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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/24750
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

- **How should I write a utopia?**

I think the utopian fiction you're describing would be challenging to write because it lacks climactic points. Its predictable. You describe it as if there is no wobbles, no wobbles at all in the relationships or whatever, and everything goes uphill with none who would foil the protagonist's plan.

I don't think this is the right way to go, because its **predictable.** At some point, in anyone's life, there will be unpredictability. Describing a perfect world where no wrong occurs is too unrealistic, and even if someone had the most perfect life, there would be a problem. The protagonists identifies the problem, and seeks to resolve it.

However, this doesn't have to happen in the form of a tyrant, or something bad. This might be a bit of a generic example, but take this: the protagonist sees a girl he likes, and wants to go out with her. That's the basic idea, and then the story would go on to expand that, and eventually bring them together. This type of thing can be very well executed.

There doesn't even need to be some like a terrible illness to keep your reader interested. There just needs to be tension. I understand that your story might not revolve around a relationship, but I'll go back to my previous example. Imagine the boy and girl being a match made in heaven, but many nice people around them threaten that relationship working. The people are still nice, but tension and intrigue is still given to the reader, because there is inter-character tension.

If you are just looking to write a book which people can learn from, then perhaps write a self help book?

- **Why don't people write utopian fiction? Why is it all negative?**

I think the answer to this question boils down to a simple principle. In utopian fiction, the ideals are often met from the beginning. In dystopian fiction, the ideals are not met, and the reader wishes to keep reading to see if the ideals will be met.

The reason authors don't write it, I think, is because it is very challenging. In a dystopia, things need to be corrected. This isn't the case with a utopia, hence the author might find it hard to create a point 'worth working towards' or more specifically, a climax.

I think authors don't write fiction about how we should care for the world, because that's mainly included in self-help books, and a variety of non-fiction works. However, those are often direct instructions. Its not hard to include a moral to the story expressing that these things should be done.

- **Conclusion: how should I make a utopia work?**

- Create characters that give intrigue. Make tensions occur within characters - not negative ones though.

- Don't make the book pointless. Give the protagonist an ultimate goal, a great ideal, from the very start. Give them something they would really want.

- Thwart the reader! I realised this just now.

- Don't make it so predictable we know whats going to happen.

This was an ludicrously, unnecessarily long answer. Sorry for making you read so much, and if I didn't even answer the question correctly. I hope this helped you.

Original score: 6