Every good dystopian story needs a villain, right? Think President Snow in Hunger Games or the Volturi in Twilight. Remember, it’s the high stakes and the crazy circumstances that will really make the ordinary people and relationships shine.
So then why, for the life of me, couldn’t I think of a good villain for my “epic love” dystopian?
Maybe I just needed a few crazy circumstances in my real life.
The summer of 2018 was a rollercoaster ride for my family. My sister had her first baby, wildfires raged near my parent’s home in Northern California, and my mother was diagnosed with Stage IV Glioblastoma—incurable brain cancer. I spent many days with my dad, driving from visiting my sister and her baby, up to the hospital to visit my mom, and back again. We talked about many things, from the sacred to the scary to the funny to the ridiculous.
I cherish those days and those conversations like you wouldn’t believe.
One conversation I remember in particular, was about my dad’s worry and anxiety concerning the fires back home.
“Wouldn’t it be great if we could just send some rain?” he’d said. “Just send enough rain to put out all the fires. Wouldn’t that be something?”
Yes, technology like that could save so many lives and might literally save the world from the effects of climate change.
But, in the wrong hands, watch out.
-cue the spine shivers-
It was a morally grey issue, one where both sides of the coin could make an argument. One where there’s not necessarily a right or a wrong answer. And you know I like my villains like I like the walls in my house—grey.
That day, The Seers were born!
So now that I had my story spark, and I had my villain, when on earth did I find the time to actually WRITE A BOOK?
The answer to that, next time!