Is this concept, at all, intriguing to you?

[CinnaSloth]

A group of adventurers go on a perilous, harrowing, thought-provoking campaign across multiple hazardous, dark countries that span an entirely abandoned continent.

The book doesn't follow along with any characters in particular. It doesn't describe what they do on a daily basis, nor does it explain what happens to them throughout their travel. It doesn't say whether they grew sick, or tired, or how their supplies dwindled as their journey progressed. It doesn't name them, and it doesn't memorialize their fallen. The book only explains two things; The land, and how it made the writer feel.

With every country they travel to, the writer describes it in pure detail. From the plants and fauna, to the burning seas, from the bloody rivers that flow up hill, to the crumbling skylines of empty cities; Describing everything they see, hear, touch, taste, and smell, and the feelings that rise inside them, to the feelings that overwhelm their senses. This is a book, a story, where the main character is the land itself. What happened to it, and what it has become.

It's the story of Velraum, a fictional world of my own making, with lore, and stories, and people, and gods. A place I would like to share, and welcome you into through the eyes of a nameless adventurer, and what was found within their records. A fictional documentary of a mysterious continent cut off from the rest of the world by something called, 'The Calamity'.


What's your honest opinion on a concept like this?

 

[Eldoria]

The concept of this story feels grand and epic, as if I were imagining the history of Middle Earth.

However, as a reader, I'm not sure if this story will appeal to causal readers because generally without a point of entry from characters that the readers can relate to, grand and epic narratives can feel cold and neutral.

Your narrative positions the reader as an observer, instead of inviting the reader to experience the story with MC. So, your concept may be good, but I'm not sure this narrative will appeal to causal readers.

After all, LOTR also uses characters (Frodo, Sam, Aragorn, Gandalf, et al) as entry points to explore Middle Earth.

Perhaps your narrative is closer to the concept of combining mythology, historiography and ethnography in the form of fiction than a fictional story.

 

[CinnaSloth]

The concept of this story feels grand and epic, as if I were imagining the history of Middle Earth.

in -'feels grand and epic, as if i were imagining the history of middle earth' (in LOTR) -is the "feels" part a good thing, or a bad thing?
Did you enjoy Middle Earth history/ geography, or does that mean it "feels grand and epic" but is actually 'boring, and I can do without' like people who would rather only watch the movies? (not saying ONLY watching the movies is bad, just that the books go in so SO much further details)

What would your personal opinion be, despite everyone else, despite casual readers, despite being fully inclusive to public eye, just your perspective, your opinion? like "I am writing this specifically for you, Eldoria, just you" kind of mentality. Would you be interested in this kind of writing? would you find it fascinating, or intriguing? Do enjoy world building for its own thing, separate from the stories?
Give your honest opinion. I don't think there's a wrong, or right answer for what you yourself would find interesting.

 

[Eldoria]

in -'feels grand and epic, as if i were imagining the history of middle earth' (in LOTR) -is the "feels" part a good thing, or a bad thing?
Did you enjoy Middle Earth history/ geography, or does that mean it "feels grand and epic" but is actually 'boring, and I can do without' like people who would rather only watch the movies? (not saying ONLY watching the movies is bad, just that the books go in so SO much further details)

What would your personal opinion be, despite everyone else, despite casual readers, despite being fully inclusive to public eye, just your perspective, your opinion? like "I am writing this specifically for you, Eldoria, just you" kind of mentality. Would you be interested in this kind of writing? would you find it fascinating, or intriguing? Do enjoy world building for its own thing, separate from the stories?
Give your honest opinion. I don't think there's a wrong, or right answer for what you yourself would find interesting.

Well, my opinion might be in the minority. Did I enjoy it? Why not?! I enjoy documentaries. Documentary fiction might be more unique and imaginative... I can imagine eccentric cultural diversity, exotic creatures, and breathtaking topography. But, of course, this is just my personal opinion.

 

[CinnaSloth]

Well, my opinion might be in the minority. Did I enjoy it? Why not?! I enjoy documentaries. Documentary fiction might be more unique and imaginative... I can imagine eccentric cultural diversity, exotic creatures, and breathtaking topography. But, of course, this is just my personal opinion.

