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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/6026
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I'm writing a teen dystopian adventure/thriller/romance novel. I've been thinking about the plot for awhile. I've got an idea I want to develop: a dystopian world where the government has gotten rid of crime by drugging food and drink with a drug that suppresses negative emotions, like hate and fear. The plot would revolve around a 17-year-old female protagonist whose boyfriend knows about the drug, rebels against the government, and has been imprisoned.

But I'm having trouble deciding whether the drug is something the government keeps secret, or something everybody knows about. This seems to make for two very different stories:

1. No one is aware of this drug and in general they think that their world is perfect and safe. The female protaganist's boyfriend (she's 17) finds out somehow about the drug and tells her. However, he is captured for being a rebel and she must rescue him while also trying to escape the drug's influence.

2. Same scenario, except everyone knows about the drug and accepts it because they believe that it makes their world better and safer. The boyfriend is still arrested/kidnapped for wanting to get rid of the drug.

How can I decide who knows about the drug?

Original score: 6