June 8, 2020 • 11 mins
Have you ever wanted to write as awesome a novel as The Hunger Games, Fahrenheit 451, or 1984? Well, today we dive into the basics of writing your very own dystopia! Are you ready to go dark?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Why yes, I was genetically modified to be 5'5'2".
(00:11):
My name is Ken Mears.
And I'm Melissa Fales.
And welcome to Writer's World.
Ken, why don't you start us off with what is a dystopia?
(00:44):
Generally speaking, a dystopia is a society where something is horribly wrong.
Children are sacrificed.
There's cannibalism.
Everyone is forced into a role.
That sort of thing.
Another definition, which may be a bit more succinct, is the definition I got off of
Google.
Google says that a dystopia is, quote, an imagined state or society in which there is
(01:05):
great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic,
end quote.
And I think that explains it pretty well.
I agree.
And before we continue, we should mention here that utopias are usually good places.
What we will be talking about can apply to utopias and dystopias, but just know that
(01:27):
we are focusing on dystopias in this episode.
Some types of dystopias could be political, religious, dramatic, aka zombies.
In creating a dystopian setting, I would say start with a strong scenario.
I'll give more examples later in the episode on what others have done in their dystopian
(01:48):
novels, but a very common situation is having a very strong government that believes a certain
way.
Word of warning.
Remember that we are still on Earth.
Dystopia is different from fantasy.
In creating a dystopian world, you could ask yourself, what bothers you about the world
(02:09):
around me?
What makes me angry about the world today?
How could those elements be extrapolated or exaggerated to fit into a dystopian society?
Margaret Atwood said, quote, if you're interested in writing speculation fiction, one way to
generate a plot is to take an idea from current society and move it a little further down
(02:29):
the road.
Even if humans are short term thinkers, fiction can be anticipated and extract into multiple
versions of the future, end quote.
NowNovel.com had a great idea, quote, as an exercise, create a timeline of events that
show milestones in your dystopia developing against month or year in your story, end quote.
(02:53):
You will have to do a lot of world building in a dystopian novel, whatever situation you
decide on.
Support that situation by knowing how the world got into its current state, details
that make the dystopian world different from ours, and how the society functions.
What is there normal?
Ken, how would you create a dystopian setting?
(03:18):
Generally you think about one wrong that could be taken to extreme, as you kind of already
explained.
For example, a lack of love of learning.
Then when you make it extreme and you can even make it illegal.
That's sort of what happens in Fahrenheit 451, where books are actually illegal and
burned.
Or perhaps think of the communist dream realized, where everything is controlled from what you
do to even how you're born.
(03:40):
Everyone is not allowed to be unique or special and those that are end up being scorned and
told there's something wrong with them if they are taller, stronger, or smarter than
everyone.
Then you end up with Anne Rand's anthem.
Some great examples of dystopian novels are Fahrenheit 451, which we talked about where
books are banned.
1984, where big brother is always watching you.
(04:03):
Divergent, Maze Runner, The Handmaid's Tale, The Time Machine, The Hunger Games, The Giver,
City of Ambers, Ugly's, Ready Player One, and The Lorax are just a few examples.
What are some dystopian fiction you can think of, Ken?
One of my favorites that I already mentioned is Anthem by Anne Rand.
(04:23):
In that fantastic little novella, which I really recommend everyone read, we have a
basic full on communist dark age, where everything is very controlled, even technological advancement.
Another sort of dystopian fantasy I can think of is The Unwanted by Lisa McMahon.
In that world, we have the country of Quill, where creativity is not allowed and those
(04:44):
who are creative are termed unwanted and sent to be killed.
Oh my.
I want to share some examples of dystopias before we dove into how to create a dystopian
plot because the examples are really the best way to study what works and the common trends
in dystopian novels.
Now we will be diving into how to create dystopian characters.
(05:07):
NY Book Editor said that in creating dystopian characters, quote, be careful to not make
your protagonist fully good and your antagonist fully bad, end quote.
I went to a presentation on how to create villains the other day, presented by Shelly
X.
Lennon, and she said that there were common-ish villains.
(05:28):
Common-ish villains are villains who are fighting for a cause you could almost believe in or
a following.
Yeah, they are messed up, but you see what they're saying, which I thought was a really
great point.
Which, I mean, you can make your villain as black and white as you want, but in dystopian
novels, I would recommend having lots of gray situations and a lot of common-ish characters.
(05:51):
The reader is supporting the protagonist, but then they do something stupid that you
don't feel comfortable with.
