As far as I can tell, guinea pigs do not write. I’m not a guinea pig expert, but, from personal experience, I know they cannot hold pen-like objects (that’s another story, but rest assured, no guinea pigs were harmed – very angry, but not harmed).
The type of writing I’m talking about is when an author pens something different and new. This writing cannot be pigeonholed. It’s somewhat out of the genre ball park.
A new take on an old theme is good and acceptable; that’s what makes the book world go ’round. However, a new theme is even better.
An example of an experimental novel is the hugely successful “House of Leaves” by Mark Danielewski. Its unconventional style includes unusual page layouts, multiple styles, and crazy footnotes which are stories within themselves.
Breaking ground with a guinea pig novel might present a challenge. You write your “novel” novel. It’s like nothing ever written before, it’s one of a kind . . . but, your audience is totally lost. There are no guidelines to thinking differently and no rules to follow on how the reader should respond to the written stimulus.
Big problemo.
Reference points are necessary (necessary evils, sometimes). Without them, readers have nothing to relate to in a guinea pig novel.
The quandary: stability with the old, tireless or simply tired themes, or spontaneity and uncertainty along new and uncharted territory. It’s easy to say, oh, yeah, I’ll be the breakout writer. It’s much harder to follow through.
Authors: how off-the-wall have you ever gotten with your writing? Readers: how would you deal if your favorite author veered into uncharted writing waters?
J J Dare, author of the Joe Daniels’ trilogy
4 Comments
November 4, 2009 at 11:24 am
As a writer, I’m pretty traditional. As a reader, I don’t mind something different, so long as it doesn’t breach the fundamental author/writer agreement: don’t take me out of the story. Don’t remind me unnecessarily that I’m reading a book. I want to think this is real.
Changing from first person POV to third and back can do this, though I like many writers who get away with it, because they’re good enough to make it seamless. There’s a balance that has to be reached, much like how many speech attributions need to be included, but on a larger scale.
November 4, 2009 at 7:16 pm
I know my first two novels, which wander from pillar to post and home accompanied by rejection letters, are unconventional. People tell me I’ll have to get established with something safe and ordinary first. If only my muse was listening.
I don’t mind when books I read are unconventional, as long as they pull me into their world so the writing disappears. But writing that’s bigger than the story usually annoys me, whether or not the story’s conventional.
November 6, 2009 at 12:44 pm
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is quite unique–death is the narrator and Zusak will give 3-4 lines of what is to come throughout the book. Forthright foreshadowing–unusual, but very cool.
I am pretty tradional, but do go back and forth between 1st and 3rd person in my mystery thriller series. It seems to work fine and was the only way I could do it.
November 6, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I wrote several books in the totally rejectable and currently unfashionable 1st person. This decade they say it’s a “beginner’s error,” but I think they are my best; they are certainly dearest to my heart. 1st person is also extremely difficult to do correctly, because the POV is so narrow.
Am ready to do some “Guinea Pig” writing–as the cockroach said, “What the hell, Archie!”