dystopian setting essay

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56 Dystopian Writing Prompts

Escape to a dark, disheartened world with these 56 dystopian writing prompts .

Mass poverty, cruelty and fear cover a dystopian world. From the shelter-like homes to the dark, broken streets. Life is hard. When writing a story set in a dystopian world you need to describe the harsh reality of this world in great detail. Make the reader fear this world. Think about the leaders who have control. This control might be significant, where harsh rules are made to keep the peace. Alternatively, there could be a rebellion, where leaders have no control and civilians are running havoc. See our master list of world-building questions to help develop a believable dystopian world.

A dystopian world is a world in shatters and ruins. How did it become this way? What rules and regimes do civilians follow, if any? What type of crime is most prominent in this world? These questions will help you create a realistic and powerful dystopian world for your readers.

Looking for some name ideas for your new world? Check out this world name generator . You might also find this list of Earth day writing prompts and this list of over 110 sci-fi writing prompts .

Dystopian writing prompts

To help you create a powerful story about a society in crisis, here are our 56 dystopian writing prompts:

• In the year 2,121, sea levels have risen at an extreme rate. 98% of the Earth is now underwater. The remaining 2% is made of small islands scattered across the Earth. With resources at a scarcity, the islands must work together if they are to survive.
• A virus has wiped out 95% of humanity in the future. The only survivors are machines and a group of secret underground warriors who rebelled against technology for centuries.
• In the future, a virus has caused some humans to mutate into ravenous troll-like beasts. While the remaining humans have to learn to survive in the world with these beasts.
• The life expectancy of people has dropped drastically in the future. At the age of 18, humans start to deteriorate and slowly pass away. The ruler is an arrogant 14-year-old kid.
• Scientists have combined robotics with human tissue to increase the life expectancy of humans. Apart from the vital organs, such as lungs and heart, as well as parts of the brain, humans are mostly robotic. Eventually, humans start losing control of their bodies to machines. 
• From the moment a human is born to the day they die, humans are connected to the internet. Everything they need to know about life is on a screen to which they are connected. One day, a technology outbreak completely wipes the internet. Humans are switched off. What happens next?
• Scientists have found the secret to endless happiness. They create a new pill that needs to be taken once a day to remain happy. But is this new pill all as it seems?
• To promote equality in the future, humans have to dress the same and talk the same. Any inappropriate English and slang words are banned. All around the world, everyone must speak English. If these rules are broken, the rule breaker will be sentenced to prison or even death.
• With the brand new Cloner 3000, cloning is just a button press away. Clone your cat, your dog and even yourself if you dare. What are the potential dangers of cloning yourself too many times? 
• Law and order is destroyed in the future. People are free to do whatever they want without any consequences. Until a group of vigilante heroes decide to recreate the law.
• There are two types of people, the rich and the poor. The rich have an extreme amount of money and power. And the poor are living on the streets and undergrounds, struggling to get by. A poor orphan girl is adopted by a rich family and discovers a deadly secret about how the rich become rich. 
• The excessive use of technology and social media has meant that 95% of the world suffers from extreme social phobia. The slightest human interaction results in mass panic attacks. One brave human decides to create a group where people can meet face to face regularly to help them overcome this fear.
• Crime has become such a huge issue in the future, that every home in the world has become a prison cell. Prison guards patrol the streets and provide prisoners with the essentials. One guard feeling guilty that his family is locked behind bars, tries freeing them, and soon things get out of control. 
• Oxygen is the new currency in the future. Instead of money people buy, earn and sell little canisters of oxygen. Continue this dystopian story…
• Desperate to create the perfect world, the government provides every person with a free virtual reality headset. Once worn, the person is transported to a tranquil utopia. Meanwhile, the government secretly has other plans in the real world. 
• A virus has turned every tree, plant and flower on earth into flesh-eating monsters. The only way to survive is to kill all plant life on Earth, but how will the planet survive?
• A new mobile app in the future tells people when to eat, sleep, drink and essentially live. Without the app, humans would be lost, confused and clueless. A group of cyber hackers, hack this app to gain control of all humans. 
• Being the main cause of social disorders and suicides, the internet is banned in the year 2,098. With the ban of the internet, people slowly resort to the old ways of living before the internet ever existed. Until a group of individuals find a way to bring back the net. 
• Bored of old-style video gaming, humans resort to sticking chips inside prisoners. Once a prisoner is chipped, they can be controlled like a video game character. 
• Desperate to be beautiful and young, rich people resort to stealing the actual skin and facial features of ordinary people. These extreme surgeries soon start to have a weird effect on humans.
• The Earth has been destroyed by a huge asteroid. A few humans that survived by living underground finally emerge to start a new life on Earth. 
• With the Earth’s population at an all-time high, it’s time for every human to prove their worth. After the age of 16, humans must take a test every year. If they fail the test, they are killed immediately. One young adult scores incredibly high on the test making them the ‘chosen one’. 
• Due to the lack of resources on Earth, all luxury items have been banned. People survive on basic rations of bread, rice and beans each month. No vanity items, such as jewellery or make-up are allowed. One day a group of civilians discover that luxury items do exist, but only the leaders can use them. 
