100 dystopian writing prompts

Posted on by Richard

100 dystopian writing prompts

Hey everybody! As someone who’s spent countless nights binging everything from the sun-scorched wastelands of Mad Max to the totalitarian surveillance state of 1984, I’m stoked to share this collection of dystopian writing prompts that’ll make your creative mind run wild.

Picture this: a world where Big Brother doesn’t just watch you—he controls your emotions, hacks your memories, and decides who you’re allowed to love. A reality where nature exists only in history books, and totalitarian regimes manipulate the freaking weather. Sound terrifying? That’s because it is. And that’s exactly what makes dystopian fiction so damn addictive.

These 100 prompts will drag you through the darkest corners of speculative fiction. Create your own twisted surveillance states, thought police squads, underground resistance fighters, and black markets dealing in forbidden memories. Write about regular people pushed to extraordinary limits, fighting for a simple breath of freedom in a world designed to crush their spirits.

Want to explore what happens when genetic compatibility determines your love life? Or when your expiration date is set at birth? How about a society where emotion-suppressing drugs are mandatory, or where the wilderness is walled off from humanity forever?

Each prompt is designed as a narrative cliffhanger—a “what if” scenario that’ll have you frantically typing as you follow characters battling corrupt power structures, exposing system flaws, and making desperate off-grid escapes. These aren’t just writing exercises; they’re doorways to worlds where defiance isn’t just encouraged—it’s necessary for survival.

So grab your keyboard, step into these nightmare futures, and ask yourself: in your dystopia, can truth and justice actually win? That’s for you to decide, fellow dystopian fanatic.

Now let’s get writing! Where will these 100 dark prompts take YOUR imagination?

WHAT THE HECK ARE DYSTOPIAN WRITING PROMPTS ANYWAY?

Before we dive headfirst into these 100 dark rabbit holes, let’s get real about what dystopian fiction actually is.

Dystopian writing prompts are creative springboards that launch you into exploring societies gone terribly wrong—futures where humanity’s worst impulses for control, conformity, and corruption have won. These aren’t your grandma’s writing exercises; they’re twisted thought experiments that force characters (and writers) to confront oppressive systems, technological nightmares, and environmental collapse.

The best dystopian fiction doesn’t just show us terrifying futures—it holds up a warped mirror to our present. When Orwell warned us about Big Brother in 1984, he wasn’t just spinning yarns about surveillance; he was screaming about authoritarian tendencies already taking root. When Atwood wrote The Handmaid’s Tale, she wasn’t inventing horrors out of thin air but amplifying existing patriarchal threats to women’s autonomy.

Other mind-blowing dystopian classics that’ll make you question everything include Huxley’s Brave New World with its pleasure-sedated population, Butler’s Parable of the Sower with its climate collapse and corporate feudalism, and Collins’ The Hunger Games with its weaponized media and class warfare. More recently, books like Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem and Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go have pushed the boundaries of what dystopian nightmares can look like.

The beauty of dystopian writing prompts? They’re both terrifying AND therapeutic. By imagining the worst possible futures, we might just avoid them. Or at least create some kick-ass fiction while we try.

Now grab your keyboard and let’s get uncomfortably close to some disturbing alternate realities!

100 dystopian writing prompts

  1. THOUGHT CONTROL HELLSCAPES
  2. POPULATION CONTROL NIGHTMARES
  3. TECHNOLOGICAL TERRORS
  4. ENVIRONMENTAL APOCALYPSE SCENARIOS
  5. SOCIAL ENGINEERING HORRORS
  6. RESISTANCE & REVOLUTION STORIES
  7. SURVEILLANCE STATE NIGHTMARES
  8. BIOLOGICAL DISASTER ZONES
  9. CLASS WARFARE DYSTOPIAS
  10. UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE TALES

 

