Would you read this?

So I'm thinking of writing a book. I love writing, and several of my short stories have been published in collections when I was younger, so I figured I might as well give a full novel a shot, to see if it's for me. Instead of brainstorming or making lists, I just started writing and I came up with my idea for it. It's still in it's infancy, so it's just a rough idea.

Here's the first page. I know it's not totally polished, but I'd appreciate any feedback, good or bad. But mainly, does this make you want to read more?

What do we live for? Or more importantly, why do we live for it? These questions plague my mind for countless hours, demanding to be answered, demanding attention. But my answer, well, I don't have one. What I do have is your attention now, so listen carefully; the world is not as it seems. Every story has two sides, and I'm here to tell you that our lives, they're only half the story. My account of this story does not start at the beginning, nor will it finish at the end.​

Mankind's greatest quality is death. Every life has a start; every life has an end. We come into this world knowing next to nothing, and we leave it the same way. It's not our fault though, they make sure that it stays this way, that we never see. Look around you now, and you see what you have always seen. But look again, really look, and you just may catch a glimpse of what is actually there. My name is Henry Wellow, and this is where my story begins, glancing up from a good book, and seeing.​

The book was a favorite of mine, tattered and worn. The kind of book you can always pick up and instantly connect with. Books like this one can take you to entirely new worlds, and let you be strange, adventurous people. Well, that's what teachers and librarians say at least. For those of us that believe them, we are treated to hours of pouring over the pages, and we love every second of it.​

When I read, my mind wanders into the pages, to a place just beneath the written word, and here it can stay for as long the book allows. The rest of the world becomes a blur, there, but not quite in focus; it might as well be just another story. And it is a story. In fact, it's two. The story we all know, our story, and the side we don't see, their side. To answer the inevitable question of who they are isn't as easy as saying a name, or describing an appearance. They are human, there's no doubt about that, but unlike us, they don't die. Invincible, immortal, eternal.​

Seeing as you are still with me now, following along, it's safe to assume that you find this quite startling. A separate race of humans living just beyond the edge of our attention. Even more disturbing still, the fact that they don't perish. Most people would dismiss this, passing it over as impossible or improbable, but I assure you, they are quite real.​

Now, back to that book I was reading. I happened to be reading it in my favorite chair, in my favorite room. A location with the perfect amount of comfort and clutter. Most rooms in my house had similar amounts of comfort, and plenty of clutter, but this room had something else. It had the ability to put me at ease, just by stepping in. A dark wood floor, accented by the once white walls, a plush recliner in the corner, and of course my book shelf. My personal fortress of solitude.​

 

Thanks for the quick feedback

I wrote it all in one sitting, straight through, so I expected there to be some structure problems.

It's not set in stone either, so the idea can, and probably will, change at least a little.

And I knew the length would turn some people away, but I can usually tell if I wanna keep reading a book by the first page. Can't always know if I'll wanna finish it once I'm halfway through, but I can tell if I wanna read more than the very beginning.

Thanks again, any suggestions or whatever, I'm all ears.

 

Thanks everyone, seems like mostly positive feedback so far. I'll move forward with this idea, and post excerpts if anyone is interested.

Depending on how long it ends up, I may try to get it published, or it might end up in the Barnes and Noble Pubit! store. Like an AppStore for books, where anyone can submit their work for sale.

 

Like I said, I wrote it in one sitting, just as an idea. I actually did pause when I was typing the word "mankind," but I honestly don't think it's a big deal.

As for people stealing this idea, or this text exactly, its inevitably gonna change, so this is just my way of brainstorming. Im not gonna post any of the final text until I have the rights for it. There are literally hundreds of books with topics similar to this one, so anyone can feel free to write another.

Thats my style of writing, and my general idea of how the story will go. All I was looking for was feedback on that, and I got some, so thank you

And if anyone is stupid enough to take the rough few paragraphs exactly as I've written them here, and use it as the first page in their book, well I don't think of that person as much of a threat.

It takes someone who can make sentences to write a book, but it takes someone who can make people believe them to write a book that sells.

Thanks again everyone, I appreciate it