Or you understand where the government is coming from, but they're too intense.
I think you could have a pure evil, pure black and white bad government in your novel, but
I would say you need to have gray characters because they are, after all, only human.
(06:12):
Anthem by Ayn Rand, which if you can't tell, we are huge fans of, or Brave New World by
Aldous Hicksley does a really good job of having gray characters who are trying to figure
everything out and make these very frustrating, questionable mistakes.
I thought the NY Book Editor's website had some great questions on creating dystopian
(06:34):
characters that I wanted to share.
Quote, do the characters know they're living in a dystopia?
What does your protagonist know and believe about his world?
Is your character alone?
How long could one man or woman or child survive with just their wits to guide them?
Is he the only person on earth or are there others who prey on him?
(06:55):
How does he eat and keep himself healthy while navigating this walk alone?
End quote.
How would you recommend creating dystopian characters, Ken?
Generally, I'd say by making them people who could easily exist in this world you've
created, but don't have them quite fit the mold.
My favorite prime example is the main character of Anthem.
(07:16):
He is naturally taller, smarter, and more curious than everyone else, and that leads
him into trouble with the law and eventually leads to the climax.
If you want good dystopian characters, make them so they don't quite fit and so they
will lead to the climax.
Yes, very good point, and we should start a fan club for that book because it fits in
just great to this topic.
Now we move on to the question, how do I create a dystopian plot?
(07:40):
Ali Kandhi said, quote, when we read dystopia, we root for these people to break free because
we are these people, hoping and fighting against things that are bigger than ourselves.
End quote.
Why do dystopian novels usually have an overarching theme?
Are you trying to say something in your novel?
Is it a modern day political commentary?
(08:01):
As the New York Book Editor's joke in an article written by Masterclass, quote, in their article
How to Write a Dystopian Story, Three Tips for Writing Dystopian Fiction, they say, quote,
dystopian literature is a form of speculation fiction that began as a response to utopian
literature.
(08:21):
A dystopia is an imagined community or society that is dehumanizing and frightening.
And dystopian stories often tell tales of bravery and defiance in the face of totalitarian
governments or survival in a post-apocalypse landscape.
A dystopian society is the opposite of a utopian society.
(08:42):
End quote.
So what are you trying to say?
How can you show that?
Or did you just have the idea of a dystopian novel and just want to have a cool story?
Well, how can your characters do that?
One way to create a plot in a dystopian novel is to think what would be the worst case scenario
(09:02):
that could happen in my world?
Or what is the worst thing that could happen to my character right now?
How would you recommend creating a dystopian plot?
You're making it sort of about the societal ill of the dystopia and breaking that ill.
For example, in The Hunger Games, the plot of book one leads all the way up to where
(09:23):
Katniss and Peeta break the ill of only having one person survive The Hunger Games by threatening
they kill themselves so that it would be no winner.
If you can design the plot to lead up to a breaking the mold moment, that is fantastic.
Before we end, WikiHow had an article on how to write a dystopian novel.
And their brainstorming section was actually very helpful.
(09:45):
For brainstorming ideas for your dystopian novel, you could, as they say, quote, think
about a current technology that interests you.
Focus on a global issue or problem.
Think about any fears you have about your world or the future.
Write about a social or cultural concern.
And ask yourself, what if?
Our experts agree.
(10:06):
Great dystopia is rooted in reality.
Really the story starts with one thing that creates a domino effect, like zombies appearing
in The Walking Dead or a lack of water in Tankroll.
Then the story examines the chaos that results from that, end quote.
Can any brainstorming activities or other closing thoughts you want to share?
Great brainstorming activity that I love for this sort of story is to just start thinking,
(10:30):
what if this bad thing was amped up?
And just sort of list those.
Like what if the government lost all control?
What if we no longer educated people, and so on?
This can quickly give you some ideas to design society and create a story within there.
One more thing I would mention is that dystopian stories tend to become more about the society
(10:51):
than the characters and end up with very underdeveloped characters.
For the love of goodness, don't let your story go that way.
Still develop your characters so that there is some attachment to people rather than just
the idea of breaking the society.
That's all I have to say.
The character is still important in a dystopia.
(11:11):
Amen.
And we hope today's episode was helpful.
If you like our podcast, please share it with your friends and family.
For the sources and the transcript, visit writersworldpodcast.weebly.com.
And our Instagram is writersworldpodcastofficial.
Our Patreon is patreon.com slash writersworldpodcast.
And if you want your questions answered.
(11:31):
Our email is writersworldpodcast at gmail.com.
