Is it possible to write a story that is neither character driven nor plot driven, but instead is spectacle driven? Meaning the characters don't propel the plot, the plot just happen. It's not about the development of the characters either as they are mundane people and stays mundane to the end. I know this has been done like Junji Ito and his comics, but I wonder if it can be done in written story. This is an example I cooked up earlier: Would you say this is a spectacle driven story? I stared in awe at things of imagination, for what else could they possibly be but a fabrication of my mind? Yet I was not alone gawking at the sky that bloomed in light of shaded blue, illuminating the night like the stars we were used to. The people boomed their thoughts of evils lurking or blessings approaching, the only two possible explanations such a magnificent, yet terrifying, display could reveal. Though nothing that we said that night could accurately comprehend what we saw, we neither ran nor cried for help when then orb like globes descended upon the earth. My inner mind told me to step away as they came nearer, and when I did, another took my place as she reached out her hands to catch it. Such is the mind of humanity, irrational and filled with hope, hope that globes, that poured over us, did not have evil intent. All around the people watched as she made contact with the orb. It floated on her palms like it weighed nothing despite being twice her size. Yet the wind did not catch it, indeed, the woman was not sure if it was there at all for she expressed that she felt nothing what she saw. Others gathered around and drew closer for it had been a while and no evil had emerged, or of any blessings. I heard others yelp in the vast crowd around me, and I do not know if others caught the globes, nor did I witness what happened when nobody caught it, for my attention was fixated at the woman. As nothing of malice occurred, people dared to touch the light the orb emanated. But when many hands felt it, the globe popped like a bubble; and all its rays, that were harboured within, shot across everything and our bodies. At first, it was pleasant, for the lights warmed wherever it touched in the cold autumn night. But screams soon engulfed the area as the burning of those sparks grew more intense. I felt it all over my torso, head arms, and legs for I had faced the light when it had burst. The pain was searing and I could no longer make use of my legs. It was as if my very flesh melted off the bones… but it was there… it was still there attached when I rose and the burning dissipated. Screams, that had engulfed us, soon faded and we all rose to find darkness all encompassing. People shouted, the stars were gone! Others that the moon was too. Indeed, I saw nothing of any kind as I wandered in the darkness, touching and stepping on those in my path. It was only later, when the people who had hid from the strangeness, and thus had not been burned, emerged, that we learned the stars were still there and that the moon still shone brightly in our path.
I don't know. Do you read a lot of classics? I like the sort of thing you are writing. I think you still have a character in there - someone who is detached from his physical pain and distracted by other people's suffering without being particularly bothered by it. He's wisely cautious but has courage in the group. You'd be hard pressed to take the character out of it or to write a character or story where you could justify the character not changing at all. I think readers experience wonder through the eyes of the characters, so if your character is a witness, the way he reacts will affect how your reader reacts.
The easy answer is- Yes, but it will be difficult and may not make sense to many. No, I don't feel as if it is spectacle driven. It feels like a first person view of something that happened. I think it could be a good tale depending what happens to the narrator. What would be the premise of the story in one simple sentence? However, I will say this- As I read it I thought 'where does this person live?' Then I looked and saw it says Sweden below your name. It has the feel of other things I have come across from northern Europe. Neither good or bad about that, just different than what we in the US are used to. It reminded me of a sci-fi movie I saw about aliens as orbs of energy that fall to earth and create havoc. The Darkest Hour I believe it was called. And I fully agree with this.
Yes I do read a lot of classics, at least recently. Love Craft, Lord Dunsany, Ronald Tolkien, and so forth. I'm glad you liked it, but my intention is not to remove the characters, that's impossible, because even a plot driven story has characters, I just want to see if I can create an engaging story without putting too much emphasis on them. I want to see if I can make the readers come back for the scenery I create rather than any relation they have to the characters.
Well, it has to be through the eyes of someone, the story has involve characters no matter how I slice it. The Premise? No clue. This is the end for this story, I don't plan to continue it.