Mine too. But this is also why I wanted to talk about it. I don't care about the views.
I like to write for me, and whoever else fits into the little boxes my stories fall into.
I love Documentaries. I love world building. I want to mix those two things, and maybe create something niche that may, or may not be beloved by small, or large groups. I really enjoy what I enjoy, I wanted to see if anyone else did too. I find it entertaining to have something in common with someone else. Much like writing.

 

[Eldoria]

Mine too. But this is also why I wanted to talk about it. I don't care about the views.
I like to write for me, and whoever else fits into the little boxes my stories fall into.
I love Documentaries. I love world building. I want to mix those two things, and maybe create something niche that may, or may not be beloved by small, or large groups. I really enjoy what I enjoy, I wanted to see if anyone else did too. I find it entertaining to have something in common with someone else. Much like writing.

Well, I actually prefer fiction as a medium for education or exploration of thought or imaginative reality.

However, I also know... readers prefer entertainment over education or exploration.

And only a few works of educational fiction can become popular. One such work is a fiction titled "Sofie's World," which explicitly attempts to explore philosophy from classical to modern times in the form of a fictional narrative based on a character (Sofie).

The result?! Readers are not only entertained but also close the book with knowledge.

However, once again, this kind of fiction is rare and tends to be less popular than mainstream fiction such as shounen, isekai, LitRPG, early adult romance, etc.

 

[TinaMigarlo]

maybe the world could narrate. as if the biosphere, was a living sentient entity. it could take over the third person narration of the goings on of the people exploring. that gives you access to the travelers, even if the world thinks of them as fleas. occasionally let the people in though. I can see one saying "its like this damn place is alive, and doesn;t *want* us making it to the other side."

just brainstorming.

 

[CinnaSloth]

Well, I actually prefer fiction as a medium for education or exploration of thought or imaginative reality.

However, I also know... readers prefer entertainment over education or exploration.

And only a few works of educational fiction can become popular. One such work is a fiction titled "Sofie's World," which explicitly attempts to explore philosophy from classical to modern times in the form of a fictional narrative based on a character (Sofie).

The result?! Readers are not only entertained but also close the book with knowledge.

However, once again, this kind of fiction is rare and tends to be less popular than mainstream fiction such as shounen, isekai, LitRPG, early adult romance, etc.

i'll have to look up Sofie's World. That sounds super awesome, and something I'd get comfy reading.

Yea... I know about the 'what's in' kinds of literature. My LitRPG is flying off shelves, but I don't think I really care.. I kind of hate that book.. I'm also writing an isekai book here on SH, and it's getting plenty of views not even an hour after I update. Which I guess is a good thing. It's supposed to be satire, but I guess people just don't care. Shounen will always be popular. And I, unfortunately, know plenty of friends that are in love with the monsterf***er sections in bookstores.. I often get stuck in the middle of those conversations, and wow.. I don't need to hear that..

Idk. Maybe I want to do something purely for me? Maybe I just want to be greedy with this book? I'm not sure. Maybe for once I'm actually doing good at something, and want to sabotage myself before it blows up in my face. -groan.

 

[TinaMigarlo]

Well, I actually prefer fiction as a medium for education or exploration of thought or imaginative reality.

However, I also know... readers prefer entertainment over education or exploration.

And only a few works of educational fiction can become popular. One such work is a fiction titled "Sofie's World," which explicitly attempts to explore philosophy from classical to modern times in the form of a fictional narrative based on a character (Sofie).

The result?! Readers are not only entertained but also close the book with knowledge.

However, once again, this kind of fiction is rare and tends to be less popular than mainstream fiction such as shounen, isekai, LitRPG, early adult romance, etc.

eldoria. you continue to impress me with your precise speech grammar and vocabulary, as well as specialized knowledge of the writing field. Are you like a creative writing professor at a college or something? and that guess fits in with your well cultured sense of quiet propriety and helpfulness. I'm just curious. you're like a walking oracle or something, lol. I like it, trust me.

