How it works
There are always multiple stories being told in the world of Gethra. They may influence each other, they may directly meet one another, or they may continue without ever noticing they are not alone. Each story follows a fictional character, a life that will unfold for better or for worse in the harsh jungles and blinding desert setting. Unlike most stories, however, these character’s choices are based on the decisions of specific readers.
What this means
I, N.A. Vreugdenhil, am writing the narrative, but not the story. The story is determined by the “players”. As the creator of the world, I will always have the best understanding of circumstances beyond the control of the readers, factors which may remove the meaning of a characters decision, sealing their fate regardless of their choice (for example, a character who chooses to fight or to run from an ambush may suffer the same ending regardless of their decision). I will not purposefully doom your character–death serves a purpose in the woeful tale of Gethra, but it also removes a lot of unseen potential from said character’s story. Perhaps your character is captured instead of killed in the ambush described above.
Additionally, chaos governs Gethra. With the best understanding of this fictional world, I control only the probabilities of situations; how circumstances play out is controlled directly by dice. If a factor is under a person’s control, they make the decision, while if the factor isn’t, then fate does!
How to get involved
I can only write so much at a time, unfortunately. As it stands, I will take on a certain number of characters at a time, replacing those who die or stop “playing”. There are also differing levels of commitment. Some players will want to have direct say over everything their character says or does. I will only take on a few players with this level of interaction (over skype or in person). Many players will interact by deciding major choices that face their characters, while I fill in the mundane details based on a character summary collaborated upon by the player and myself. Even minor characters with reoccurring or single appearances in the story may be taken on by readers, and these less time-consuming characters may be much more numerous than “main characters”. So, if you’re interested, check out the wanted list! And don’t forget to join the waiting list to become a main character, here!
Why this is different from my past works
Because the characters in the story are deciding how to live, this project will cross the usual lines I put in place in my writing. If you have read my books and enjoyed a distinct moral compass, or a challenging of good vs evil, you may not find any similar themes here. Lives of Gethra is an exercise in fantastical realism: time passes at a realistic pace, characters live and die in merciless ways, and the decisions that define them are beyond the control of a single author or creator. I think there are intriguing themes to be found, all the same, but this project will most certainly be unlike anything else I write. Either way, hope you enjoy!
–N.A. Vreugdenhil