1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,180 Why yes, I was genetically modified to be 5'5'2". 2 00:00:11,180 --> 00:00:12,760 My name is Ken Mears. 3 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:14,200 And I'm Melissa Fales. 4 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:23,200 And welcome to Writer's World. 5 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:44,400 Ken, why don't you start us off with what is a dystopia? 6 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:49,200 Generally speaking, a dystopia is a society where something is horribly wrong. 7 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:50,600 Children are sacrificed. 8 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:51,600 There's cannibalism. 9 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:53,760 Everyone is forced into a role. 10 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:54,920 That sort of thing. 11 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:59,640 Another definition, which may be a bit more succinct, is the definition I got off of 12 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:00,640 Google. 13 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:05,440 Google says that a dystopia is, quote, an imagined state or society in which there is 14 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:10,640 great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic, 15 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:12,400 end quote. 16 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:14,520 And I think that explains it pretty well. 17 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:15,520 I agree. 18 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:22,760 And before we continue, we should mention here that utopias are usually good places. 19 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:27,880 What we will be talking about can apply to utopias and dystopias, but just know that 20 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:31,920 we are focusing on dystopias in this episode. 21 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:38,120 Some types of dystopias could be political, religious, dramatic, aka zombies. 22 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:44,440 In creating a dystopian setting, I would say start with a strong scenario. 23 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:48,360 I'll give more examples later in the episode on what others have done in their dystopian 24 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:55,160 novels, but a very common situation is having a very strong government that believes a certain 25 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:56,160 way. 26 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:58,360 Word of warning. 27 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:00,960 Remember that we are still on Earth. 28 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:04,080 Dystopia is different from fantasy. 29 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:09,080 In creating a dystopian world, you could ask yourself, what bothers you about the world 30 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:10,080 around me? 31 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:12,760 What makes me angry about the world today? 32 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:20,240 How could those elements be extrapolated or exaggerated to fit into a dystopian society? 33 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:25,200 Margaret Atwood said, quote, if you're interested in writing speculation fiction, one way to 34 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:29,920 generate a plot is to take an idea from current society and move it a little further down 35 00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:31,200 the road. 36 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:38,760 Even if humans are short term thinkers, fiction can be anticipated and extract into multiple 37 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:41,360 versions of the future, end quote. 38 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:46,760 NowNovel.com had a great idea, quote, as an exercise, create a timeline of events that 39 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:53,360 show milestones in your dystopia developing against month or year in your story, end quote. 40 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:58,960 You will have to do a lot of world building in a dystopian novel, whatever situation you 41 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:00,360 decide on. 42 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:05,560 Support that situation by knowing how the world got into its current state, details 43 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:10,480 that make the dystopian world different from ours, and how the society functions. 44 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:12,640 What is there normal? 45 00:03:12,640 --> 00:03:18,160 Ken, how would you create a dystopian setting? 46 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:22,440 Generally you think about one wrong that could be taken to extreme, as you kind of already 47 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:23,440 explained. 48 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:25,120 For example, a lack of love of learning. 49 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:28,840 Then when you make it extreme and you can even make it illegal. 50 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:33,240 That's sort of what happens in Fahrenheit 451, where books are actually illegal and 51 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:34,240 burned. 52 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:38,120 Or perhaps think of the communist dream realized, where everything is controlled from what you 53 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:40,640 do to even how you're born. 54 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:45,680 Everyone is not allowed to be unique or special and those that are end up being scorned and 55 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:49,520 told there's something wrong with them if they are taller, stronger, or smarter than 56 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:50,520 everyone. 57 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:53,040 Then you end up with Anne Rand's anthem. 58 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:58,520 Some great examples of dystopian novels are Fahrenheit 451, which we talked about where 59 00:03:58,520 --> 00:03:59,840 books are banned. 60 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:03,120 1984, where big brother is always watching you. 61 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:08,040 Divergent, Maze Runner, The Handmaid's Tale, The Time Machine, The Hunger Games, The Giver, 62 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:13,880 City of Ambers, Ugly's, Ready Player One, and The Lorax are just a few examples. 