Finding a recognisable style seems to be my current focus within writing right now. However I have discovered that my fictional writing so far frequently falls into a particular tone, having a somewhat cynical delivery, but with subtle (I hope) attempts to create humour within this cynicism. It is also intensely centred around my experiences and myself as the protagonist, but the more I write the more I am trying to expand and develop this in order to reach a point were there are merely glimpses of my own life. I am unsure as to whether or not it is possible to deviate form this narrative tone, at least not yet.
I have encountered many works of which have emphasised a particular style in the author that enhances the predictability of their novels. This appears to be most evident in romantic/comedy novels, however I admit this is branching out into the style of the genre in general. For example, Cecilia Ahern's novels often focus on a mysterious plot combined with a love story; it is fairly simple to determine who the protagonist will fall in love with at the end and I quickly learnt what to expect from her novels. I think that this can be a good thing, as liking the style of a novel urges me to experience the same enjoyment again in a different story by the same author. This of course works both ways: many readers expect an author to have a recognisable style; there have been many times that I have read a book, and if I have disliked it I wouldn't read another by that author as I am expecting the worst in the next one. It is more surprising to encounter an author that deters from their previous novels; in other words, is consistently inconsistent! To be quite honest I cannot put my finger on a particular author that deals with their writing in that way.
One author who I find is pleasantly consistent (and yet not in a way that becomes predictable) is Robert Rankin, whose style is familiar in each novel, and yet the narrative or characters and so forth have not become inevitable; only the narrative tone that is comic and witty. In this sense, having a recognisable style is an advantage, and something I hope to achieve after further experimentation in novelistic work.
I have encountered many works of which have emphasised a particular style in the author that enhances the predictability of their novels. This appears to be most evident in romantic/comedy novels, however I admit this is branching out into the style of the genre in general. For example, Cecilia Ahern's novels often focus on a mysterious plot combined with a love story; it is fairly simple to determine who the protagonist will fall in love with at the end and I quickly learnt what to expect from her novels. I think that this can be a good thing, as liking the style of a novel urges me to experience the same enjoyment again in a different story by the same author. This of course works both ways: many readers expect an author to have a recognisable style; there have been many times that I have read a book, and if I have disliked it I wouldn't read another by that author as I am expecting the worst in the next one. It is more surprising to encounter an author that deters from their previous novels; in other words, is consistently inconsistent! To be quite honest I cannot put my finger on a particular author that deals with their writing in that way.
One author who I find is pleasantly consistent (and yet not in a way that becomes predictable) is Robert Rankin, whose style is familiar in each novel, and yet the narrative or characters and so forth have not become inevitable; only the narrative tone that is comic and witty. In this sense, having a recognisable style is an advantage, and something I hope to achieve after further experimentation in novelistic work.
I hope you find your style! One of the things I've realised is that with an ever-increasing back catalogue of literary works to choose from, it gets harder and harder to create a unique literary voice that stands out.
ReplyDeleteI don't think your voice has to be totally unique in order to write a great novel, but the less individual your voice, the more work you have to do in terms of character, location and plot. As such, it's definitely an advantage to be able to bring a new perspective to a familiar situation.
I'm looking forward to reading your creative piece! :-)