• For the sake of human evolution, scientists have turned the small town of Whitefish into a huge science experiment. No one is allowed to enter or leave the city unless they are told so. Every now and then, a new stimulus is introduced, so that scientists can record the human reactions for a research paper. 
• Write a story about the aftermath of World War 5. Who was at war and who lost it? What devastation did the war create on Earth?
• In the far future, robots are responsible for creating human life. They carefully program each human when they are born to do certain tasks in life. One human realizes that they don’t need to follow the orders programmed in them and fights for freedom.
• After a huge asteroid hits Earth, the last two survivors have to find a way to recreate life. It’s a modern, dystopian Adam and Eve story.
• World leaders ban religion and talk of God in the future. A man discovers a secret church up in the mountains where people secretly believe in God. 
• Due to animal cruelty, people are no longer allowed to have animals as pets in the future. All pets live out in the wild without any human masters. One homeless teenager finds a hurt dog in the wild and takes care of it. Eventually, authorities find out about this forbidden friendship.
• A bored scientist dedicates his whole life to recreating popular monsters like vampires, werewolves and Frankenstein’s monster in real life. He finally masters the procedure and offers it to rich people at a price.
• Tired of the rat race and busy city-living, people move to the country to live a peaceful and calm life. Eventually, cities like New York City become a playground for criminals and runaways.
• When the human population on land reaches an all-time high. One man goes on a quest to create the ultimate underwater city for humans. Continue this story.
• In the year 2,121, 100% of the population becomes vegan. Eating any sort of animal product is considered cannibalism. Farm animals realize that humans will no longer eat them, so decide to plan their revenge.
• Cyber-pets become a huge thing in the future. Technology advances so much that people would rather buy robotic pets inside of real ones. This results in more stray animals on the streets. With no human love, the pets turn into savages attacking both humans and the cyber-pets.
• Humans have left Earth for a better life on Mars. One day, thousands of years later, a space astronaut from Mars lands on Earth to find…
• In the future, the majority of jobs have been taken over by robots. The only way to earn money is to take part in a series of games and challenges created by the rich for their entertainment.
• Everyone on Earth has experienced some sort of mutation in the future. This mutation has made humans powerful and troll-like. As the only pure human (with no mutations), your character’s daughter is kidnapped by a group of mutants who want to use her blood to make humans human-like again. 
• Imagine you are the last human survivor on Earth. What would you do alone on Earth?
• Describe a future where all humans are either deaf or blind.
• You and your family live underground away from all the technology. Write a series of diary entries about life underground.
• Sugar is banned completely in the future. Even fruits that taste sugary are no longer available. You are the leader of a secret underground group that creates your own homemade sugar. However since humans haven’t tasted sugar in a long time, the results become very dangerous.
• Since Earth has been destroyed, every family lives in their own spaceship homes floating around the galaxy. Every now and then you need to protect your home from space invaders, pirates and of course black holes.
• Write a story about one boy, his dog and a group of robots living on Earth as the only survivors. 
• Lying dormant deep at the core of the Earth, dragons finally awake. After a series of powerful earthquakes, they burst through the ground one by one. 
• With surveillance cameras watching everyone. A new TV show called, ‘Did They Really Do That’ airs across the nation showing the most embarrassing moments of civilians living in your area. You then go on a mission to destroy all surveillance and destroy the TV show.
• One man’s dream to swim with the dolphins is taken to extremes, as he genetically modifies a group of humans, so that they can swim underwater. Unknowingly these humans turn into monstrous mermaid-like creatures.
• Huge floating islands are created all over Earth to cope with the increase in the human population. These floating islands become new countries on the map with their own rules and way of life. 
• In the year 3,021 world peace is finally achieved. Everyone lives in perfect harmony. But how was this world peace achieved? One curious civilian makes a shocking discovery.
• Write a news article about the latest riot happening in your town in the year 2,899. Why did this riot happen? Who was involved? Where did it happen? What exactly happened before and during the riot?
• You are a lab assistant for a company that creates genetic make-up for humans. The make-up keeps humans looking young for their entire lifespan of 180 years. One day you discover something shocking…
• Cats and dogs have evolved into human-shaped beings. They now rule Earth and treat humans like pets. 
• Due to natural extinction and the threat of disease, all animals are gone in the future. You and your family have created a secret underground zoo, which holds the last remaining animals on Earth.
• Write a story from the perspective of a servant robot who wants to be the mayor of the city. 
• Scientists have learned to extract emotions from humans and contain them in jars. At a price, you can remove negative emotions like anger, sadness and fear. You can also sell and buy positive emotions like happiness. To obtain a new emotion, you simply inhale the emotion directly from the jar. In a special clinic, over 10,000 jars of emotions are contained, until one day…
• The Earth is a massive video game for advanced aliens living on a distant planet. They randomly spawn monsters whenever they feel like, and can control any human they like. One day the aliens are so bored that they create a big scary boss monster for a town of people to fight.
• In an effort to create a better world, all humans must take a personality test. If your personality does not meet the criteria set by the government, then you are sent to work camps. People at the work camps live a horrible life of abuse, torture and endless hard work for 18 hours a day. Imagine that your main character fails the personality test, and is sent to one of these camps.

