Genre Expectations: Writing Dystopian and Apocalyptic

by A.C. Williams @ACW_Author

What do you do when the sky is falling? Or if some unstoppable natural disaster has sent the entire world into political and economic upheaval? Or what if the powers of democracy fail, and the free world tumbles into the abyss of totalitarian rule?

If any of your stories ask those questions, you are writing either a dystopian novel or an apocalyptic novel, but don’t make the mistake of thinking they are the same. They may be similar in some of their tropes and aesthetics, but the core of what makes each genre different is surprisingly unique.

But first, let’s do a quick review of the genre expectations we’ve discussed so far (Links at the end): 

• Romantic Fantasy and Fantasy Romance
• Fantasy and Space Opera
• Steampunk and Gaslamp
• Magical Realism and Contemporary Fantasy
• Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance
• Suspense and Thrillers

The next on the list to tackle are the genres of Dystopian fiction and Apocalyptic fiction. In many ways, they are very similar to each other. They both deal with fairly dark subjects, usually grim plotlines set against an equally grim backdrop of “the world gone wrong.” The core of what separates them, however, boils down to how the world went wrong in the first place. 

Dystopian stories are actually more similar to political thrillers than anything else. Normally, the dystopian genre is set in a futuristic society, but this isn’t the future Gene Rodenberry envisioned when he created the Star Trek franchise. The world of Star Trek is generally regarded as a utopia, and a dystopian storyworld is the exact opposite.

In most instances, dystopian stories feature totalitarian regimes of some form or another. Sometimes they are tyrants or evil monarchs. Sometimes they are entire nations that have taken over the other countries on the continent. Sometimes it’s just a group of people who rose to power in a society and have used their accumulated power to crush anyone who disagrees with them.

Regardless of how those in power got there, the point of a dystopian storyline is usually focused on the resistance. A dystopian story is about how a handful of underdogs refuse to accept the world the way it is and believe they can change it for the better. 

Perhaps the most classic example of the dystopian genre is 1984 by George Orwell. If you haven’t read this little book, please make it a priority, if for no other reason than to be astonished at how accurate Orwell’s vision of the future turned out to be. (He wasn’t a prophet, but boy oh boy, 1984 is chillingly familiar.)

Another dystopian classic is The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and, of course, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Both of these feature power-hungry regimes that have taken over another people group by force and made their lives miserable. But the stories aren’t about the people who rose to power; the stories are about the people who are fighting for freedom.

I also can’t talk about the dystopian genre and not mention some of my favorite Christian authors who have ventured into this subject: A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes and A Star Curiously Singing by Kerry Nietz.

So what about apocalyptic fiction? What’s the difference? 

Well, again, apocalyptic fiction tackles many of the same themes that dystopian does, but there is one major difference: Apocalyptic fiction isn’t about fighting for freedom, it’s about fighting for survival.

Apocalyptic stories usually pick up right after there has been some massive disaster on Earth. A plague or virus. A meteor strike. An alien invasion. A civil war. Our technology becoming self-aware. The disastrous options are limitless. 

Whatever happened to wreck the world, the story begins in the middle of the horror, and it usually focuses on an underdog or an unlikely hero who is alone in the struggle to survive. Sure, there may be some political tropes involved. There may be some dystopian-feeling aesthetics, but the drive of the story is to simply make it out alive.

Examples of apocalyptic fiction include I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, World War Z by Max Brooks, and The Roadby Cormac McCarthy.

Of those three, I’ve only read The Road, and personally it was not my cup of tea. It certainly had some fascinating elements in it that were remarkable, but the whole book was a bit too gray and grim for my liking (although that’s par for the course for authors like Cormac McCarthy). 

One of my favorite examples of apocalyptic fiction is actually a movie, The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, and Mila Kunis. It’s violent and challenging in many instances, but the core of the story is beautiful. There’s more to life than just surviving, after all. 

And, well, nobody should talk about apocalyptic fiction without mentioning the Left Behind books. No matter where you stand on their theological accuracy, these masterworks by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye revolutionized fiction for Christians and taught an entire generation of people that the Rapture wasn’t a fairytale. 

Many stories, both dystopian and apocalyptic, have hit the market in the past several years, but one thing is important to remember when writing in both of these genres. Don’t forget the hope. 

Folks who read both these genres expect to be treated to darkness and grim situations and circumstances that look impossible to overcome, but nobody actually wants to read a story without hope. Keep that in mind the next time you’re writing (or reading) a book in either of these genres. Hope is what keeps people reading, whether they realize it or not.

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Genre Expectations: Writing Dystopian and Apocalyptic from @ACW_Author on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Don't Miss the Previous Posts in This Series

1. WRITING ROMANTIC FANTASY AND FANTASY ROMANCE
2. WRITING FANTASY AND SPACE OPERA
3. WRITING STEAMPUNK AND GASLAMP
4. WRITING MAGICAL REALISM AND CONTEMPORARY FANTASY
5. WRITING URBAN FANTASY AND PARANORMAL ROMANCE
6. WRITING SUSPENSE AND THRILLERS
7. WRITING DYSTOPIAN AND APOCALYPTIC
8. WRITING CLASSIC MYSTERY AND COZY MYSTERY

9. Writing Gothic Horror and Standard Horror

A.C. Williams, also known as Amy C. Williams, is a coffee-drinking, sushi-eating, story-telling nerd who loves cats, country living, and all things Japanese. Author of more than 20 books, she keeps her fiction readers laughing with wildly imaginative adventures about samurai superheroes, clumsy church secretaries, and goofy malfunctioning androids; her non-fiction readers just laugh at her and the hysterical life experiences she’s survived. If that’s your cup of tea (or coffee), join the fun at www.amycwilliams.com.