Until next time, I've been Ken Mears.
And I've been Melissa Fales with Writers World.
Keep on writing.
And I'll see you next time.
Why yes, I was genetically modified to be 5'5'2".
(00:11):
My name is Ken Mears.
And I'm Melissa Fales.
And welcome to Writer's World.
Ken, why don't you start us off with what is a dystopia?
(00:44):
Generally speaking, a dystopia is a society where something is horribly wrong.
Children are sacrificed.
There's cannibalism.
Everyone is forced into a role.
That sort of thing.
Another definition, which may be a bit more succinct, is the definition I got off of
Google.
Google says that a dystopia is, quote, an imagined state or society in which there is
(01:05):
great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic,
end quote.
And I think that explains it pretty well.
I agree.
And before we continue, we should mention here that utopias are usually good places.
What we will be talking about can apply to utopias and dystopias, but just know that
(01:27):
we are focusing on dystopias in this episode.
Some types of dystopias could be political, religious, dramatic, aka zombies.
In creating a dystopian setting, I would say start with a strong scenario.
I'll give more examples later in the episode on what others have done in their dystopian
(01:48):
novels, but a very common situation is having a very strong government that believes a certain
way.
Word of warning.
Remember that we are still on Earth.
Dystopia is different from fantasy.
In creating a dystopian world, you could ask yourself, what bothers you about the world
(02:09):
around me?
What makes me angry about the world today?
How could those elements be extrapolated or exaggerated to fit into a dystopian society?
Margaret Atwood said, quote, if you're interested in writing speculation fiction, one way to
generate a plot is to take an idea from current society and move it a little further down
(02:29):
the road.
Even if humans are short term thinkers, fiction can be anticipated and extract into multiple
versions of the future, end quote.
NowNovel.com had a great idea, quote, as an exercise, create a timeline of events that
show milestones in your dystopia developing against month or year in your story, end quote.
(02:53):
You will have to do a lot of world building in a dystopian novel, whatever situation you
decide on.
Support that situation by knowing how the world got into its current state, details
that make the dystopian world different from ours, and how the society functions.
What is there normal?
Ken, how would you create a dystopian setting?
(03:18):
Generally you think about one wrong that could be taken to extreme, as you kind of already
explained.
For example, a lack of love of learning.
Then when you make it extreme and you can even make it illegal.
That's sort of what happens in Fahrenheit 451, where books are actually illegal and
burned.
Or perhaps think of the communist dream realized, where everything is controlled from what you
do to even how you're born.
(03:40):
Everyone is not allowed to be unique or special and those that are end up being scorned and
told there's something wrong with them if they are taller, stronger, or smarter than
everyone.
Then you end up with Anne Rand's anthem.
Some great examples of dystopian novels are Fahrenheit 451, which we talked about where
books are banned.
1984, where big brother is always watching you.
(04:03):
Divergent, Maze Runner, The Handmaid's Tale, The Time Machine, The Hunger Games, The Giver,
City of Ambers, Ugly's, Ready Player One, and The Lorax are just a few examples.
What are some dystopian fiction you can think of, Ken?
One of my favorites that I already mentioned is Anthem by Anne Rand.
(04:23):
In that fantastic little novella, which I really recommend everyone read, we have a
basic full on communist dark age, where everything is very controlled, even technological advancement.
Another sort of dystopian fantasy I can think of is The Unwanted by Lisa McMahon.
In that world, we have the country of Quill, where creativity is not allowed and those
(04:44):
who are creative are termed unwanted and sent to be killed.
Oh my.
I want to share some examples of dystopias before we dove into how to create a dystopian
plot because the examples are really the best way to study what works and the common trends
in dystopian novels.
Now we will be diving into how to create dystopian characters.
(05:07):
NY Book Editor said that in creating dystopian characters, quote, be careful to not make
your protagonist fully good and your antagonist fully bad, end quote.
I went to a presentation on how to create villains the other day, presented by Shelly
X.
Lennon, and she said that there were common-ish villains.
(05:28):
Common-ish villains are villains who are fighting for a cause you could almost believe in or
a following.
Yeah, they are messed up, but you see what they're saying, which I thought was a really
great point.
Which, I mean, you can make your villain as black and white as you want, but in dystopian
novels, I would recommend having lots of gray situations and a lot of common-ish characters.
(05:51):
The reader is supporting the protagonist, but then they do something stupid that you
don't feel comfortable with.
Or you understand where the government is coming from, but they're too intense.
I think you could have a pure evil, pure black and white bad government in your novel, but
I would say you need to have gray characters because they are, after all, only human.
