What are examples of overused tropes in dystopian fiction?

Question

I'm writing a Dystopian Novel and am in the initial plot-planning stage. I'm trying to ensure that I avoid the major tropes and have researched examples of this, however the examples I have found were on Wikipedia . . . a website I don't trust when it comes to a readers' view on tropes and clichés. What kind of plot/scene do you think is considered a trope/cliché and should be avoided?

Alternatively are there any ideas or plots that should be used more in Dystopian Writing? I think so far (especially my villain) I have done well at creating unique ideas. But as a reader what would you enjoy seeing more of when reading Dystopias?

(This is also my first question so I don't know if I'm doing this right)

Answer 1

This sounds like one of your first novels. In general, basing your story on an over-used idea isn't a big concern. No doubt, when one writer comes up with a successful formula -- Half-human half-fae girl meets vampires -- there will be a bunch of vampire based romances soon to follow.

But, Twilight and True Blood were very different stories because they were written by different people. When we tell stories we are actually revealing ourselves in some ways. At least, this is true for effective writers.

Since a novel is a lot of words, you should write what interests you. If the world drowning in a deluge of molasses is your thing, you should use that in your story -- even if a dozen other award winning writers just published stories based in similar ideas.

In short, say to yourself "This story is mine, there may be many like it, but this one is mine."