How I Lost my Connection to Dystopian Novels

How I lost my connection to dystopian novels isn't something that I thought I could pinpoint to a specific time frame or event. However, months after the aftermath of my personal apocalypse, I realize there is probably a reason I clung to dystopian novels so desperately last year and now feel as though I can and want to read other genres.


A dystopia is a world where hope is needed to survive, and I needed hope to survive. Okay, maybe not survive physically like in the wilderness with bears, mountain lions, and geese (those geese omg!), but survive emotionally. Reading Divergent, Delirium, and Legend (not to mention the dozens of others I hoarded) taught me that I needed to keep my hope alive until things got better.



Of course, I don't live in a post-apocalyptic world and my enemy wasn't society--it was a rough relationship, lack of career, and post-graduation fear (on second thought, that all sounds like society. WHERE'S MY BOW AND ARROW? I'M TAKING PEOPLE OUT).


I was very lost the last year or so (the past three months have been amazing, however, so no pity party!), and it took a lot of talking, friend counseling, and face-slapping to get me to realize none of it is permanent. I don't have to take crap from a douchebag just because I'm in a relationship with him. I don't have to stay home and drink my sorrows away in cups of vanilla milkshake because no one has called for a job interview in 48 hours. I don't have to be stressed about post-graduation life because no one else has their life figured out either.


Once I realized all this and got out of these three terrible places, things looked up.


I got an internship with a literary agency. I got accepted into graduate school (countdown to fresh post-graduation stress and GO). I spent endless hours and days with friends again. I started dating this crazy awesome guy. I dyed my hair (okay, that has nothing to do with anything else, but it happened). Needless to say, that hope I clung to months prior was suddenly transformed into this strange thing called happiness.


I didn't need the hope that I got from dystopian novels because I was in charge of myself again. Am I in charge of my life? No, of course not, that's impossible. However, I am in charge of making the most out of it. I lost my connection to dystopian novels because I no longer needed them to feel safe. I still love them for how they accurately portray the human's desire for hope and individuality, and perhaps that's why dystopian novels have blown up in the YA department. These kids (and I'm still one of them) needed something to tell them that life sucks and that's perfectly normal. There can't be good times without bad times to make us dream about good times.


That came from somewhere too, probably a philosopher or Hollywood screenwriter (those are like the same people anyway, right?). I lost my connection, but I gained a new perspective. These are the true dystopian wonders I love so much. Not only that, but I think this is what I was missing from my writing perspective when it came to writing my dream dystopian novel. Now I should be able to write! (I'm totally not blaming procrastination here).


Although, I don't play solitaire anymore. Everything else is completely accurate however.