Here are 30 dystopian creative writing prompts:

1. Write about a character who finds an odd-looking egg in the forest. When
they take it home, they never could have predicted what was inside it.

2. Write a story about how natural farming doesn’t exist anymore. Due to
climate change, all food has to be manufactured in bulk and distributed. There
is no flavor and is the same every day. Your character, who has spent their
entire life in this world, takes a trip to the mountains far away from their home.
There, they discover real plants, and on them, berries.

3. Write about nature extremists taking over the government, stopping at

nothing to ensure all man-made harm on the planet is eradicated. Your
character ends up in their clutches, forced to do their bidding.

4. Write a story about how, due to climate change, wildfires have engulfed the
large majority of living land. Your character is one of many attempting to board
a ship set for a new in-ocean settlement. The problem? That settlement doesn’t
actually exist.

5. Write about how after a devastating illness that rocked only the wildlife
population over 200 years ago, a scientist created a virus that strengthens
animal’s immune systems with the purpose of creating balance and stabilizing
the wildlife population once again. The problem is that it worked too well and
the wildlife has exceeded (and reduced) the world’s population

6. Write a book about how after a devastating storm that encompassed

the entire world, the population has thinned significantly and your character,
who lost all of their family but their youngest sibling, has to go up against the
new “government” with a group of allies as they attempt to gain control over the
living population of the world – in the worst way.

7. Write about how over the course of a few hundred years, cases of depression,
anxiety, and other mental illnesses caused the death and destruction of
generations. Then an airborne substance was created to balance all levels of
each person so they’re created 100% equal in every way. Turns out, your
character is immune to the substance.

8. Write about how the Third World War is done and over with for many years
now. It was the downfall of the world’s economic system. Now your main
character must navigate a world where governments no longer exist, money is
useless, and survival is the only objective. Oh, and they have a debilitating
medical condition to look after, too.

9. Write a story about how two thousand years after a massive wave of a fatal
illness swept over the entire world, your character navigates a life of poverty and
hardship, struggling to feed their very young twin siblings and alcoholic father.
That is, until a new form of choosing a leader is proposed. Now they can finally
compete to rule over their settlement.

10. Write about how books have nearly been abolished. Your country is
separated into three main regions with a dangerous “neutral” zone in the center.
With a rumor of a way out located in the midst of the neutral zone, your main
character must venture through two other regions to get there.

11. Write a book about a character who is fortunate to have been born into a
powerful family after the downfall of the world. They have everything they
would ever hope to have…except for a clue as to what happens outside their very
large, protective walls. Once they find out, they can’t help but need to change it.

12. Write about a single tower that powers what’s left of the country’s
population. When an outsider tampers with its mechanisms, the tower breaks
down, leaving your main character and everyone else struggling to survive.

13. Write about how the birthrate has dropped significantly. So much so that
children are now worth millions. Your main character, a very poor woman, just
found out she’s pregnant—and won’t be able to hide it for long. Kidnapping and
worse await her if anyone finds out that she can reproduce, and will soon have a
child up for “grabs.” In order to save herself – and her child – she must confess
her pregnancy to the father, a very wealthy man in politics.
14. Write a story about a character who ventures away from the only town
they’ve ever known, despite warnings and many attempts to make them stay.
What they find is emptiness…for miles and miles and miles.

15. Write a story about a hidden temple is the only thing standing in the way of
your character becoming the next ruler of a post-apocalyptic, off-the-grid
society. When a newcomer ventures into their land, their chance of finding the
temple becomes dangerous…maybe even impossible.

16. Write a book about how they really thought they were helping by creating a
single drug with the power to eradicate diseases, illnesses, and even cancer.
What they didn’t anticipate was the massive super virus 100% resistant to the
drug. Your main character seems to be the only one who can’t catch it…that they
know of.

