How to write... Dystopian

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The Wikipedia Definition: Dystopian fiction revolves around the "creation of an utterly horrible or degraded society that is generally headed to an irreversible oblivion, or dystopia" (Utopian and Dystopian fiction, Wikipedia)

In plain English: A story about a future you would definitely not want to live in, no matter how cool it is to read about.

Famous Examples: The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins; The Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth; The Maze Runner trilogy by James Dashner

Famous Film/ TV Examples: Blade Runner; The Matrix; The 100

Dystopian fiction has become a massively popular genre over the last few years, with several stories in this genre becoming famous adaptations on both the big screen and the small screen. Some stories in this genre have even been inspiring to people in real world situations.

As much as we all seem to love teen doomsday stories, though, it takes some skill to get across the themes commonly explored in dystopian fiction. Here are some do's and don'ts:

Do contrast your setting with our modern one - The most chilling and effective stories we've seen take elements of our modern world, subtly highlighting the problems with our society. In this way, they become scarily effective, because we can't help but look at our own world with brand new eyes.

We're not saying that your story has to convey a powerful message, or provide a social commentary, but do at least make it clear to your reader how the world we live in right now has managed to break down into the scary future of your book. In The Hunger Games, for example, the dystopia started with a war. However what keeps the world in its dystopian state is the power of the media. Make it clear to the readers not only why society has broken down, but also why the people are willing to keep it that way. This not only makes your world more realistic, but also can help give more depth to the antagonist of your story.

Do focus on your characters - If the world ended right now for whatever reason, it's doubtful we would all react the same. Some of us might just give up, others would take charge, and some might selfishly fend for themselves, regardless of the cost to others. A big theme in a dystopia is survival, and the best way to demonstrate this is through the motivations and behaviours of the characters facing a bleak future.

Don't hold back from the darker themes - By it's very description, dystopian stories are bleak, which is why tropes such as corrupt governments are so common. This can have several consequences, such as death and corruption. For a world to truly be dystopian, try not to hold back from these themes. A dystopian story should highlight everything that could potentially go wrong with a society, so make sure we as readers can see this.

Don't let other sub-genres detract from the major themes - It has become common in YA fiction to write love stories set in a dystopian world, as opposed to a dystopian story that features a romance. Remember that if you are aiming to write a dystopian story, the dystopian genre should be the dominant one. Try not to have the dystopian element of your story end up buried under the romance unless you are setting out to write a romance story. This can also happen with other genres, but romance tends to be the most common.

Do keep the story grounded and realistic - The basis of a dystopian story is our modern world which, due to events that have occurred either prior to or during the story, has now degraded. Because of this, events should still be realistic, or have some sort of logical explanation. It is for this reason that sci-fi and dystopian are so often combined. Even if your story features a zombie apocalypse, make the reason for the zombies existing seem logical so that readers can still find the events of the story believable.

Misconception #1: The story has to be set in the future

Many dystopian stories begin with an established world formed after a cataclysmic event that has ruined society. However, you can equally have a story set in modern times, showing the world falling apart due to a disaster. A dystopian story does not have to be set in the future, even if a great many are also considered science fiction stories.

Misconception #2: The story must feature a corrupt government

There can be many reasons for society to fall into a dystopian state. If you are aiming for a more unique take on the genre, this can easily be researched by looking at the many ways society can go wrong. Examples can be war, disease, food shortage, outside forces invading, and more. Not all of these scenarios result in having a governing body that is corrupt, and as a result, your story does not have to either.

Misconception #3: Your character has to be a leader

It can be easy to want to make your character the leader of a rebellion, heroically taking down the enemy, but this is not an obligation. Your story can take part on a smaller scale, following a character struggling to survive in a dying world. There are many different character types, and the hero of your story does not have to fit into a particular one to be the main character.

Chosen by you: Top 10 dystopian clichés

WatchMojo didn't have a video for this one, so we made our own! We hope you enjoy the video we created, but as always we asked you all what your top 10 dystopian fiction clichés were. It's always intriguing to compare, so here's the list voted for by you, with number one being the most common.

10. Main character being an underdog/ unexpected to triumph

9. Main character being a prodigy or special in some way

8. Dysfunctional/ emotionally unavailable adults

7. Technology gone wrong

6. Death of a relative or friend

5. War

4. Rebellions

3. Strong female lead characters

2. Corrupt government

1. Romances - mainly love triangles

Honourable Mentions: Caste/ segregation systems; ending happily ever after; history forming the dystopian ideology (e.g. basing a society on Victorian times); characters with strange names; underdeveloped villains

We hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and that the advice was useful! What's your advice on writing dystopian fiction?

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