For more gritty ideas, check out our guide on what is dieselpunk plus story ideas .

What do you think of these dystopian writing prompts? Which one is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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MAXWELL WINSHIRE

How to write a dystopian novel.

by Maxwell Winshire | Jun 18, 2022 | Dystopiazine

This article will show you how to write a dystopian novel by breaking it down into five sections: Rules, Ideas, Setting, Plot and Ending, which you can jump directly to using the links below:

JUMP TO SECTION

1) Rules of dystopian genre 2) Ideas for a dystopian story 3) Setting in Dystopian fiction 4) How to plot a dystopian novel 5) How to end a dystopian story

1) Rules of dystopian genre

A dystopia is defined as, “ a very bad or unfair society in which there is a lot of suffering, especially an imaginary society in the future, after something terrible has happened ,” in contrast to Utopia which is defined as, “ a perfect society in which people work well with each other and are happy. ”

Therefore, our first rule of the dystopian genre is that it is about an unfair future society. In other words, the way the systems in a country organize people, and the work they do, and their interactions is not fair. The unfair systems may include education, environment, government and political, law and order, military, social, religious, entertainment or media.

Our second rule is that these systems are unfair because they cause suffering to people. They are not just unfair in an abstract moral sense, but the outcome of the processes and procedures within that system must hurt people emotionally, financially, psychologically or physically.

And our third rule is that this unfair future society usually happens after something terrible has happened. This means that something has happened to cause a cataclysmic change in the society we live in now.

2) Ideas for a dystopian story

Based on our three rules of dystopian genre we can start to generate ideas for a dystopian story.

Firstly, which system(s) has gone wrong in the future to make society unfair? Is the education system unfair and authoritarian with books being banned or burnt, like in “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury? Is the government and political system unfair for example, totalitarian in George Orwell’s “1984”? Is the religious system unfair, like in “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood. Is the law and order system unfair, like in “A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess. Is the social system unfair, with human-like androids being hunted by humans in “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” by Philip K. Dick. Is the environmental system unfair, for example in the climate catastrophe novel, “The Drowned World” by J.G. Ballard.  You can find many more examples of dystopian novels here .

