Writing Intriguing Sci-fi Premises (part 2)

When writing out your ideas for an interesting story, I think it's important to consider your setting as a possible antagonist. People react differently to situations, and that's where the meat of your story is going to be found—your characters' reactions—but you'll need a catalyst for their reactions. The setting of The 100--a crowded, over-populated space station with thin resources available—is a perfect antagonist that will drive people to extremes, both in their response to the antagonist and in their response to each other. Not everyone is going to respond to a problem the same way, and often the response to a problem can become an even bigger problem itself. Try some writing exercises: write out a few ideas for different settings that could become a driving force for your characters. For instance, imagine a small world occupied by a powerful foe that imposes their ideology and seeks to eradicate the former culture entirely. Or imagine characters sailing on a boat in the middle of the ocean when it loses all power and is adrift in the sea for weeks on end. The setting can be an entire world or something as small as a tiny boat; it doesn't matter. What your characters do to deal with the problems imposed by the setting is where the real intrigue will be found.