: Re: How can my story describe a world and a society without relying on individual characters? I'm working on a story which is focused on the conditions of its world and its society and I want

@Sent2472441

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You might choose to do a series of vignettes.

Break the novel down into many short chapters, each one with a different set of characters. You won't be spending much time on any one character but many of them will have names and descriptions and some of them the reader will learn a few things about.

For example, you might have some chapters like:

A hospital emergency room. The team of doctors, nurses, aides, paramedics, and other staff work together over a long shift as victims from a bridge collapse pour in.
Rescue workers free people trapped by the bridge collapse.
Police officers help get people home safely, (re)direct traffic, and keep onlookers at a safe distance.
People from nearby neighborhoods mobilize to bring emergency workers meals and coffee and to help out with people from out of town left stranded.
Mechanics check out the damaged cars.
Engineers visit the bridge and come up with a plan to fix it.
The mayor and city staff figure out the logistics of funding and everything else needed for bridge repair.
Concerned citizens have a peaceful protest, saying the bridge never worked well in that location and it's time for better long-term planning.
The urban planners come out in force!

And so on...

While my example is almost certainly not one you want to write a book about (which is why I used it), it shows hundreds of people from all walks of life working to solve the same problem and better their world.

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