MAKE BELIEVE MONDAY: Inspiration for Writers of a Utopian Future

     Last week, I wrote about dystopian / post-apocalyptic settings. This week, I'm going to write about the opposite: utopias. This is a much harder topic for me to discuss. I'm one of those people who's fascinated by old crumbling houses and rusted-out abandoned cars. I also like science-fiction more than fantasy. But I do have one manuscript I wrote - and it's my favorite manuscript, in fact - where my character lives in a utopia. It seems to be a utopia, anyway, but she soon discovers that it isn't. That's usually the case with these "perfect" places, where everything is supposedly harmonious and happy. Either there are dark secrets below the surface or some malicious outside force threatens the peace. Whatever you decide, I thought I'd brainstorm some utopian settings here and show you some inspirational pictures. (Remember: there's a lot more to building your utopia than setting, though. You'll need to decide everything from government to religion, philosophical belief, how your characters live day-to-day, etc).