(06:12):
Anthem by Ayn Rand, which if you can't tell, we are huge fans of, or Brave New World by
Aldous Hicksley does a really good job of having gray characters who are trying to figure
everything out and make these very frustrating, questionable mistakes.
I thought the NY Book Editor's website had some great questions on creating dystopian
(06:34):
characters that I wanted to share.
Quote, do the characters know they're living in a dystopia?
What does your protagonist know and believe about his world?
Is your character alone?
How long could one man or woman or child survive with just their wits to guide them?
Is he the only person on earth or are there others who prey on him?
(06:55):
How does he eat and keep himself healthy while navigating this walk alone?
End quote.
How would you recommend creating dystopian characters, Ken?
Generally, I'd say by making them people who could easily exist in this world you've
created, but don't have them quite fit the mold.
My favorite prime example is the main character of Anthem.
(07:16):
He is naturally taller, smarter, and more curious than everyone else, and that leads
him into trouble with the law and eventually leads to the climax.
If you want good dystopian characters, make them so they don't quite fit and so they
will lead to the climax.
Yes, very good point, and we should start a fan club for that book because it fits in
just great to this topic.
Now we move on to the question, how do I create a dystopian plot?
(07:40):
Ali Kandhi said, quote, when we read dystopia, we root for these people to break free because
we are these people, hoping and fighting against things that are bigger than ourselves.
End quote.
Why do dystopian novels usually have an overarching theme?
Are you trying to say something in your novel?
Is it a modern day political commentary?
(08:01):
As the New York Book Editor's joke in an article written by Masterclass, quote, in their article
How to Write a Dystopian Story, Three Tips for Writing Dystopian Fiction, they say, quote,
dystopian literature is a form of speculation fiction that began as a response to utopian
literature.
(08:21):
A dystopia is an imagined community or society that is dehumanizing and frightening.
And dystopian stories often tell tales of bravery and defiance in the face of totalitarian
governments or survival in a post-apocalypse landscape.
A dystopian society is the opposite of a utopian society.
(08:42):
End quote.
So what are you trying to say?
How can you show that?
Or did you just have the idea of a dystopian novel and just want to have a cool story?
Well, how can your characters do that?
One way to create a plot in a dystopian novel is to think what would be the worst case scenario
(09:02):
that could happen in my world?
Or what is the worst thing that could happen to my character right now?
How would you recommend creating a dystopian plot?
You're making it sort of about the societal ill of the dystopia and breaking that ill.
For example, in The Hunger Games, the plot of book one leads all the way up to where
(09:23):
Katniss and Peeta break the ill of only having one person survive The Hunger Games by threatening
they kill themselves so that it would be no winner.
If you can design the plot to lead up to a breaking the mold moment, that is fantastic.
Before we end, WikiHow had an article on how to write a dystopian novel.
And their brainstorming section was actually very helpful.
(09:45):
For brainstorming ideas for your dystopian novel, you could, as they say, quote, think
about a current technology that interests you.
Focus on a global issue or problem.
Think about any fears you have about your world or the future.
Write about a social or cultural concern.
And ask yourself, what if?
Our experts agree.
(10:06):
Great dystopia is rooted in reality.
Really the story starts with one thing that creates a domino effect, like zombies appearing
in The Walking Dead or a lack of water in Tankroll.
Then the story examines the chaos that results from that, end quote.
Can any brainstorming activities or other closing thoughts you want to share?
Great brainstorming activity that I love for this sort of story is to just start thinking,
(10:30):
what if this bad thing was amped up?
And just sort of list those.
Like what if the government lost all control?
What if we no longer educated people, and so on?
This can quickly give you some ideas to design society and create a story within there.
One more thing I would mention is that dystopian stories tend to become more about the society
(10:51):
than the characters and end up with very underdeveloped characters.
For the love of goodness, don't let your story go that way.
Still develop your characters so that there is some attachment to people rather than just
the idea of breaking the society.
That's all I have to say.
The character is still important in a dystopia.
(11:11):
Amen.
And we hope today's episode was helpful.
If you like our podcast, please share it with your friends and family.
For the sources and the transcript, visit writersworldpodcast.weebly.com.
And our Instagram is writersworldpodcastofficial.
Our Patreon is patreon.com slash writersworldpodcast.
And if you want your questions answered.
(11:31):
Our email is writersworldpodcast at gmail.com.
Until next time, I've been Ken Mears.
And I've been Melissa Fales with Writers World.
Keep on writing.
And I'll see you next time.
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