Dreams Beyond the Broadcast
Imagine a dystopian world where the government controls dreams through a mandatory nightly broadcast, designed to keep the populace compliant. One night, the system malfunctions, and for the first time, your protagonist dreams of a world beyond control. They become obsessed with finding the source of the true dreams, risking their life in the process.
Suggested length: A short story: 1,500 to 5,000 words, or flash fiction under 1,000
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Cut every scene the moment the tension drops.
- Put a clock on it: the hero has until midnight.
- Trap your hero in one place they can't easily leave.
Writing dystopian fiction
A society gone wrong, and the one person who sees it.
Dystopian fiction imagines a future (or alternate present) where society has failed: surveillance states, ruined planets, systems that crush the people inside them. It's usually a warning. The hero's choice is whether to survive the system or fight it.
What readers expect
- A society with a dark logic
- Control, scarcity or surveillance
- A hero who starts to question it
- A warning about today
A tip before you start
Build your world from one fear of today, pushed too far. The more recognizable the root, the colder the chill.
More Dystopian prompts
- The Underground LibraryIn a bleak future, literacy is illegal, and books are banned. Your protagonist inherits a secret library from their late parent, filled with forbidden…
- The Hidden OasisIn a future where all natural resources are depleted and the air is barely breathable, describe a day in the life of a protagonist who stumbles upon…
- Books Beneath the RuinsIn a world where all historical records are controlled by the state, your character discovers a hidden trove of forbidden books in the ruins of an old…
- The Missed InjectionImagine a society where emotions are regulated by daily mandated injections to ensure everyone remains productive and compliant. Your protagonist, a…
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