 

[Eldoria]

eldoria. you continue to impress me with your precise speech grammar and vocabulary, as well as specialized knowledge of the writing field. Are you like a creative writing professor at a college or something? and that guess fits in with your well cultured sense of quiet propriety and helpfulness. I'm just curious. you're like a walking oracle or something, lol. I like it, trust me.

Eldoria is nothing here, but a world that feels, remembers, and is broken. I am just a world writing my story.

 

[CinnaSloth]

maybe the world could narrate. as if the biosphere, was a living sentient entity. it could take over the third person narration of the goings on of the people exploring. that gives you access to the travelers, even if the world thinks of them as fleas. occasionally let the people in though. I can see one saying "its like this damn place is alive, and doesn;t *want* us making it to the other side."

just brainstorming.

It's a good idea. Not to shoot you down, I do appreciate the concept.

But I don't want to make the planet sentient, or a goliath of some sort. It just wouldn't fit the old lore I currently have with other stories within the same shared universe. The other stories tell of the people, and characters, and the happenings, world events, government, gods, and creatures; Everything between secret social societies trying to gain power in a free world, and a group of young girls just trying to find their place in life after highschool. I wanted this one to be more about the darker, forgotten lands where nobody lives.

 

[TinaMigarlo]

Eldoria is nothing here, but a world that feels, remembers, and is broken. I am just a world writing my story.

uh huh.
writing purple prose is hard enough.
you can speak it off the top of your head.
that's *not* a skill one is born with, little one.

as a character model though, I'd use your manner of speaking as a... numph, sprite, elf, fairy... something like that.
maybe a goddess of tranquility or some shit like that.
you would appear to the MC, every couple of chapters. Give your little poetry riddle. when he figures one out, he knows where to go or what to do. Like that.

i still think you;re some kind of literature professor though.
just the vibe you give off.

(I gotta start writing her shit down, though. I can't do that off the top of my head, lol)
eldoria, basded on how you perceive me... what am i. this is a fun game.

eldoria, basded on how you perceive me... what am i. this is a fun game.

 

[K_Nishi]

I think the concept itself is very interesting, especially as a kind of fictional documentary or travelogue.
However, speaking honestly as a reader, I personally struggle to emotionally connect with a story where the land is the only “protagonist.”

No matter how tragic or fascinating a place’s history is, land itself doesn’t feel pain, hunger, fear, desire, love, or jealousy. Those emotions — and the actions born from them — are what usually create tragedy and comedy in stories.

Without characters who can suffer, hope, regret, or make choices, I feel the emotional entry point for the reader becomes very limited.

For me, worlds become memorable not just because of what happened there, but because of how those events shaped the people who lived, failed, and endured within them.

 

[CinnaSloth]

I think the concept itself is very interesting, especially as a kind of fictional documentary or travelogue.
However, speaking honestly as a reader, I personally struggle to emotionally connect with a story where the land is the only “protagonist.”

No matter how tragic or fascinating a place’s history is, land itself doesn’t feel pain, hunger, fear, desire, love, or jealousy. Those emotions — and the actions born from them — are what usually create tragedy and comedy in stories.

Without characters who can suffer, hope, regret, or make choices, I feel the emotional entry point for the reader becomes very limited.

For me, worlds become memorable not just because of what happened there, but because of how those events shaped the people who lived, failed, and endured within them.

Well said.

But I think land can tell a story without characters being present. For example when I say Chernobyl, you know the place, you know the stories, you know the lore, to anyone else who had never heard that name before, never knew what happened (as you would with the lands within my story) they would only see it as an abandoned city with a shutdown powerplant, and maybe see the abandoned playgrounds, and hospitals. But the fact remains it is still abandoned. No people. No characters in play. The same with any "haunted facility" you see people exploring that has been overgrown, and taken back by nature, covered in graffiti, and probably home for a few homeless.

I would like to show you the land I envision, tell how it looks, how it feels, how it smells, tell you the rumors, and lore, and history. I want to invite you into this abandoned continent as if you yourself were the character walking the land, to paint a picture, to tell you what it used to be, what happened, and the remnant that it is now within the fictional universe.

