So I was wondering how to write a whole book placed in one compound? Now I have written many short stories that took place in one area but I mean, a book seems so much harder. The whole premise is that it's a post apocalyptic world around the early 3400's (Early as in within the first 10-15 years) and I wanted it to take place on an unterraformed world with a compounds already set up around it to make them livable (In my universe a plague spread out during the 2700's causing humanity to cease expansion into outer space and rush back home. And the poor were left in the outer and middle colonies. Well after that things went well and now an parasitic alien is taking over known space.). The whole idea is that during the "Darkness Plague" (The name for this parasite epidemic) a group of survivors heads out into the very outer limits of Terran space where things were left behind/in progress when the first major space plague occured. I was wondering exactly what I might do to make an interesting story at just one location. By the end I am planning for the area to be almost destroyed only for the creators of the known species to appear to save their projects. But I am currently unsure of what to fill it with.
How large an area is your compound? How large the population? How do they support themselves (food-wise)? What technology do they have? What economy? What politics? Answer the above, and you might have a starting point. Asimov's The Naked Sun deals with a small, semi-closed society and might give you some ideas.
It would depend on how big the compound is. If it is quite small, your story would have to draw the reader in with solid characters, to take the attention away from the fact that your working with a small place to put them. Sounds like an interesting story!
Thanks guys. Whenever I think about the story I think of Screamers and The Colony. The whole idea is they're stuck in the compound and things get a lot worse with the plague eventually forcing them to leave (preferably 2/3rds way through the book or near the last few pages). I want to show in depth views of people and how they react under pressure along with a lot other things. It will be the second book in a trilogy I am working on that I am going to use to show good vs evil and that you should fight for what you believe in.
This could work very well if you put heavy focus on character development. There's lots that could keep the story interesting. Someone succumbs to illness, possibly mental illness, food runs short and fights start, a bully in the party could progressively get worse and kill or be killed or start gang culture, a young child could be lost. Focus lots on making your characters believable and interesting. So long as the reader cares about what happens you can make the setting hold pace.
Overall right now all I know is I want it to get progressively worse for the people in the compound. Amd have a few ideas on how to do that.
With all those people in a small space, there would eventually be limited resources, sickness would spread like wild fire. Lots of crime too?
Idk about crime. The MC who deals with the group is a hard ass (At least after the events of my current book).
