Things to consider when writing about Dystopias !!!
⊹ What specific thing went wrong to create this. Climate disaster? War? Plague? Fascist takeover? Corporate control? Be specific because "everything sucks now" isn't enough. How did we get from our world to this one
⊹ Who's in charge and how did they get power. Did they seize it violently or did people willingly give up freedom for safety/convenience? Because that second one is way scarier and more realistic
⊹ What's the propaganda like. What lies is the government telling? What history has been rewritten? What's banned? How do they control information? This is always the first thing authoritarian regimes do
⊹ How do they maintain control. Surveillance? Fear? Making people dependent on the system? Turning people against each other? Rewards for loyalty? All of the above probably
⊹ What's illegal that used to be normal. Books? Certain jobs? Relationships? Having kids without permission? Traveling? Speaking freely? The specific restrictions tell you what the government fears
⊹ How do normal people survive day to day. What's the economy like? Is everyone struggling or is there a comfortable middle class that supports the regime because it benefits them
⊹ What's the class system. There's always a class system. Who has resources and power vs who's barely surviving. How do you move between classes or can you even
⊹ What do people do for entertainment. Is it controlled/approved entertainment only? Underground stuff? Has the government banned fun entirely? Do they use entertainment as distraction from how bad things are
⊹ How do they handle dissenters. Public executions? Reeducation camps? Make them disappear quietly? Turn them into examples? Exile?
⊹ What's the resistance like if there is one. Organized or scattered? Effective or constantly failing? Do normal people support them or are they seen as outsiders?
⊹ What technology exists and who has access to it. Is it advanced but only for the elite? Has technology regressed? Is certain tech banned because it's too dangerous
⊹ How does this society justify itself. Every dystopia thinks it's a utopia or at least necessary. What's their reasoning for why things have to be this way
⊹ Is there anywhere else in the world that's better or is this global. Can people escape or is that impossible. What's beyond the borders if anything?
⊹ What do people remember about before. Do old people tell stories about how it used to be? Has that knowledge been suppressed? Do young people believe them?