The power of using an unfair system, is that all the people within the society will be affected by that system, and therefore, by implication, the reader too, as they identify with the protagonist. Further, because the system is unfair, that is, advantageous to some and not others, it naturally produces conflict, which is the fuel for storytelling.

3) Setting in Dystopian fiction

Once you have decided which system(s) you are interested in exploring in a dystopian genre you need to bring it alive by creating the world it takes place in, also known as worldbuilding , which is the setting in dystopian fiction.

You do not need to include every system in your worldbuilding, but the one(s) that cause the greatest conflict for your protagonist. Nor do you need to include more than one type of the system causing conflict in your worldbuilding, ie. More than one governmental and political system, although sometimes this is done for contrast, whether concurrently, or sequentially, that is before and after the great cataclysm.

Consider the scale of your worldbuilding in your setting, namely Global, Regional, National, State, County, City, Town, Building. Worldbuilding can be on a global level, like the three political realms — the super states of Oceania, Eastasia, and Eurasia, in George Orwell’s “1984” or county level, like in “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy. The greater the scale doesn’t necessarily give the greater impact and may influence the number of characters that populate your story. For example, “The Stand” by Stephen King is on a national scale and involved a large number of characters, whereas “The Road”, on a county scale, simply focuses on a father and son.

4) How to plot a dystopian novel

To know how to plot a dystopian novel you may find it useful to consider whether it will be character-driven or event-driven (usually called plot-driven). In a character-driven dystopian novel the focus will be on the protagonist’s internal growth, their character arc, like in “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy. In an event driven dystopian novel the focus will be on the events the character has to cope with, which is useful in a series of books with the same character but different events in each one. Often it is a balance of the two.

The first step is to outline your plot, beginning, middle and end. Although it may be more helpful to think of this in terms of the Three Act Structure, because this implies that you will reach turning points at the end of the ‘beginning’/ Act 1 /setup, ‘middle’ / Act 2 /confrontation and ‘end’ / Act 3 / resolution, and rising tension in each one.

Each Act is made up of scenes involving conflicts or obstacles, internally or externally. In Act One, the first conflict/obstacle is typically referred to as the ‘Inciting Incident’ followed by ‘Second Thoughts’ before the Climax of Act One. In Act Two, tension rises with Ascending Action as the protagonist faces obstacle after obstacle before a big twist at the ‘Midpoint’ half way through the story, followed by an Obstacle, Disaster, Crisis leading to the Climax of Act Two, which is higher than the Climax of Act One. Act Three rises to the Climax of Act Three, higher than Act Two’s climax, which was higher than Act One’s climax, followed by Descending Action through an obstacle, denouement (wrap-up) and End. This is illustrated in the graph above.

You may find it useful to create cards for each scene in the three-act structure and write on these who the main protagonist is in conflict with, or the obstacle/challenge they are facing, and the outcome. This is helpful if you want to re-order sequences and hold something tangible rather than in the abstract mentally.

Finally, a story doesn’t necessarily start at the beginning, although it says ‘Beginning’ on the graph, but in the midst of action in dystopian fiction, and we only gradually find out through the story about the cataclysm before. Therefore, it may be useful to map out a timeline of events before the novel takes place, which are then referenced retrospectively in your plot while the novel is taking place.

You can find many detailed examples of different plots, including the famous Hero’s Journey from Joseph Campbell’s, “Hero of a thousand faces”, here .

5) How to end a dystopian story

In a character-driven plot the end of a dystopian story will be the protagonist’s greater understanding of themselves and how they have changed as a result of their journey, similar to non-genre or literary fiction.

In an event-driven plot the end of a dystopian story is different from other genre fiction, like action, drama or romance, because it doesn’t typically involve a happy ending, reward or prize, but rather respite, or temporary reprieve from the ongoing unfair system. This is because it would be unrealistic for the protagonist to topple the entire system, which affects everyone.

Therefore, it is not inappropriate for a dystopian story to end on a bleak note or have a tragic conclusion which reinforces the unfairness of the system.

For more advice on how to end a dystopian story, there is a reddit thread here .

Maxwell Winshire is the author of the “What’s your problem?” Trilogy , a dystopian parody of TV game shows with a difference: counsellor vs contestant. You can find out more on his author’s page: www.maxwellwinshire.com

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How the setting can reflect important themes

I can describe how different settings can reflect the key themes in a dystopian description.