63 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:18,920 What are some dystopian fiction you can think of, Ken? 64 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:23,600 One of my favorites that I already mentioned is Anthem by Anne Rand. 65 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:27,720 In that fantastic little novella, which I really recommend everyone read, we have a 66 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:34,060 basic full on communist dark age, where everything is very controlled, even technological advancement. 67 00:04:34,060 --> 00:04:39,720 Another sort of dystopian fantasy I can think of is The Unwanted by Lisa McMahon. 68 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:44,300 In that world, we have the country of Quill, where creativity is not allowed and those 69 00:04:44,300 --> 00:04:48,000 who are creative are termed unwanted and sent to be killed. 70 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:49,000 Oh my. 71 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:55,520 I want to share some examples of dystopias before we dove into how to create a dystopian 72 00:04:55,520 --> 00:05:01,060 plot because the examples are really the best way to study what works and the common trends 73 00:05:01,060 --> 00:05:03,600 in dystopian novels. 74 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:07,760 Now we will be diving into how to create dystopian characters. 75 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:13,000 NY Book Editor said that in creating dystopian characters, quote, be careful to not make 76 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:17,520 your protagonist fully good and your antagonist fully bad, end quote. 77 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:22,320 I went to a presentation on how to create villains the other day, presented by Shelly 78 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:23,320 X. 79 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:28,120 Lennon, and she said that there were common-ish villains. 80 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:33,240 Common-ish villains are villains who are fighting for a cause you could almost believe in or 81 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:34,240 a following. 82 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:38,240 Yeah, they are messed up, but you see what they're saying, which I thought was a really 83 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:39,240 great point. 84 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:44,280 Which, I mean, you can make your villain as black and white as you want, but in dystopian 85 00:05:44,280 --> 00:05:51,320 novels, I would recommend having lots of gray situations and a lot of common-ish characters. 86 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:56,280 The reader is supporting the protagonist, but then they do something stupid that you 87 00:05:56,280 --> 00:05:57,880 don't feel comfortable with. 88 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:02,120 Or you understand where the government is coming from, but they're too intense. 89 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:07,720 I think you could have a pure evil, pure black and white bad government in your novel, but 90 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:12,440 I would say you need to have gray characters because they are, after all, only human. 91 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:18,240 Anthem by Ayn Rand, which if you can't tell, we are huge fans of, or Brave New World by 92 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:23,560 Aldous Hicksley does a really good job of having gray characters who are trying to figure 93 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:28,320 everything out and make these very frustrating, questionable mistakes. 94 00:06:28,320 --> 00:06:34,940 I thought the NY Book Editor's website had some great questions on creating dystopian 95 00:06:34,940 --> 00:06:36,800 characters that I wanted to share. 96 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:41,200 Quote, do the characters know they're living in a dystopia? 97 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:44,520 What does your protagonist know and believe about his world? 98 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:46,120 Is your character alone? 99 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:50,920 How long could one man or woman or child survive with just their wits to guide them? 100 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:55,120 Is he the only person on earth or are there others who prey on him? 101 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:59,120 How does he eat and keep himself healthy while navigating this walk alone? 102 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:00,480 End quote. 103 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:04,240 How would you recommend creating dystopian characters, Ken? 104 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:08,560 Generally, I'd say by making them people who could easily exist in this world you've 105 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:12,720 created, but don't have them quite fit the mold. 106 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:16,400 My favorite prime example is the main character of Anthem. 107 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:20,520 He is naturally taller, smarter, and more curious than everyone else, and that leads 108 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:24,560 him into trouble with the law and eventually leads to the climax. 109 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:28,560 If you want good dystopian characters, make them so they don't quite fit and so they 110 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:29,560 will lead to the climax. 111 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:34,240 Yes, very good point, and we should start a fan club for that book because it fits in 112 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:36,360 just great to this topic. 113 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:40,640 Now we move on to the question, how do I create a dystopian plot? 114 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:46,360 Ali Kandhi said, quote, when we read dystopia, we root for these people to break free because 115 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:50,760 we are these people, hoping and fighting against things that are bigger than ourselves. 116 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:51,760 End quote. 117 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:55,240 Why do dystopian novels usually have an overarching theme? 118 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:58,120 Are you trying to say something in your novel? 119 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:01,200 Is it a modern day political commentary? 