I think the buildings, the structures, and the tools, and clothes, or bones left on the ground of an empty street would tell much of that story as the unnamed explorer traverses these areas. Narrating like a documentary, in the same sense how people film wildlife, but don't stop the lion from eating the zebra, or save the penguins from freezing in the blizzards. Or youtubers exploring areas they probably shouldn't, or have no business being in.

I don't know if this would add, or if that would diminish, or still have a neutral effect on the emotional connection. It's true the land can't feel those things, but you can see an empty house with no one inside, except a broken front door with a broken latch, and wonder what happened. At least, that's the idea..

 

[K_Nishi]

Well said.

But I think land can tell a story without characters being present. For example when I say Chernobyl, you know the place, you know the stories, you know the lore, to anyone else who had never heard that name before, never knew what happened (as you would with the lands within my story) they would only see it as an abandoned city with a shutdown powerplant, and maybe see the abandoned playgrounds, and hospitals. But the fact remains it is still abandoned. No people. No characters in play. The same with any "haunted facility" you see people exploring that has been overgrown, and taken back by nature, covered in graffiti, and probably home for a few homeless.

I would like to show you the land I envision, tell how it looks, how it feels, how it smells, tell you the rumors, and lore, and history. I want to invite you into this abandoned continent as if you yourself were the character walking the land, to paint a picture, to tell you what it used to be, what happened, and the remnant that it is now within the fictional universe.

I think the buildings, the structures, and the tools, and clothes, or bones left on the ground of an empty street would tell much of that story as the unnamed explorer traverses these areas. Narrating like a documentary, in the same sense how people film wildlife, but don't stop the lion from eating the zebra, or save the penguins from freezing in the blizzards. Or youtubers exploring areas they probably shouldn't, or have no business being in.

I don't know if this would add, or if that would diminish, or still have a neutral effect on the emotional connection. It's true the land can't feel those things, but you can see an empty house with no one inside, except a broken front door with a broken latch, and wonder what happened. At least, that's the idea..

Thank you for the detailed explanation.
I think that traces of daily life and hints of what once happened can give readers a reason to explore and engage with the land.
I’m not sure yet what kind of story it will become, but please let me know when you start writing it.

 

[CinnaSloth]

Thank you for the detailed explanation.
I think that traces of daily life and hints of what once happened can give readers a reason to explore and engage with the land.
I’m not sure yet what kind of story it will become, but please let me know when you start writing it.

lol thank you for giving me the chance to discuss it with you.

 

[MFontana]

A group of adventurers go on a perilous, harrowing, thought-provoking campaign across multiple hazardous, dark countries that span an entirely abandoned continent.

The book doesn't follow along with any characters in particular. It doesn't describe what they do on a daily basis, nor does it explain what happens to them throughout their travel. It doesn't say whether they grew sick, or tired, or how their supplies dwindled as their journey progressed. It doesn't name them, and it doesn't memorialize their fallen. The book only explains two things; The land, and how it made the writer feel.

With every country they travel to, the writer describes it in pure detail. From the plants and fauna, to the burning seas, from the bloody rivers that flow up hill, to the crumbling skylines of empty cities; Describing everything they see, hear, touch, taste, and smell, and the feelings that rise inside them, to the feelings that overwhelm their senses. This is a book, a story, where the main character is the land itself. What happened to it, and what it has become.

It's the story of Velraum, a fictional world of my own making, with lore, and stories, and people, and gods. A place I would like to share, and welcome you into through the eyes of a nameless adventurer, and what was found within their records. A fictional documentary of a mysterious continent cut off from the rest of the world by something called, 'The Calamity'.


What's your honest opinion on a concept like this?

Intriguing, and certainly a unique take.
I'd add it to my list of stuff to read for sure.

 

[SouthernMaiden]

I would tweak it to be written from the perspective of a researcher or scholar, on the journey who is documenting everything they see and discover in a series of journal entries.

The entries can slowly give hints about the characters, through bits and pieces.

That's how I would make this concept more approachable. Without characters, you have what is essentially a textbook.