Lesson details

Key learning points.

• Contrasting settings can be used to show injustice and inequality in a dystopian society
• Hostile or dilapidated settings are often used to reflect difficulties or discrimination
• Opulent or luxurious settings are often used to show power and greed
• Semantic fields can help create a setting that has a theme running through it

Common misconception

Pupils may think that dystopian societies only involve dilapidated settings.

Explain that there are two sides in a dystopia: those with power and control who live in luxury and ordinary citizens in run down areas.

Opulent - An opulent place or item is costly and luxurious, in a boastful manner.

Dilapidated - A dilapidated building is in a state of ruin because of neglect.

Semantic field - A semantic field is a group of words related in meaning.

Inequality - When a society has inequality, there are unfair differences between groups of people.

Juxtapose - If you juxtapose two things, you place them together for contrasting effect.

Content guidance

• Contains subject matter which individuals may find upsetting.

Supervision

Adult supervision suggested.

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited ( 2024 ), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Starter quiz

6 questions.

to separate items in a list and clauses

exclamation mark -  

express intense emotion

semicolon -  

to join two independent clauses together

apostrophe -  

to express possession

to introduce a list or explanation

Home / Essay Samples / Literature / Literary Genres / Dystopia

Dystopia Essay Examples

The dangers of a dystopia.

Dystopian literature often foreshadows the future, revealing what life may be like if current societal issues are not appropriately resolved. Characterized by injustice and mayhem, a dystopia is a flawed society in which citizens are considered an extension of the dysfunctional environment that they live...

Real World Dystopia

Utopianism has slowly made its way into a literary genre by authors comparable to Thomas More. More’s book, Utopia was written to show his disdain about the political corruption that happened in Europe during his life. Comparing the word “Utopia” to both a good place...

Dystopian Short Story: Comparison of Bradbury’s and Shur's Works

A dystopian text is an imagined world in which the illusion of a perfect society is maintained through technological and authoritarian power. This is one of the dystopian short story essays where we will analyse some of the dystopian short stories. The first one is...

Different Approaches to Utopia: Problems and Innovations

This utopia essay aims to discuss and examine the ideal order, system, life and society ideas that the human world is always in search of. It will address the impact of multiple interactions between society and the future state management systems. The problems and innovations...

Representation of the Problems of Contemporary Society in Ender's Game

The concepts and proposition put forward by an author present to the audience relevant problems which might be embedded in today’s society. Sci-fi novels occasionally portray our world as a dystopian environment within the future, emphasizing problems of contemporary society. These novels allow authors to...

Nineteen Eighty-four: Dystopia Story

“Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” ― George Orwell, 1984 Nineteen eighty-four (1984 ) is a Dystopia story - what could be regarded as the worst possible life,a political satire novel written by George Orwell. The story is...

Fahrenheit 451 is the Dystopian Novel

Fahrenheit 451 is the dystopian novel written by Ray Bradbury in 1953. The novel is set in a future American society in which books are burned once they are found by fireman. In the novel Bradbury uses the art of symbolism to help strengthen the...

Dystopian Society in the Lord of the Flies

While the serenity of the island may have hinted towards an edenic utopia, William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies quickly deviates to a dystopian society as the boys become inundated with Their animalistic instincts. Golding uses imagery of the dense jungleto express the sense...

The Elements of Dystopian Society in Anthem by Ayn Rand

The novel ‘Anthem,’ by Ayn Rand is an example of a dystopian society. A dystopian society is one that is as dehumanizing and as unpleasant as possible. In the dystopian society that Rand has created people must only be referred to as ‘we,’ rather than...

Depiction of Violence and Harassment in Ender's Game

In the book, Ender’s Game, written by Orson Scott Card and the movie, there is a lot of violence and harassment. This violence seems to be brought on by older figures, like the adults. The forcefulness transfers from the adults over to the children, so...

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About Dystopia

A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopia or simply anti-utopia) is a speculated community or society that is undesirable or frightening. Dystopias are often characterized by rampant fear or distress, tyrannical governments, environmental disaster, or other characteristics associated with a cataclysmic decline in society.

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

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