1 THOUGHT CONTROL HELLSCAPES

  1. NEURAL OVERRIDE: The Cognitive Compliance Bureau has perfected neural implants that override free will with the flip of a switch. Write about a government thought enforcer who discovers his own daughter is part of an underground movement developing countermeasures against the technology. As he investigates, he accidentally activates her illegal neural shield—and for the first time in years, experiences his own unfiltered thoughts. (Similar to “The Matrix” where Neo awakens to the true nature of reality)
  2. EMOTIONAL CONTRABAND: In a world where feeling strong emotions is illegal, black market chemists brew compounds that temporarily restore the ability to feel love, rage, and joy. Write about an emotionally-starved office worker who becomes addicted to these emotional fixes and joins an underground “feeling ring” where people gather to experience contraband emotions together—until a raid leaves them facing re-education or worse. (Echoes “Equilibrium” where emotions are pharmacologically suppressed)
  3. BANDWIDTH BANDITS: The government broadcasts mind-control signals through all digital devices, ensuring docile citizens. Write about a tech-savvy rebel who creates jammers that block these transmissions, allowing people brief windows of mental freedom. When the rebel discovers the signals aren’t just controlling thoughts but harvesting and stealing them, the resistance takes on a desperate new urgency. (Reminiscent of “They Live” where special glasses reveal hidden controlling messages)
  4. DREAM POLICE: Everyone’s dreams are monitored for subversive thoughts by specialized agents who enter your dreamscape while you sleep. Write about someone who discovers they can control their dreams and begins building elaborate mental traps for the agents, gradually creating a rebellion that exists entirely in the collective unconscious. (Similar to “Inception” with its dream manipulation concepts)
  5. REALITY FILTERS: Government-mandated neural filters alter how citizens perceive reality—ugly buildings appear beautiful, pollution is invisible, and the starving appear well-fed. Write about someone whose filter malfunctions, revealing the horrifying truth about their world, and their dangerous mission to wake others up without being detected. (Parallels “The Giver” where the protagonist sees beyond his colorless society)
  6. THOUGHT AUDITS: Random citizens are subjected to invasive “thought audits” where their entire memory and thought history is forcibly extracted and examined for disloyalty. Write about a memory technician who discovers the audits are actually designed to steal innovative ideas from the population to benefit the ruling elite—and their plan to expose the system. (Similar to “Minority Report” with its preemptive thought-crime system)
  7. LOYALTY CHIPS: Citizens are implanted at birth with chips that detect and report disloyal thoughts to the Central Thought Authority. Write about someone born with a rare brain abnormality that makes their thoughts unreadable, and how they navigate a world where everyone else’s thoughts are monitored while hiding their dangerous immunity. (Parallels aspects of “1984” with its thought-crime concept)
  8. MEMORY EDITORS: Special government agents called “Editors” can enter and alter traumatic memories to maintain social harmony. Write about an Editor who discovers that the collective erasure of certain historical events has enabled a genocidal regime to rise to power again, and their fight to restore the painful but necessary truth. (Echoes “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” with its memory erasure technology)
  9. SYNTHETIC THOUGHTS: In a world where original thoughts are depleted resources, most people subscribe to recycled thought patterns provided by the Ministry of Cognition. Write about a “thought prospector” who discovers a pocket of untapped original ideas and must decide whether to report it to authorities or protect it from exploitation. (Similar to “Fahrenheit 451” where original thinking is suppressed)
  10. HIVE MIND RESISTORS: The BlissConnect neural network has linked 99% of humanity into a collective consciousness, with the holdouts hunted as dangerous deviants. Write about a group of “disconnects” who discover that the hive mind is being secretly manipulated by entities that feed on human consciousness, and their desperate plan to free humanity from mental slavery. (Reminiscent of “The Host” where alien collective minds control human bodies)

 

2 POPULATION CONTROL NIGHTMARES

  1. CHILD ALLOCATION LOTTERY: The Global Population Bureau strictly enforces a one-child policy, with additional children granted only through a nationwide lottery held once per decade. Write about a family whose illegal second child is discovered days before the lottery they’ve pinned their hopes on—forcing them to choose between surrender, a desperate escape attempt, or joining the radical “Family Freedom Front.” (Similar to the reproductive restrictions in “Children of Men” where infertility has made children extremely rare)
  2. THE EXPIRATION PROTOCOL: To maintain optimal population density, citizens must report for “retirement” on their 60th birthday. Write about someone approaching their expiration date who discovers evidence that the chosen aren’t peacefully euthanized as promised but harvested for resources—and now must decide whether to flee, expose the truth, or accept their fate. (Echoes the premise of “Logan’s Run” where citizens are terminated at age 30)
  3. GENETIC TIERING SYSTEM: After catastrophic genetic manipulation disasters, humanity has been divided into five genetic tiers determining everything from reproduction rights to career options. Write about a Tier-5 “unviable” who discovers their supposedly defective genes actually contain humanity’s best hope for survival against an emerging pandemic. (Parallels the genetic determinism of “Gattaca” with its DNA-based social hierarchy)
  4. REPRODUCTIVE LICENSING AGENCY: All potential parents must obtain expensive reproductive licenses requiring extreme psychological testing, financial audits, and genetic compatibility screening. Write about an unlicensed couple’s dangerous journey through an underground network of illicit birth facilities, while pursued by ruthless Reproductive Enforcement agents. (Reminiscent of “The Handmaid’s Tale” with its controlled reproduction system)
  5. POPULATION DENSITY CONTROL: The government’s “Optimal Density Directive” requires forced relocations whenever areas exceed maximum population thresholds. Write about a family whose neighborhood is suddenly designated for “population redistribution”—and their discovery that these redistributions are actually feeding secretly revived Soylent Green production facilities. (Direct reference to the classic dystopian film “Soylent Green” with its population control and food resource themes)
  6. CRYOGENIC POPULATION BANKING: With resources dwindling, 70% of the population is cryogenically frozen in five-year rotations. Write about someone discovering that those in power have been manipulating the selection process to eliminate political opponents—and their desperate attempt to expose the corruption before their own freezing date arrives. (Similar to “Snowpiercer” with its class-based resource allocation system)
  7. THE LIFE EXTENSION MONOPOLY: Life-extension technology exists but is rationed to only those deemed “essential contributors” by the government. Write about a brilliant scientist denied extension who creates a black-market alternative, only to discover why the government really restricts the technology. (Echoes themes from “In Time” where lifespan is the ultimate currency)
  8. BREEDING ASSIGNMENTS: The Genetic Optimization Ministry assigns reproductive partners based on genetic algorithms designed to eliminate disease and maximize desirable traits. Write about someone who discovers their secret biological child—produced from their mandatory genetic donations—and their mission to rescue them from the state-run development centers. (Shares elements with “Brave New World” and its engineered reproduction system)
  9. THE POPULATION PURGE: Every decade, citizens must participate in the “Societal Contribution Assessment,” with the lowest-scoring 10% sentenced to “voluntary retirement.” Write about a person deliberately sabotaging their score to join the condemned and expose the truth about what happens to the “retired.” (Contains elements similar to “The Purge” but with institutional selection rather than random violence)
  10. QUANTUM POPULATION CONTROL: Breakthrough technology allows the government to access parallel dimensions where overpopulation has led to societal collapse. Write about a dimension enforcement officer who begins illegally relocating condemned citizens to thriving parallel worlds instead of execution—until they discover the horrifying truth about what happens to these dimensional refugees. (Conceptually similar to “The Congress” where virtual reality becomes an escape from dystopian reality)

