomb does have to be charged. So, yes, it is plausible.

Answer 2

I'm not a bomb expert but I would believe it.

Answer 3

I've recently finished a book on scene building, and this isn't entirely realistic.

For one thing, the characters wouldn't be thinking in a situation like this. They would be doing. You need to do something that restrains them so you can express their thoughts. From what it sounds like, they're in a city, and they're not going to do anything about their situation but like down like dog.

Because from what I see this has, it's a deux ex machina, because this situation can easily be reverted if everyone just evacuated the city. If a terrorist were to smuggle a nuclear bomb in the city, people likely wouldn't know about it unless the terrorist connected himself to public television. Even then, people wouldn't be thinking. They'd be running to get out of that city!

You have to put everyone in the city under some kind of strain to where it's impossible for anyone to leave. Then you can express the ten second thoughts of the characters. Until then, happy plotting and scene building!

Remember, you can't just drop the characters in the middle of this. You always have to have a backstory for this kind of thing.