2020: A Case Study in Setting & Dystopian Fiction

2020: A Case Study in Setting & Dystopian Fiction

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TL;DR In order to effectively write dystopian fiction, you must understand the frame of the real world and extrapolate from there. Effective setting is seen through the characters following the rules of the world, not through explicit exposition or narration.

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I want to preface this point by saying that, despite my personal views on the geopolitical events unravelling in 2020, this blog is has never been the appropriate forum for political discourse, but rather a medium for fiction talk. I have no intention of discussing world events other than using them as an example within the fiction narrative.

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Okay, with that out of the way, let’s get started! To world-build effectively, readers must feel immersed into a fiction world different their own. In general, fiction is effective not because it is explained through exposition or narrative framing, but rather through the unravelling story itself, through the actions shared by the characters. Great stories allow readers to learn the rules of the new world by witnessing the characters navigate them. Readers learn the acute differences between the real world and the fiction one by witnessing how certain actions reward the characters while others punish them.

The terrifying aspect with regard to dystopian fiction however, comes not with the differences among the made-up world and the real one, but with the similarities they share. The relatable stories are the ones that hit closest to home for readers.

Imagine the following scenario:

A cataclysmic event has shaken up the world. Governments are at odds with one-another. International organizations, some of whom are being blamed for the event, struggle to maintain the peace. Countries take advantage of the event for their own agendas, to persecute foes and praise their own agendas. Global tensions are mounting each passing day. 

Daily life has changed, too. At first, all citizens were forced to remain indoors. Specific outdoor hours were mandated, curfews enforced. Citizens were forced by law to wear masks in public, to maintain their distance with one-another, to not touch or even talk to each other in close proximity. In time, animosity has built up in social interactions. Society divides itself into two camps: those who rebel and those who conform to these norms. 

Within months, thousands stay home at their own behest, seeing it in their best interest to do so. Millions distance themselves from other humans. Restaurants go out of business. Malls become a thing of the past. All interactions move onto the digital realm. The home is also the workplace. Even leaving the house for groceries once a week suddenly becomes a dangerous affair. Thousands have their food delivered to them, instead. Life is forever changed for this group, but they embrace the change. They conform.

By contrast, the rebellious groups are rioting in the streets. They gather in huge masses and loot stores and burn everything in sight. They protest against their governments. They ignore the guidelines. Many of them even think the cataclysmic event was man-made, was faked, was introduced by the government to further oppress and impoverish them. The army is called in. Each street corner patrolled by militarized police. Countryman turns against countryman. Thousands are abused, arrest, shot in the street. Life for them has also changed. Yet they maintain a grip on the liberties they once had, risking their lives to do so. 

All the while, the rich are silently getting richer. Their assets appreciate with each passing day. The middle class fades away. Life becomes just a little more unbearable, the future a little more unknown.

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If i had written this blog post in June of 2019, the above would have sounded like the plot to a dystopian novel, rather than a summary of the current state of affairs. However, a write-up such as the one above can serve as a ‘cheat-sheet’ for your story. For example, while writing the story, you will not explicitly state any of the above. We, as readers, will infer it. We will infer what happened from the empty streets, the police in riot gear on the street corner holding batons, the boarded up restaurants, the charred remains of the vehicles, the individuals in long lines at the grocery store worried they need to get home before curfew etc.

To escalate this this one step further, imagine the following progression:

Riots persist across the country. They become more violent, until an all-out civil war breaks out. battle-lines are drawn among the camps of people. Groups are labelled into their core beliefs. At first, between those who conform with the system and those aim to overthrow it. Before long, however, even these two groups further subdivide; differences in race, class and political viewpoints become subject to violence. The country is divided into sectors - areas that began as safe-havens from the violence and ended up as elitist communities that propagate hatred and discrimination on another level. The sectors self-govern who can and cannot live there. Soon, they become segregated as well, each group moving to their own sector.

Governments, reluctant to withdraw their power, lean into the violence. They enforce stricter curfews, stricter monitoring measures. Most people knew their smartphones and internet connections were being monitored even before the crisis, but actively chose to relinquish their privacy for access. However, now governments are beginning to act on the monitoring. Police are breaking down the doors of the main instigators. Internet connections are being shut down in areas. Soon, entire wars are waged online, with numerous data leaks and blackmailed content being released. Videos that go against the political agenda are removed. They are rebuked by the government, who claims they are fabricated to hurt the state rather than heal it. Platforms that were once used to promote free speech now promote propaganda. On the streets, the rubber bullets have given way to real ones. 

Still, guerrilla bands rebel. At first, the media even covered news of these groups of ‘terrorists’, during their drive-bys and arsons. Now, the media does not mention it. People have no way of communicating across the country. They are afraid to even do so, for fear of the police entering their homes at night. The world seems to have fallen silent. The rebellions, few as they now are, become oblivious to people. Free speech is suppressed by fear of persecution. The government leader declares himself as the sole leader. The few that oppose this are quickly silenced. Shootings become a daily occurrence. The ones who lost their lives have their names tarnished on all media outlets. They are branded ‘terrorists’, enemies of the state.

Even the rich, who profited from the initial unrest now find themselves persecuted. Their funds frozen, their assets seized. Should they choose to comply, they may run their companies with limited government interference. Should they refuse, the government will seize control of the company for them. The country is unified under one singular voice. One source of power.

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Okay, so now we have a full on dystopian setting. However, as you can see, this world is extrapolated to the negative extreme of our world. While in 2019, this scenario may have been frightening given the extremes of some negative consequences of our technological advancements. However, in 2020, this progression is outright terrifying, as our frame of reference in the real world has now shifted.

The lessons we can thereby draw from these examples are the following:

1. A quick tip for your own writing to avoid exposition is to first write out the entire setting on a separate sheet and use it as a reference point for the world. The reader must learn the rules of the world through the characters following (or breaking) them, and not through dialogue or narration. 
   

2. In order to effectively write a believable dystopian, we must extrapolate from our current frame of reference. The closer the dystopian frame is to our real one, the more likely the reader is to associate fact and fiction, and the more terrifying the story becomes.

This is simply an exercise in setting that will help you avoid exposition. Once your setting is established, and your world is built, you can begin to work on the plot. In this dystopian society that we have built together, following this cataclysmic event, who is the protagonist? What is the problem they are trying to solve? Who are their allies / enemies, and how do they go about this mission?