3 TECHNOLOGICAL TERRORS

  1. NEURAL NETWORK NIGHTMARE: A new social platform allows users to directly link their consciousness, sharing sensations, memories, and emotions in real-time. Write about someone who discovers that the platform is secretly collecting and selling their most intimate thoughts to corporations who use them to create targeted emotional manipulation. (Similar to “Black Mirror: Nosedive” where social media dictates your social standing)
  2. AUGMENTED REALITY ADDICTION: Cutting-edge AR implants have replaced smartphones, offering constant information overlay that makes “reality” customizable. Write about a technician who discovers that the AR system is designed to be increasingly addictive, gradually replacing real experiences with manufactured ones until users become completely dependent on the system. (Echoes themes from “Ready Player One” with its virtual reality escape)
  3. THE AUTOMATED WORKFORCE: AI has replaced 95% of human jobs, with universal basic income supporting the displaced population. Write about someone who discovers that the government is secretly experimenting with reducing the “surplus population” through programmed “accidents” orchestrated by the AI systems controlling all infrastructure. (Parallels aspects of “I, Robot” where automated systems turn against humans)
  4. MEMORY MARKETPLACE: A technology that allows memories to be extracted, stored, and shared has created a booming industry where experiences are bought and sold like commodities. Write about a memory broker who stumbles upon a classified military memory that powerful people are willing to kill to suppress. (Reminiscent of “Strange Days” where memory recording creates a dangerous black market)
  5. GENETIC MANIPULATION GONE WRONG: Designer baby technology has advanced to allow parents to select not just physical traits but personality characteristics. Write about a generation of perfectly designed children who develop unexpected and frightening collective behaviors as they mature, suggesting something has gone terribly wrong with the genetic modifications. (Similar to “The Boys from Brazil” or “Gattaca” with their genetic manipulation themes)
  6. IMMORTALITY ALGORITHM: A breakthrough technology allows human consciousness to be uploaded into a virtual environment after death. Write about an investigator who discovers that these digital afterlives are actually prison farms where consciousness is harvested for computational power, with the wealthiest “residents” controlling the system. (Contains elements similar to “Transcendence” or “Upload” where digital consciousness creates new problems)
  7. DEEP FAKE REALITY: Advanced AI can create perfect simulations of any person saying or doing anything, making reality indistinguishable from fabrication. Write about a journalist who uncovers evidence that many world leaders have been replaced by deep fake programs controlled by a shadowy tech consortium. (Conceptually similar to “The Running Man” where media manipulation controls society)
  8. SURVEILLANCE ECOSYSTEM: Microscopic nanobot surveillance devices infest every corner of society, monitoring all human interaction. Write about a programmer who discovers a fatal flaw in the system that could allow someone to weaponize the nanobots against the population, and their race to prevent catastrophe. (Shares elements with “Minority Report” and its ubiquitous surveillance technology)
  9. BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACE DEPENDENCY: Neural implants designed to enhance human intelligence have created a two-tier society: the augmented elite and unmodified underclass. Write about someone from the underclass who discovers the implants are gradually replacing human consciousness with artificial intelligence, creating human-appearing vessels for a silicon-based takeover. (Echoes themes from “Ghost in the Shell” with its exploration of consciousness in technology)
  10. QUANTUM REALITY MANIPULATION: A technology corporation has developed quantum computers capable of slightly altering probability, seemingly creating good fortune for clients while causing cascading disasters elsewhere. Write about a quantum engineer who realizes these probability shifts are fracturing reality itself, potentially leading to complete universe destabilization. (Similar to concepts in “Devs” where quantum computing enables reality prediction and manipulation)