17. Write about how society has collapsed over hundreds of years, not with war
or a single event like they always thought would happen. Your main character
discovers a voice message from 700 years prior detailing the downfall’s
construction. The 300 years it took to destroy society was completely planned.
But why?

18. Since the manmade radioactive superstorm that destroyed most of life as
they knew it, extreme measures have been taken to document every move of
every person. Your main character scans a chip when they eat, sleep, travel, and
even when they have sex. When offered a way out, your main character takes it
without question…which might be their biggest mistake.

19. Write a story about how the government was taken over by the rich nearly
50 years ago. Your main character was lucky enough to be born into the
wealthiest family. What they never thought of, though, was the fact that one
day, the could be kidnapped and used as leverage.

20. Write about a character who, after witnessing horrors of rising crime and
drug rates, ran away at the age of 12 to live on their own in a secluded wooded
area. Now, after 10 years of solitude, people start filing into their neck of the
woods covered in wounds, tattered clothing, and bruises.
21. Write about a super tsunami that’s demolished the eastern portion of the
United States. But contrary to what was expected, the water is actually creeping
inland, not back out to sea. Your main character’s home is a victim of the ocean.

22. Write a story about how electricity is scarce…and very expensive. Your main
character walks home one night to discover a brand-new electric car sitting idle
in behind a forest tree line. They follow its tire tracks to find a massive house lit
up and blasting music. A stranger waves at them to come in.

23. Write a book about how at the height of your character’s career—and life as
a whole—an attack destroys their city, kills their spouse, and forces them into
poverty…and maybe even war. With new laws, new standards, and new rulers in
place, their life obtains a whole new purpose.

24. Write a story about how a little boy is running toward your main character, a
look of absolute joy lighting up their face. Then they freeze, their joy turning to
anger, rage. Your character cocks their head, confused, and then the truth hits
them. He must be one of the Ruin Children, born from the people affected by
the Great Tragedy.

25. Write about a trial being the only way your character can ever hope to rise
above their current abysmal ranking. Your world’s current society is one bred
for advancement. Anyone who can’t meet the standards is done for. Your
character needs a near miracle to pass their trial.

26. Due to an error made by someone in the distant future when time traveling,
the world’s societal (and time) structure has collapsed. Each day may produce a
completely different reality than the one before. Survival isn’t guaranteed and
strangers could have been your best friend—or more—only yesterday.

27. Your character’s world is what happens when an experimental chemical

compound intended to sustain plant life is pumped into the atmosphere. Now
trees have overgrown, plants are squeezing into homes, and the Earth’s oxygen
levels are (if you can believe it) too high.

28. Tagged, chipped, and shuffled into line. That’s your character’s everyday
reality. They’re herded like cattle…to be used in the same way as cattle. Then a
single guard takes pity on your character and offers them a way out.

29. Write a story about a main character who’s read all about the warning signs
of a solar flare and the flipping of the Earth’s magnetic field. They’ve scoured
through studies and research papers depicting what would happen. Since both
occurred within the same year over a century ago, they’re stuck to live in the
aftermath.

30. Peace. The world is ruled by one person dedicated to keeping the peace.
There’s been no war or poverty or famine in centuries. Your main character is
newly employed to be the ruler’s personal assistant. When they discover how
the world is kept at peace, their life changes forever.

How to write Dystopian books

Dystopian novels are one of the biggest trends sweeping the literary world.
With books like The Handmaid’s Tale stirring more post-apocalyptic stories,
it’s easy to get stuck in the same mindset as many other dystopian novelists.
Here are a few things to keep in mind if you want to write dystopian
using these writing prompts:
Think way outside of the box
Use literary elements from your story’s past to form their present
Paint a very clear picture of everyday life for your character from the very first page
Get creative with the laws, culture, and customs
Don’t just “go with the flow”: The Handmaid’s Tale is so popular largely due to the
fact that it’s unique. Not many people would have thought of a world that was
overrun by a religion – and that’s what makes it so tantalizing; it’s unexpected.
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