It was a blisteringly hot late spring day back in 2001, Reader. The sorta day where the cheap plastic of your desk chair sticks to the back of your thighs.

It was 2001 in California so absolutely NONE of the classrooms had air-conditioning. And it was over a 100 degrees out.

But what made EVERYTHING worse was the fact that they were tarring the roof. Of the classroom I was in. WHILE I was in it.

And yes, I was perfectly aware that it was a code violation. But unlike my classmates, I refused to have my health, safety, and learning put in jeopardy by bureaucratic incompetence.

So I stood up. Right there in the middle of class. In the middle of the lecture.

The teacher took one look at me and—possibly in an effort to embarrass me—asked, “Do you need to use the restroom?”

I looked him square in the eye and stated in a loud clear voice, “No, I don’t. But it is against the law to force any student to remain in a building while the roof is being tarred. So I am going to have us moved.”

And then I walked out of the classroom and headed to the front office.

I didn’t look back despite the befuddled outrage of my teacher as others followed suit. But by the time I reached the office across our high school campus, nearly all of my class had joined me in walking out in protest.

When we arrived, I restated my argument clearly to the principal. And thus my class was moved to the newly-built science lecture hall, one of only 5 buildings to have air conditioning. Mainly because those buildings were built in 2000 instead of the 1950s.

Unfortunately, not every injustice we face today can be solved with a simple logical argument voiced by one person willing to take a stand. And at the moment, things are looking a bit bleak. To quote one of my favorite P!nk songs, “There is so much wrong goin’ on outside.”

And maybe right about now you’re feeling like raging against the machine.

Or maybe you’re feeling like writing a Resistance Story.

You know, a story like…

​The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

​Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

​Silo series by Hugh Howey

​Safehold series by David Weber

…Where a character takes a stand against something that has gone wrong in their society.

Now every Resistance Story needs the following 3 elements:

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1) The Victim of the System/Tool of the System

In a Resistance Story, your Legendary Character is either a victim of the system or an active participant in the oppressive system.

Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games was essentially conscripted to fight against other children for the entertainment of the aristocracy like gladiators in the Roman Coliseum.

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2) The Eye Opener

Through the course of the story, their eyes are opened to what’s “really going on under the surface and behind the scenes.”

In Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag is a Fireman—someone whose job it is to burn books—who becomes disillusioned with his role. The story is inspired by the book burnings in Nazi Germany.

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3) The Revolt

Usually (but not always) they join the resistance to take down the corrupt oppressive system.

In the Safehold series Nimue Alban is tasked with saving humanity by destroying the Church and eventually defeating the aliens.

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In our real day-to-day lives we may not always be in a position to take a stand against the corrupt, oppressive system. However, as storytellers it is within our power to create characters who can.

Well until next time, Reader, this is your friendly neighborhood storytelling Kat wishing you a wonderfully creative week.

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Your cohort in storytelling,

Kat Vancil

🐱

PS 👉 The Silo series on Apple+ is fantastic BTW if you’re looking for a thrilling bingeable watch.

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Eboni J. Dunbar Black, queer, SFF writer, sharing about whats happening in her life, her work and other fun. Subscribe​

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