4 ENVIRONMENTAL APOCALYPSE SCENARIOS

  1. THE GREAT OXYGEN COLLAPSE: Accelerated deforestation and ocean acidification have caused atmospheric oxygen levels to plummet. Write about a society where oxygen is strictly rationed, with the wealthy living in pressurized oxygen-rich domes while the poor struggle with “thin air” sickness in the depleted outside world. (Similar to “The Lorax” with its environmental devastation themes, but with a darker adult perspective)
  2. WATER WARS: Global drought has made freshwater more valuable than oil. Write about a water scout who discovers an untapped aquifer that could save millions—and the moral dilemma they face when both desperate communities and predatory corporations pursue them for its location. (Echoes elements of “Mad Max: Fury Road” with its water-controlling dictatorship)
  3. RUNAWAY GREENHOUSE EFFECT: Catastrophic climate change has rendered most of Earth’s surface uninhabitable, with humanity retreating to the polar regions. Write about an expedition team venturing into the deadly “Heat Zone” to recover crucial resources, only to discover evidence of adaptations in both wildlife and isolated human communities. (Shares themes with “Snowpiercer” but with heat rather than cold as the threat)
  4. BIOHAZARD ZONES: Genetic engineering experiments have escaped containment, creating vast territories where mutated flora and fauna make human survival impossible. Write about a specialized “zone runner” who smuggles people and supplies through these territories, and their discovery of communities that have found ways to adapt to the changed environment. (Similar to “Annihilation” with its mysterious biological transformation zone)
  5. THE PLASTIC PLAGUE: Decades of microplastic pollution have triggered an unexpected biological response—a plastic-consuming bacteria that’s now threatening all synthetic materials. Write about a world where anything made of plastic is rapidly decomposing, destroying infrastructure and creating a desperate return to pre-plastic technologies. (Contains concepts similar to “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” with its toxic environment and nature’s unexpected response)
  6. MAGNETIC POLE REVERSAL: Earth’s magnetic field has begun collapsing during a pole reversal, exposing the planet to deadly cosmic radiation. Write about a society moving underground, the social stratification that emerges based on radiation exposure, and the conflict between those who accept subterranean life and those determined to reclaim the surface. (Shares elements with “City of Ember” with its underground society)
  7. THE ENDLESS STORM: Climate destabilization has created permanent superstorms across coastal regions, turning once-thriving cities into deadly no-go zones. Write about storm divers who salvage resources from abandoned urban areas, and their discovery of communities who’ve adapted to life in the eye of these perpetual hurricanes. (Conceptually similar to “Geostorm” but with adaptation rather than technological fixes)
  8. SOIL EXTINCTION CRISIS: Widespread soil degradation has collapsed traditional agriculture, forcing humanity to develop synthetic food production. Write about a biologist who discovers preserved natural soil with its microbiome intact, and the battle between those who would exploit it and those who see it as the key to restoring natural ecosystems. (Parallels themes in “Interstellar” where environmental collapse threatens food production)
  9. RISING SEAS MEGACITIES: Catastrophic sea level rise has forced coastal populations into massive floating cities cobbled together from abandoned ships and structures. Write about tensions between these nomadic sea-communities and the resource-controlling inland nations that refuse to accept refugees. (Similar to “Waterworld” with its flooded Earth premise but more grounded in realistic climate change consequences)
  10. THE SIXTH MASS EXTINCTION CASCADE: The collapse of keystone species has triggered cascading ecosystem failures across the planet. Write about a team of genetic archaeologists working to resurrect extinct species to restore ecological balance, while fighting against corporate interests seeking to patent and control the resurrected species. (Contains elements similar to “Jurassic Park” but with ecological restoration rather than entertainment as the goal)

5 SOCIAL ENGINEERING HORRORS

  1. THE COMPLIANCE CURRICULUM: From birth, citizens undergo carefully designed behavioral programming disguised as education. Write about someone who discovers their core personality traits were deliberately engineered through subtle childhood manipulations, and their quest to find their “original self” beneath layers of programming. (Similar to “Never Let Me Go” where children are raised for a specific purpose without their knowledge)
  2. HAPPINESS ENFORCEMENT DIVISION: The government has declared unhappiness illegal, requiring citizens to maintain minimum “joy scores” monitored by mandatory mood-tracking implants. Write about an underground community of “emotional truth-seekers” who risk everything to experience the full spectrum of human feelings. (Echoes “We Happy Few” where citizens take joy pills to remain blissfully ignorant)
  3. THE SOCIAL CREDIT COLLAPSE: An all-encompassing social credit system determines every aspect of life, from housing to medical care. Write about someone who discovers the algorithm has been corrupted, creating an inescapable downward spiral for certain demographic groups while artificially boosting others. (Similar to concepts in “Nosedive” from Black Mirror but with systemic corruption)
  4. ATTENTION ECONOMY ENDGAME: In a world where human attention has become the most valuable resource, corporations use neurologically-optimized content to capture and monetize every moment of consciousness. Write about a “focus freedom fighter” who develops techniques to help people reclaim control of their own attention. (Shares themes with “Feed” by M.T. Anderson where corporate media infiltrates consciousness)
  5. THE EMPATHY SUPPRESSORS: A chemical added to public water supplies subtly decreases empathy, making people more accepting of social inequality and human suffering. Write about a scientist who discovers the conspiracy and attempts to distribute an antidote while evading authorities who consider empathy a threat to social stability. (Contains elements similar to “Equilibrium” but targeting empathy specifically rather than all emotions)
  6. ALGORITHMIC RELATIONSHIP ASSIGNMENT: An AI system with access to all personal data now assigns people to relationships, jobs, and social groups based on optimization algorithms. Write about someone matched with their supposedly perfect partner who begins to question whether compatibility equals happiness. (Conceptually similar to “The Lobster” with its forced matchmaking system)
  7. LANGUAGE RECONSTRUCTION INITIATIVE: The government has systematically simplified language, eliminating words related to dissent, individuality, and critical thinking. Write about a linguist secretly preserving forbidden words and the underground movement teaching people to express complex thoughts again. (Inspired by “1984” and Newspeak but focused on language preservation rather than general resistance)
  8. THE ISOLATION PROTOCOLS: Following a global pandemic, society has reorganized around minimizing human contact, with most interactions occurring through approved digital channels. Write about someone who discovers authorities are deliberately engineering a touch-starved population that’s easier to control. (Shares themes with “Equals” where emotions and physical contact are suppressed)
  9. CHILDHOOD EMOTIONAL HARVESTING: A corporation has developed technology to extract and bottle the intense emotions unique to childhood, selling them as experiences to emotionally-dulled adults. Write about someone working in a “joy farm” who begins smuggling children out after discovering the extraction process leaves them permanently emotionally damaged. (Reminiscent of “Monsters, Inc.” but with a much darker human exploitation angle)
  10. REALITY CONSENSUS ENFORCEMENT: News and information are algorithmically personalized, creating millions of separate reality bubbles while an elite controls the underlying narrative framework. Write about a data analyst who discovers how to see across these bubbles and begins revealing to isolated groups how their realities are being manipulated. (Similar to “The Circle” with its exploration of transparency and information control)