120 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:08,200 As the New York Book Editor's joke in an article written by Masterclass, quote, in their article 121 00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:14,120 How to Write a Dystopian Story, Three Tips for Writing Dystopian Fiction, they say, quote, 122 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:19,920 dystopian literature is a form of speculation fiction that began as a response to utopian 123 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:21,920 literature. 124 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:27,960 A dystopia is an imagined community or society that is dehumanizing and frightening. 125 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:34,240 And dystopian stories often tell tales of bravery and defiance in the face of totalitarian 126 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:38,200 governments or survival in a post-apocalypse landscape. 127 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:42,720 A dystopian society is the opposite of a utopian society. 128 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:43,720 End quote. 129 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,280 So what are you trying to say? 130 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:48,200 How can you show that? 131 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:53,280 Or did you just have the idea of a dystopian novel and just want to have a cool story? 132 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:56,000 Well, how can your characters do that? 133 00:08:56,000 --> 00:09:02,880 One way to create a plot in a dystopian novel is to think what would be the worst case scenario 134 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:05,040 that could happen in my world? 135 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:09,760 Or what is the worst thing that could happen to my character right now? 136 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:13,080 How would you recommend creating a dystopian plot? 137 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:18,720 You're making it sort of about the societal ill of the dystopia and breaking that ill. 138 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:23,240 For example, in The Hunger Games, the plot of book one leads all the way up to where 139 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:28,280 Katniss and Peeta break the ill of only having one person survive The Hunger Games by threatening 140 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:30,600 they kill themselves so that it would be no winner. 141 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:36,560 If you can design the plot to lead up to a breaking the mold moment, that is fantastic. 142 00:09:36,560 --> 00:09:42,560 Before we end, WikiHow had an article on how to write a dystopian novel. 143 00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:45,600 And their brainstorming section was actually very helpful. 144 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:50,880 For brainstorming ideas for your dystopian novel, you could, as they say, quote, think 145 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:53,680 about a current technology that interests you. 146 00:09:53,680 --> 00:09:56,200 Focus on a global issue or problem. 147 00:09:56,200 --> 00:09:59,560 Think about any fears you have about your world or the future. 148 00:09:59,560 --> 00:10:02,720 Write about a social or cultural concern. 149 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:04,440 And ask yourself, what if? 150 00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:06,360 Our experts agree. 151 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:09,360 Great dystopia is rooted in reality. 152 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:14,080 Really the story starts with one thing that creates a domino effect, like zombies appearing 153 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:17,480 in The Walking Dead or a lack of water in Tankroll. 154 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:20,800 Then the story examines the chaos that results from that, end quote. 155 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:25,440 Can any brainstorming activities or other closing thoughts you want to share? 156 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:30,160 Great brainstorming activity that I love for this sort of story is to just start thinking, 157 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:32,760 what if this bad thing was amped up? 158 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:34,800 And just sort of list those. 159 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:36,840 Like what if the government lost all control? 160 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:40,080 What if we no longer educated people, and so on? 161 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:45,820 This can quickly give you some ideas to design society and create a story within there. 162 00:10:45,820 --> 00:10:51,160 One more thing I would mention is that dystopian stories tend to become more about the society 163 00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:55,840 than the characters and end up with very underdeveloped characters. 164 00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:59,640 For the love of goodness, don't let your story go that way. 165 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:04,160 Still develop your characters so that there is some attachment to people rather than just 166 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:06,520 the idea of breaking the society. 167 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:07,640 That's all I have to say. 168 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:11,600 The character is still important in a dystopia. 169 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:12,600 Amen. 170 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,320 And we hope today's episode was helpful. 171 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:18,560 If you like our podcast, please share it with your friends and family. 172 00:11:18,560 --> 00:11:21,960 For the sources and the transcript, visit writersworldpodcast.weebly.com. 173 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:25,920 And our Instagram is writersworldpodcastofficial. 174 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:28,520 Our Patreon is patreon.com slash writersworldpodcast. 175 00:11:28,520 --> 00:11:31,960 And if you want your questions answered. 176 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:35,600 Our email is writersworldpodcast at gmail.com. 177 00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:38,280 Until next time, I've been Ken Mears. 178 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:41,520 And I've been Melissa Fales with Writers World. 179 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:42,520 Keep on writing. 180 00:11:42,520 --> 00:12:09,320 And I'll see you next time.