Here’s the stupid little paragraph that is supposed to be intriguing.
In a world where nothing is a secret, and you have no place to hide, a failed government plans to eliminate a whole group of individuals that share the common job of finding food for the country’s citizens. In hopes of decreasing the large population that is not able to be contained, in ‘benefit of the whole country’, this planned homicide is aired across every home, as every citizen is put into a state of hysteria. The only thing that lingers on everyone’s mind, is the hanging question. How to survive until the population is decreased enough to have the food provided for them once again b y the government. The stores and markets will be out of food soon, as many will run to pack up on food that will most likely not last. The hope will be vague, but many will still have the urge to kill others for a single loaf of bread that they could take home to their awaiting starving family. But what if some are not playing their game? Just… Just what if some are planning to die to be able to live? And if so, who will see the next day? Those that choose to fight for food, or those that do not?
So, what do you think?
Categorized | Affiliate Marketing 101
What Do You Think Of My Book Idea?
Posted on April 14, 2012.
This sounds really good, and could actually happen to our society. I like it and would love to read it!
The bread thing is reminding me of the hunger games haha but that is a great story since the hypothetical can become reality 🙂 you should post it on a website. I’m sure many people would live to read it 🙂
That is interesting. Play around with it. Daydream and brainstorm with yourself a few variants on your same theme. That’s the key to most writing is to keep playing with things. Take breaks, do another creative activity and then come right back to your writing and daydreaming. Watch two films: The Road and Contagion. If you have not seen these already, these will give you a good context to be inspired by.
I’m a little skeptical of the backstory. Why not just lock them up? How does the government plan to feed itself (surely the President isn’t eating gruel and porridge), or feed the country after the population falls to where it’s “supposed” to be? Why don’t the people just stock up on plantable vegetables and set up their own underground agriculture system? Oh yeah, and what about Mormons? They have a year’s supply of food (though you could see religious riots there). Still… the idea has potential.
How about a slight revision? Instead of having a venal government with self-serving motives, you could have it be completely, frighteningly sincere. Have, say, a monk who survives on gruel and water institute the plan to restore the “ecological and spiritual harmony” of the people through “enlightened suffering.” Instead of having the government just take its hands off, have it consciously forbid planting or raising food on pain of death. And, rather than the government saying “let them eat cake,” you could have the leaders actually join in on the “dying so others may live” thing (they are the fanatics, after all). Make us question whether and why we hate them, where their evil comes from, and even if they are truly more evil than the people who kill to survive.
You could then follow a few POV characters, including a young true believer in the monastic movement who’s, say, the son of one of the major government leaders. Then you could examine a bunch of themes, including the nature of good, evil, selflessness, selfishness and the ethics of life and death (I imagine that the young true believer would make a nice “coming of age” story). You could also add in a little environmental philosophy on the side, if you wanted.
Just some thoughts. Corrupt hypocritical leadership is a bit overused in dystopian literature. How about completely sincere well-intentioned fanatics?