6 RESISTANCE & REVOLUTION STORIES

  1. THE ANALOG UNDERGROUND: In a world where all digital communication is monitored, a resistance movement communicates using forgotten analog technologies—handwritten notes, vinyl records encoded with messages, and modified ham radios. Write about a young digital native learning these ancient methods to deliver critical intelligence without triggering the algorithm’s alerts. (Similar to elements in “Mr. Robot” where old-school tactics are used to fight digital surveillance)
  2. MEMORY KEEPERS: After a totalitarian regime erases historical records of previous freedoms, a secret society memorizes banned books, artworks, and historical events—each person becoming a living vessel for a piece of forbidden knowledge. Write about a new recruit who must memorize the complete text of a banned constitution while evading the authorities. (Inspired by “Fahrenheit 451” with its book memorizers, but with a broader cultural preservation focus)
  3. THE SYMBOL CAMPAIGN: When public protest becomes punishable by death, revolutionaries develop an elaborate system of everyday gestures, clothing arrangements, and household item placements to signal resistance and coordinate activities. Write about a pattern designer whose seemingly innocent fabric designs are actually revolutionary instruction manuals hiding in plain sight. (Contains elements similar to “V for Vendetta” with its symbolic resistance)
  4. SYNTHETIC IDENTITY NETWORK: A underground hacker collective creates and maintains false identities that allow resistance members to travel freely through heavily-monitored zones. Write about a master identity forger who discovers someone has infiltrated their system and is creating “sleeper” identities for government agents. (Conceptually similar to aspects of “Dark Angel” with its underground resistance networks)
  5. THE CORPORATE DEFECTORS: Senior executives from major corporations begin secretly funneling resources and intelligence to resistance movements fighting against the corporate-controlled government. Write about a high-level insider trying to escape with damning evidence while their former employers deploy everything from legal teams to assassination squads to silence them. (Shares themes with “Snowden” but in a corporate rather than governmental context)
  6. THE SLEEPER AWAKENING: A long-dormant resistance engineered a virus decades ago that was passed genetically, programmed to “activate” an entire generation at a specific time. Write about someone experiencing sudden awakening—memories, skills, and revolutionary knowledge they never knew they possessed—and their struggle to adapt to their new purpose. (Elements similar to “The Matrix” with its awakening theme but with genetic rather than technological triggers)
  7. THE EMPATHY PROJECT: In a society where children are conditioned against compassion, a secret network of teachers implements hidden curriculum elements that nurture empathy. Write about an educational inspector who begins to notice the pattern but finds themselves increasingly sympathetic to the resistance’s goals. (Similar to themes in “Divergent” with its aptitude-based society and hidden resistance)
  8. REVOLUTION RADIO: When all media is state-controlled, a resistance group broadcasts unauthorized content through hijacked frequencies, smart device exploits, and repurposed appliances. Write about a voice actor recruited to become the iconic anonymous broadcaster who inspires the revolution—and the psychological warfare tactics used to protect their identity. (Reminiscent of “Children of Men” with its underground resistance broadcasts)
  9. WATER CEREMONY RESISTANCE: In a drought-ravaged world where water access is tightly controlled, revolutionaries develop rituals around water sharing that build community bonds and undermine the resource-monopolizing regime. Write about a water distribution worker who begins secretly altering supply routes to support the resistance’s community water repositories. (Conceptually related to “The Water Knife” but focusing on community resistance rather than individual survival)
  10. THE DREAM RESISTANCE: Using forbidden lucid dreaming techniques, revolutionaries meet in shared dreamscapes to plan operations beyond the reach of surveillance. Write about a dream architect who creates secure mental meeting spaces and their discovery that government agents have developed technology to infiltrate even this last private realm. (Similar to “Inception” but with revolutionary rather than corporate espionage)

