Dystopian introduction paragraph

Dystopian stories about characters or societies grappling with bad places like post-apocalyptic wastelands remain popular for several reasons. For one, their situations naturally supply intense conflict, drama and suspense. How do you write a dystopian story? Start with these 5 tips:

First, what is a dystopian story?

The word dystopia comes from the Latin prefix dys-meaningbad and the root topos meaning place [literally a bad place].

The word is often contrasted with utopia. Thomas More coined utopia in 1516. It was the title of his book about an imaginary island where legal, political and social systems all create social harmony. The word thus suggests paradise and is often taken to mean a good place, even though utopias roots actually mean no place.

In fiction, a dystopia is:

An imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic.

Dystopia,OxfordDictionariesOnline

Famous dystopias in books

Famous dystopian novels include George Orwells NineteenEighty-Four [1949]. In Orwells classic, Great Britain has become a totalitarian province and the government has outlawed thought crimes.

Another example is Margaret Atwoods TheHandmaidsTale [1985]. In this novel, women are kept as baby-making servants with scarcely any basic rights.

How do you write a good dystopian story?

1. Start with a strong scenario

Classic dystopian novels and stories begin with a troubled scenario. For example:

• Great Britain, now named Airstrip One, has become a province of a greater territory named Oceania ruled by the Party. The Party uses ruthless Thought Police to persecute individualism and independent thought [NineteenEighty-Four]
• A radical religious group calling itself The Sons of Jacob overthrows the United States government. It replaces it with a religious political system based on Old Testament fanaticism, removing womens rights to read, write, own property and handle money [TheHandmaidsTale]

We can easily see why each of these would be bad places [or dystopian settings] for characters who value their freedoms and rights.

What makes these good dystopian scenarios?

Each of the above scenarios is strong. It presents a situation that would give any character interestingmotivations,toeitherupholdthesystemordestroy [or simply survive]it.

The two dystopia examples above are both political dystopias.

Other types of dystopian scenarios include environmental ones. For example, the post-apocalyptic environment in Margaret Atwoods OryxandCrake[2003].

In this novel, characters struggle in the fallout caused by scientific, medical experimentation. In CormacMcCarthys TheRoad [2006], a father and son must journey and survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where some unnamed catastrophe has destroyed most of civilization.

These are all dramatic situations that give rise to interesting stories of hope, resistance, survival, memory and loss. Theyre cautionary tales about the dangers of power or the fragility of the lives or rights we might take for granted. And sometimes theyre optimistic stories too, showing the power of the human spirit to endure the difficult and painful.

2. Create a believable dystopian world

A believable dystopian world typically presents a keen sense of threat, menace or discomfort.

Example of a fantasy dystopian world

Even though it is not a dystopian novel in the strict sense of the word, C.S. Lewiss beloved TheLion,theWitchandtheWardrobe [1950] from his ChroniclesofNarniaseries has elements of dystopian fiction.

In TheLion [], four siblings stumble upon a magic world where the White Witch, Jadis, has stopped the seasons. By magic, Jadis keeps Narnia in eternal winter. This dystopian environment affects Narnias talking animals who plead with the siblings to help free them from Jadis spell.

At the start of Lewis novel, Narnia is a world that used to be better, freer, easier to live in. It has become a dystopia through the abuse or misuse of power [in this case, magical power]. This is a common theme in dystopian fiction.

To create a believable dystopian world:

1. Knowhowyourworldgottoitscurrent state:Lewiss shows us early in the childrens adventures in Narnia why things are in their sorry state. Its up to you whether you reveal the origin of your dystopia early, later, or keep it as a mysterious background detail that shapes characters arcs.
2. Describe dystopian settings well:Whatisa dystopian setting? Its a bad place of suffering and injustice, like the winter world in Narnia that disrupts animals life cycles. Describe these settings so we can tell clearly whatmakesthemso uncomfortable.
3. Brainstorm and imagine details: Think of details down to what characters are able to eat, wear, do. How might their altered social, natural or political environment change ordinary interactions and activities?

3. Develop your dystopian settings

Dystopian settings such as cities razed by global conflicts will naturally present characters with many challenges, from dangerous, crumbling infrastructure [environmental challenges] to social issues such as increased lawlessness, mutual mistrust and other social effects.

When developing a dystopian setting, ask questions such as:

• Who now has power now, and why?
• Who is the most vulnerable in this dystopian society and why?
• What still works and what no longer exists?
• What do people remember and what have they forgotten [e.g. names, cultural practices, people, places]?

Example of an effective dystopian setting

In David Mitchells era-hopping adventure novel CloudAtlas[2004], the middle section is set in a time that could be post-apocalyptic or pre-civilization. Its hard to tell, at first. In this section of the story titled Slooshas Crossin an Evrythin After, Zachry, an old man, narrates his memories of an event called The Fall that wiped out his peoples predecessors.

Mitchell brilliantly camouflages familiar places and names using deliberate misspellings, so we gradually see pieces of Zachrys past [the earth we know today] emerge. He writes Hawaii, for example, as Ha-why in Zachrys narration.

Mitchell uses shifting language to show what changes in a place after a catastrophe. We see historys process of holding onto and forgetting in action. This creates a sense of Zachrys world spanning a long, partially forgotten history. Some events are remembered in detail, while others fade, enter folklore.

4. Create conflicts, threats and challenges

Because a dystopia is a bad place, it follows they are usually places rich in conflict and trouble.

In Slooshas Crossing in CloudAtlas, Zachry recalls cannibal raids by rival tribes. In TheHandmaidsTale Unwomen are women unable to bear children, and are banished to highly polluted areas called The Colonies.

Where there is a system of injustice, unfairness, danger or oppression, there are interesting situations for characters to resist, avoid, escape or confront.

When writing a dystopian story, its helpful to think about best-andworst-casescenarios.Thesehelpusidentifywhatcharacterswanttodo, andalso whattheywanttoavoid.

Whats the worst thing that could happen to your character in this dystopia? And what is the best? [Use the Characters section of Now Novels story outlining tools to find characters individual best and worst case scenarios.]

Bringing characters into close scrapes with worst-case scenarios is good for creating tension and conflict.

5. Give characters credible motivations

In dystopian fiction, as in other types of stories, character motivations are important. There has to be a reasonwhy the government bans free thought, or decides to meddle with womens reproductive rights and other liberties.

A tyrant, such as the leader of the Sons of Jacob in Atwoods novel, may be motivated by:

• Ideology the set of beliefs they hold [tyrants may believe, for example, that a fanatically literal interpretation of the Old Testament is the only right way while quietly ignoring how it also gives them extreme gender or other privilege]
• Lust for power
• Greed
• Backstory such as personal trauma that has left them embittered

Whatever your characters reasons for upholding or demolishing your storys dystopia, it has to make sense for the story. Ask yourself:

• What does my character gain if they choose to be complicit with the bad aspects of this dystopia?
• What could my character gain if they attempt to fight or overcome the underlying situation?

We see these differences in how people respond to tough environments in a story with dystopian elements like TheLion,theWitchandtheWardrobe. One sibling, Edmund, is more selfish and less immune to flattery. He is thus easily charmed and manipulated by Jadis to do her bidding, betraying the others.

Get feedback on your dystopian story idea or extracts from your draft, and use Now Novels story outlining tools to brainstorm the many settings, characters and situations that will shape your story.