Society in any genre of fiction is a tricky thing to build, almost as difficult as building a world. But in a post-apocalyptic society, the world we know is still there, it's just a shell of its former self and so are the people.

It is all well and good to explain how the world ended, how the wasteland looks, and the adventure in which your protagonist is about to go on, but remember there are so many other stories in the same genre. In fact, there are so many that it is all starting to look the same. Pick up a novel revolving around the end of the world and you’ll likely find zombies, aliens, robots, androids, the military, or God.

So how do you break that mold? Remember humanity. At the core of your post-apocalyptic novel, you have to remember what humans are like. Think of what’s going on in current events, politics, and even advertisements. Change the channel and see that North Korea and America are closely communicating. Change the channel and watch liberals and conservatives go at each other’s throats. It’s late at night and you’re at a hotel, change the channel again and behold an advertisement for “adult” movies comes on.

Now you know what to base the intellect, desire, and interest of your wasteland society on. But there’s still a few more things missing.

What’s the currency? What are their political views? What are their fears? Who are their enemies and allies?

An example of a great post-apocalyptic society is within the pages of Dmitry Glukhovsky’s Metro series. The people of post-apocalyptic Russia are living underground in the metro. Their currency is bullets, their enemy is the radiated world above, the creatures both known and unknown, and each other. Humans brought with them the political views of the past, there are Nazis, Communists, and common folk just trying not to get in between either political faction.

Sounds interesting, right? Your novel can sound just as interesting if you really think about these small details. Of course, this is just the surface. So here are a few other questions to ask yourself:

- What are the vices of the people in your wasteland? Are there drugs? Is there still alcohol as we know it today? What are these things made of? How do they affect people?

- What do they eat? Do plants and fruits still grow? Are animals still alive? Are they mutated? Has society gone vegan?

- Are there new religions? Cults like the Children of Atom? Do they pose a threat?

- Is race still an issue? If it is does it have to be human? Can it be extraterrestrial? Robotic? Synthetic?

- Are there new illnesses? Have old plagues returned?

- Do cars still work? How do people get around?

- Who protects people? Is there a brotherhood that protects them? Is there an android detective that helps people?

- Who antagonizes people? Are there gangs? Raiders? Scavengers?

- Are the territories different? Seeing the news lately makes me wonder will there be a New California Republic?

- What’s the weather like? What’s the day and night cycle like? Does it affect things?

- Lastly, what the heck is the music like? Can you imagine a world where the only music that plays are the songs you hate?

To break the mold you have to think outside the box. You have to be original. You don’t necessarily have to read books, but it helps to read books that are like the story you’re writing and write down the questions that come to mind when you’re reading about the world within that book. Always question everything because there is a chance that you might be the person to answer those questions.