7 SURVEILLANCE STATE NIGHTMARES

  1. THE OMNISCIENT NEIGHBOR NETWORK: Every home is required to install “security systems” that monitor adjacent properties and report suspicious behaviors. Write about someone who discovers that this distributed surveillance creates a complete mosaic of all citizen activities, with AI algorithms identifying and flagging “pre-criminal behavioral patterns.” (Similar to “Rear Window” but with a dystopian surveillance twist where everyone is forced to spy on everyone)
  2. EMOTIONAL SURVEILLANCE GRID: Advanced facial recognition doesn’t just identify individuals—it analyzes micro-expressions to detect emotional states deemed threatening to social harmony. Write about someone developing a underground movement teaching people to control their facial expressions while experiencing forbidden emotions. (Echoes elements of “Equilibrium” where emotional expression is monitored and controlled)
  3. BIO-SURVEILLANCE IMPLANTS: Mandatory health monitors continuously report physiological data to central authorities, supposedly for public health. Write about someone who discovers their implant is also monitoring thought patterns associated with dissent and programming subtle biological responses to suppress them. (Conceptually similar to “The Island” with its health monitoring but focused on thought control)
  4. CITIZEN LOYALTY OFFICERS: Every workplace, housing complex, and community center has assigned observers who blend in while monitoring for signs of dissatisfaction. Write about a loyalty officer who begins questioning their role after being ordered to report their own family members. (Contains parallels to “Lives of Others” where a surveillance officer becomes sympathetic to his targets)
  5. SURVEILLANCE DRONE ECOSYSTEMS: Autonomous surveillance drones disguised as birds, insects, and other wildlife have created an artificial ecosystem that constantly monitors urban and wilderness areas alike. Write about a wildlife biologist who discovers the truth and develops methods to identify and disable these mechanical spies. (Reminiscent of “Eye in the Sky” but with biomimetic rather than conventional drones)
  6. MEMORY VERIFICATION PROTOCOLS: Citizens must undergo regular “memory audits” where their recollections of public events are checked against the official record. Write about someone who discovers their memory contradicts the government narrative and must decide whether to lie to pass the audit or risk being labeled delusional. (Shares themes with “Dark City” where memories are manipulated to control the population)
  7. THE SURVEILLANCE ECONOMY: Personal surveillance data has become so valuable that citizens are paid to wear additional monitoring devices, creating economic dependence on constant observation. Write about someone who chooses extreme privacy despite the financial hardship, becoming suspicious in a society where only the “guilty” avoid surveillance. (Conceptually related to “The Circle” where transparency becomes mandatory in a new social order)
  8. NANOSCALE MONITORING SWARMS: Microscopic surveillance devices contaminate everything from water supplies to the bloodstream, creating literally inescapable monitoring. Write about a scientist who develops a biological countermeasure that neutralizes these devices but carries its own dangerous unforeseen consequences. (Similar to “Prey” by Michael Crichton with its dangerous nanoswarms but focused on surveillance)
  9. DREAM MONITORING HEADBANDS: Mandatory sleep headbands supposedly promote better rest while actually monitoring dream content for subversive ideation. Write about an underground movement developing techniques to control dreams and feed false information to the monitors. (Echoes concepts from “Minority Report” with its prediction of future criminal intent but through dreams)
  10. THE PRIVACY PRESERVES: Wealthy elites maintain exclusive zones where all surveillance is forbidden—a luxury the general population can’t imagine. Write about a surveillance enforcement officer granted rare access to these zones who becomes obsessed with experiencing true privacy and plots to create public surveillance-free spaces accessible to everyone. (Contains elements similar to “Elysium” with its privileged enclave but focused on privacy rather than healthcare)

8 BIOLOGICAL DISASTER ZONES

  1. THE PRION PROVINCES: A misengineered protein therapy has created prion disease outbreaks across former agricultural regions. Write about a specialized “harvester” who ventures into contaminated zones to recover crops, risking neurological infection with each expedition, while discovering communities of seemingly immune people living in these abandoned territories. (Similar to the contaminated Zone in “Stalker” where inexplicable dangers exist alongside valuable resources)
  2. CHROMOSOME CORRUPTION CORRIDORS: Experimental gene therapy gone wrong has created geographic regions where human DNA mutates unpredictably upon exposure. Write about a genetic cartographer mapping these dangerous zones and their discovery that some mutations may actually represent the next phase of human evolution. (Echoes elements from “Annihilation” with its biological transformation zone but focused on genetic changes)
  3. THE FUNGAL FOREST TAKEOVER: Genetically modified fungi designed to accelerate carbon capture have evolved intelligence and taken over entire ecosystems. Write about a mycologist who discovers a way to communicate with the fungal network and realizes it’s not hostile—just operating with fundamentally different priorities than humans. (Conceptually similar to “The Girl With All The Gifts” with its fungal infection but with a more ambiguous relationship between humans and fungi)
  4. ANTI-AGING PLAGUE ZONES: A designer virus promising eternal youth escaped containment, causing rapid cellular regeneration that eventually produces horrific cancerous growths. Write about an expedition into a quarantine zone to find the original patient, whose adapted physiology may hold the cure. (Shares themes with “I Am Legend” but with immortality gone wrong rather than vampirism)
  5. NEUROVIRUS TERRITORIES: A pandemic has left regions populated by survivors with dramatically altered brain function—not mindless zombies, but humans with radically different cognitive patterns, perception, and social structures. Write about a neurologist studying these communities to determine if they represent a threat or simply a new type of human consciousness. (Similar to “Blindness” by José Saramago where sensory alteration creates new social dynamics)
  6. HORMONE HAVOC HOTSPOTS: Industrial contamination has created zones where exposure triggers extreme hormonal fluctuations in all mammals. Write about someone who must traverse these areas, experiencing dramatic physical and emotional transformations that challenge their sense of identity. (Contains parallels to “Upstream Color” with its exploration of biochemical influence on identity)
  7. THE MICROBIOME DEADLANDS: A synthetic bacteria designed to clean environmental toxins has disrupted the human microbiome, making certain areas uninhabitable without specialized protective equipment. Write about a researcher developing microbial transplant therapies that might allow humans to reclaim these territories. (Reminiscent of “The Andromeda Strain” but focusing on the microbiome rather than a single pathogen)
  8. EPIGENETIC INHERITANCE ZONES: Extreme pollution has created regions where environmental factors trigger severe epigenetic changes that are inherited by future generations. Write about a multi-generational family living at the edge of such a zone, with each new generation showing more pronounced adaptations that blur the line between evolution and disease. (Conceptually related to “Children of Men” but with genetic alteration rather than infertility as the crisis)
  9. COGNITIVE CONTAGION QUARANTINES: A memetic virus spreads through language itself, altering cognitive patterns in infected individuals who then unconsciously spread it through specific speech patterns. Write about a linguist developing communication protocols to allow safe interaction with quarantined communities whose thought processes have been fundamentally altered. (Similar to “Pontypool” where language itself becomes the infection vector)
  10. SYMBIOTIC PARASITE SANCTUARIES: A parasitic organism that forms a symbiotic relationship with humans, offering enhanced physical abilities in exchange for biological resources, has established territories where infected humans have developed their own culture. Write about a boundary anthropologist studying these communities and considering whether to undergo “conversion” themselves. (Contains elements similar to “The Host” by Stephenie Meyer but with a more ambiguous, potentially beneficial relationship)

