In an article for Writer’s Digest, Chana Porter shares tips for writing fiction set in a near-dystopian future. They include:
- Create a complex world, but not too complex. While you might be tempted to create multiple cultures and social strata, most of the time, less is more. Porter prefers to focus on her cast of characters and how the story world affects them.
- Build your world through character interactions. “I let culture clash do the heavy lifting, by paying attention to the interactions of characters from different backgrounds,” Porter says. “I also love allowing the world to seep in through media—overheard radio and TV snippets, a character wandering through an art museum. This creates a rich atmosphere that feels specific.”
- Don’t rely on pure evil. “Your villains or adversaries will be more compelling if they believe in the validity of what they’re doing, or they at least rationalize their actions so they can sleep at night,” Porter writes.
- Not everything should be terrible. “How can you find joy or curiosity in a harsh setting?” Porter asks. “Some things about your fictional world might actually be better than our current reality, or at least appealing in a certain light. Your dystopia, though bleak, might do some things well. Embrace this complication.”
- Dystopia is now. Sometimes, SF dystopias make us feel better about today, but Porter says there are plenty of news events that could pass for dystopia with only a few cosmetic changes.