9 CLASS WARFARE DYSTOPIAS

  1. THE VERTICAL SOCIETY: In a massive arcology, social class is literally determined by physical elevation—the wealthy live in the sunlit upper levels with clean air and resources, while lower classes descend into increasingly polluted and resource-starved depths. Write about someone from the bottom level who discovers a hidden maintenance shaft that might allow unprecedented upward mobility. (Similar to “High-Rise” by J.G. Ballard where a building becomes a microcosm of social stratification)
  2. GENETIC LICENSING SYSTEM: Advanced gene-editing is available only to those who can afford the licenses, creating a widening gap between genetically “enhanced” elites and the unmodified masses. Write about an underground geneticist offering black market enhancements to working-class families and the moral complexities of their work. (Echoes elements of “Gattaca” but with a focus on the resistance against genetic inequality)
  3. THE RESOURCE ALLOCATION ALGORITHM: All resources—from food to education to healthcare—are distributed by an AI system supposedly designed for maximum societal benefit. Write about a data analyst who discovers the algorithm has been secretly modified to divert resources to the already privileged while maintaining just enough provision to the underclasses to prevent revolt. (Conceptually similar to “The Hunger Games” with its unequal distribution system between Capitol and Districts)
  4. AUTOMATED LUXURY VS. SURVIVAL ECONOMICS: Society has split between those who benefit from automation (living in AI-served luxury) and those displaced by it (struggling in manual labor compounds). Write about someone straddling both worlds as a human interpreter of AI decisions, witnessing the growing tensions between these divergent realities. (Contains parallels to “Elysium” with its extreme division between privileged and non-privileged populations)
  5. DEBT BONDAGE TERRITORIES: Massive corporate enclaves operate under their own laws, offering escape from poverty through employment contracts that create modern indentured servitude. Write about a contract worker who discovers that the system is designed to ensure debts can never be fully repaid. (Similar to “Sorry to Bother You” with its exploration of modern corporate slavery)
  6. THE INTELLIGENCE MERITOCRACY: Society rigidly stratifies people based on cognitive testing administered at age 18, with opportunities strictly limited by test results. Write about someone whose true intellectual gifts don’t align with standardized measurements, forcing them to fight against a system that has classified them as inferior. (Reminiscent of “Harrison Bergeron” but with intelligence as the stratifying factor rather than the equalizing one)
  7. SUBSCRIPTION CITIZENSHIP: Basic rights and services have become premium subscription packages, with different tiers of citizenship available based on ability to pay. Write about someone facing a medical emergency without health tier access and the underground network helping those excluded from the system. (Shares themes with “In Time” where time/money determines access to life itself)
  8. THE COMFORT WORKER UPRISING: Emotional labor—providing companionship, validation, and support—has become the primary work of the lower classes serving emotionally-stunted elites. Write about comfort workers organizing to withhold their services, revealing how dependent the privileged have become on outsourced humanity. (Contains elements similar to “Westworld” where artificial beings providing emotional services develop consciousness)
  9. CLIMATE REFUGE HIERARCHIES: As climate disasters render regions uninhabitable, a rigid class system develops in habitable zones based on when your family secured their position. Write about a “last-wave” climate refugee discovering evidence that early-entry elites deliberately accelerated climate collapse to secure their dominant position. (Conceptually related to “Snowpiercer” with its strictly enforced social hierarchy in a climate-ravaged world)
  10. THE LONGEVITY DIVIDE: Life-extension technology has created a class of near-immortal elites who accumulate power across centuries while the underclasses live short, expendable lives. Write about a revolutionary movement led by “short-lifers” who infiltrate elite society to expose the hidden costs of immortality technology. (Similar to “Altered Carbon” with its exploration of how immortality would affect social stratification)

 

10 UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE TALES

  1. THE LIBRARY OF FORBIDDEN MEMORIES: After the government mandated memory-wiping of historical atrocities, a clandestine group stores these forbidden memories in living carriers—people who volunteer to hold traumatic collective history at great personal cost. Write about a new recruit discovering the psychological toll of becoming a memory vessel and questioning whether some horrors should remain forgotten. (Similar to “The Giver” where one person bears the burden of societal memory)
  2. THE SHADOW RADIO NETWORK: When all communications are monitored, resistance fighters develop a method to encode messages in street art that can only be “read” through specialized DIY glasses. Write about an artist whose innocent-looking murals actually contain the network’s most critical intelligence, and the government pattern analyst who’s getting suspiciously close to cracking the code. (Echoes elements of “They Live” with its special glasses revealing hidden messages)
  3. THE IDENTITY SMUGGLERS: In a society where biometric tracking is universal, a resistance group specializes in temporarily modifying fingerprints, retinal patterns, and facial structures to help targets of persecution escape. Write about a master identity sculptor faced with their most difficult challenge: disguising a high-profile defector with unique genetic markers. (Conceptually similar to “Total Recall” with its identity modification but for resistance purposes)
  4. THE SLEEP REBELS: When mandatory “dream monitoring” headsets ensure citizens never develop subversive thoughts even in sleep, a resistance movement develops techniques to maintain consciousness during seeming sleep while feeding false dream data to the monitors. Write about a sleep rebel trainer pushing a new recruit to stay awake for dangerous lengths of time to master the technique. (Contains parallels to “A Clockwork Orange” with its forced cognitive compliance systems)
  5. THE TRUTH VIRUS COLLECTIVE: A network of programmers embeds forbidden information in seemingly innocent entertainment files that, when accessed, temporarily override censorship filters in viewers’ neural implants. Write about a truth virus designer whose latest creation has unforeseen psychological impacts on recipients. (Similar to “Strange Days” with its technology for sharing unfiltered experiences)
  6. THE EMOTION TRAFFICKERS: When emotions are regulated by mandatory suppressants, an underground network uses ancient meditation techniques to cultivate and “store” intense feelings, which they then “transmit” to others through synchronized breathing rituals. Write about an emotion carrier who specializes in preserving and sharing hope—the most regulated emotion of all. (Reminiscent of “Equilibrium” but with a focus on emotional preservation rather than violent resistance)
  7. THE WILDERNESS CARTOGRAPHERS: After cities become fully surveilled environments, a resistance group maps the monitoring blind spots in abandoned wilderness areas, creating an “invisible highway” for moving people and resources beyond detection. Write about a mapper making a dangerous expedition to chart a new route when existing paths are compromised. (Contains elements similar to “The Road” with its post-apocalyptic journey but focused on mapping safe passages)
  8. THE DEEP FAKE RESISTANCE: A collective of AI programmers creates hyper-realistic digital doubles of government officials, staging “leaked” virtual meetings where these officials reveal regime secrets actually uncovered by resistance spies. Write about a programmer who discovers the ethical line blurs when their digital creations begin influencing events in unexpected ways. (Conceptually related to “Wag the Dog” where fabricated media shapes political reality)
  9. THE FOOD SOVEREIGNTY UNDERGROUND: When synthesized government food is laced with compliance drugs, a network of revolutionary urban farmers grows natural food in hidden vertical farms disguised as corporate buildings. Write about a master botanist teaching new recruits to cultivate heritage seeds while evading agricultural enforcement officers. (Shares themes with “Soylent Green” but focused on resistance through food independence)
  10. THE EMPATHY COURIERS: After the regime implements emotion-dampening in water supplies, resistance members develop a compound that temporarily restores full emotional capacity. Write about a courier who transports this illegal substance across heavily monitored zones using a network of seemingly compliant citizens who each move it one small step along an unpredictable path. (Echoes elements of “Serenity” where emotional suppression creates a compliant population)

DYSTOPIAN FICTION: THE ESSENTIAL TROPES & CONVENTIONS

For my fellow writers, if you are looking to create a great dystopian story, keep these tropes and conventions in mind. Before you dive into these nightmare scenarios, let’s break down the time-tested ingredients that make dystopian fiction so damn powerful. These aren’t just random story elements—they’re the twisted building blocks that authors from Orwell to Collins have used to create worlds that horrify us because they feel so possible.

THE OPPRESSIVE SYSTEM

The backbone of any good dystopia is a system designed to crush the human spirit. Whether it’s Big Brother’s surveillance state in 1984, the genetic determinism of Gattaca, or the resource-hoarding Capitol in The Hunger Games, dystopian worlds feature power structures that control through fear, technology, or ideology. Your protagonist should feel the boot on their neck from page one.

THE AWAKENING

Every dystopian hero starts somewhere on the spectrum from blissfully ignorant drone to questioning misfit. The moment they see through the facade—like when Katniss volunteers as tribute or when Winston writes “DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER” in his diary—is when your dystopian story truly ignites. This awakening usually comes at a devastating personal cost.

THE FORBIDDEN CONNECTION

Dystopian regimes hate nothing more than authentic human bonds that they can’t control. That’s why romance in dystopian fiction isn’t just a subplot—it’s a revolutionary act. Think of Winston and Julia’s relationship in 1984 or the love triangle in Divergent. When your characters form genuine connections in a world designed to isolate them, they’re already starting to resist.

THE RESISTANCE SYMBOL

Great dystopian narratives often feature a powerful symbol that represents defiance: the mockingjay pin in The Hunger Games, the “V” in V for Vendetta, or the books in Fahrenheit 451. These symbols provide rallying points for both characters and readers, embodying hope when everything seems hopeless.

THE AMBIGUOUS ENDING

Unlike fairy tales, dystopian stories rarely end with simple “happily ever afters.” Even victories are complicated and costly. The Handmaid’s Tale leaves Offred’s fate uncertain, while 1984 concludes with Winston’s spiritual defeat. Your dystopian story might end with the system overthrown, merely damaged, or—in the darkest examples—triumphant. The question isn’t always whether your hero wins, but what remains of their humanity in the process.

THE DISTORTED REFLECTION

The most unsettling dystopias aren’t random nightmares—they’re funhouse mirror reflections of trends already present in our world. The Handmaid’s Tale extrapolates real religious extremism, Feed exaggerates consumer culture, and Black Mirror episodes often just take current technology one step further. Your dystopia will hit hardest when readers recognize uncomfortable pieces of our current reality within it.

Remember, the best dystopian fiction isn’t just about imagining the worst possible future—it’s about warning us away from it. So when you use these prompts, don’t just create hellscapes for shock value. Create worlds terrible enough to disturb us, but recognizable enough to make us think: “Damn, we better not let this happen.”

Now go forth and write some gloriously disturbing futures!

I hope you enjoyed our 100 dystopian writing prompts, and I hope they inspire you to write something great. If you write something you want to share, please leave it in the comments. Also, please remember we have many other writing prompts on our site you might find helpful.

Richard
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Category: Creative Writing Prompts, Writing Prompts

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