#kly post

[klywrites]

I want to see more platonic relationships and in general more books where there is zero ro/mance and zero mention of it

I want it to be a selling point. sell it to me like that. I dare you

[klywrites]

the kinds of stories that can be told are literally endless and I think that's neat

[klywrites]

UNCONVENTIONAL NOVELS

[last updated Oct 21, 2022]

(a list I put together... of lists I did not put together)

For those interested in techniques and genres that are outside of the mainstream market in the West/Americas, here's a post of resources you can refer to for inspiration, research, or quiet support.

DISCLAIMER !! : Note there will be some overlap and you don’t have to like or agree with anything here—I certainly don't. This is mainly for research and interest! Also, while you may come across books by diverse authors, a lot of the ones listed here may be outdated and probably Eurocentric, but there are also many forms and structures that were originated by authors of colour. Please don’t limit your research to this post. I will update this post as time goes on.

If the contents of the books you find here don’t interest you then maybe structure will (the point is to examine form, too, not just content). 

some recommended reading

Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative  by Jane Alison - in this book, the author explores form and pattern through close readings of various (niche/unconventional) novels.

This post by @whimsyqueen​ has a summary of the book and its parts.

What is Postmodernism in Literature? - a brief Youtube video presented by Dr. Masood Raja (Postcolonialism channel); simple yet informative.

Wikipedia articles - antinovel | verse novel | defamiliarization | metafiction | digression (literary) | fragmentary novel | weird fiction | new weird | slipstream | experimental literature | postmodern literature | interactive novel | hypertext fiction | LitRPG | cybertext | New Sincerity | ergodic literature | 

I’ll continue to update this post over time or write more.

anti-novels

No rules, no problems. Take all the tropes and conventions of the typical novel and throw them away. Or make up your own conventions.

Goodreads: list of 100+

Barnes & Noble: flex your reading muscles

Millions article: long live the anti-novel, built from scratch

a review of Subimal Misra’s work This Could Have Become Ramayan Chamar’s Tale: Two Anti-Novels

bizarre, weird fiction

If you ever wanted to read or write about cat men on Mars, or a bear who talks and plays the saxophone, or people with blue butts... well, you can.

Book Riot: 100 strange and unusual novels

Bustle: 13 super strange books

Goodreads: Monster/Erotica books

Owlcation: 10 of the weirdest novels ever written

blog post by Z. Burns ft. 7 more weird books

experimental

Hard to define but generally more about form than content. Often but not always used to refer to ergodic literature (see next heading). Maybe you want half your story told in footnotes. Maybe your paragraphs are separated from the main body of text and dispersed all over the page. Maybe some of it is upside-down or sideways. Perhaps some words are blacked out. Since there’s no hard definition of “experimental” the term is sometimes used as an umbrella term. For specific examples of ergodic literature, see the next heading.

The Modern Novel - includes a list of books and a breakdown of what makes them experimental; there are also further links at the end

Goodreads list

Bustle: 10 experimental novels that aren’t hard to read

Standout Books: 5 experimental novels that will inspire any writer

(preview) Experimental Fiction: An Introduction for Readers and Writers Julie Armstrong

ergodic literature (experimental)

Experimental literature often taken to an extreme. In ergodic literature , “nontrivial effort is required to allow the reader to traverse the text.” These books contain unconventional typography, as mentioned above. Perhaps there are empty pages, pages with one word, chapters that contain only a poem where others follow a different structure, etc. 

Examples include: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski; Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar; and even, to an extent, the 18th Century classic, Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne, which presents multiple narrative techniques unusual for its time.

Disturbing the Text: Typographic devices in literary fiction, Zoe Sadokierski (recommended)

this essay will give you a fairly comprehensive look at many examples of ergodic literature, along with some substantial analyses (images included!)

sparse plot / low conflict / books where “nothing happens”

Very basically, a plot is a sequence of events affected through cause-and-effect. In the West, audiences often expect there to be a linear series of conflicts that ultimately leads to a big “showdown”. This is not a universal narrative structure, and personally I would love to see more “cozy” fantasy novels that aren’t about saving the world or destroying an oppressive government.

Reddit recommendations - “a book where nothing happens”

Book Riot: in praise of plotless books

(blog) mundane and slice-of-life SFF recommendations

 sketch story (wikipedia) | literary sketch (britannica)

“I would like to read a novel that is composed of numerous very interesting facts, but which nonetheless fails to cohere for me as a book.”

● source: (blog): I would like to read a dull plotless novel...

List Challenges: novels with no plot whatsoever

Reddit thread on slice-of-life/mundane speculative fiction

recommended reading

the significance of plot without conflict - an excellent post on the kishotenketsu structure, which is influenced by East Asian values such as unity and harmony over conflict and resolution.

what is iyashikei and why should you care? - often found in anime and manga, the purpose of this genre is to provide healing

dialogue novels

Novels composed mostly or entirely of dialogue.

article on The Rumpus (recommended)

Goodreads list

fragmentary novels

A popular example that comes to mind is The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Fragmented novels are novels that are made up of fragments, vignettes, etc. that can be read on their own or as part of the whole book. In some cases a fragmentary novel might be an anthology of short stories, or a composite novel (e.g., the Wayside School series), or an epistolary novel.

fractiousfiction: reading list of 50+ books

seven fragmentary novels that aren’t The Pale King

Bomb Magazine article on Mary Robison’s Why Did I Ever?

how fragmented novels can be fulfilling reading

fragmented narratives are broken, independent, and honest

novels in verse / verse novel

A novel told through poetry rather than prose. It differs from epic poems in that a verse novel generally must have both poetic elements (verse form, imagery, lyricism, figurative language) and novelistic conventions (such as character development, conflict and resolution, etc.).

Book Riot list

Epic Reads: poetry books and novels in verse

Goodreads list

Riveted Lit: 17 books in verse you need to read

recommendations:

Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough (thank you @ellatholmes​ for recommending this to me!) - inspired by the life of Artemisia Gentileschi, whose paintings many people recognize.

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai - (Vietnamese author) - based on Lai’s first year as an immigrant in the United States, Kim Hà and her family move to the US to escape the Vietnam War.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo - (Dominican author) - a coming-of-age story about a girl named Xiomara, who explores her feelings and experiences through poetry.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds - (Black author) - as Will rides down the elevator, he has sixty seconds to decide if he’s going to kill his brother’s murderer.

The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary by Laura Shovan - a class of 5th grade students writes poetry journals before their school gets demolished.

oddly specific FAQ :

“I mostly love world-building and just want my characters to talk about it.”  Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities might inspire you.

“What if I want to write an entire novel using headlines or lists?” That’s exactly what Dorthe Nors did with Minna Needs Rehearsal Space, and Days. Sample here.

“What if I want my chapters to be out of order?” Check out Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar. It comes with reading instructions that state, “In its own way, this book consists of many books, but two books above all.”

“What if I want to make a weird, confusing, playful experience of my book and write sideways, upside-down, use lots of footnotes, and make my readers jump all over the book to figure out what’s going on? Look inside of House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. Like Hopscotch, this novel is an example of ergodic literature but taken to the extreme. It is spectacular in form. Another example would be S. by Doug Dorst and J.J. Abrams.

“But most of these lean literary and I want to write genre fiction. I can’t write a fragmented fantasy anti-novel, it just wouldn’t work for fantasy’s conventions.” YOU CAN IF YOU MUSTER UP THE COURAGE AND FIND A WAY TO DO IT. Writers genre-bend all the time! Throw out conventions that don’t work and bring in ones that do. Creating is the only thing we have control over. Do it your own way.

“What if I’m writing a novel with 15 different plotlines and a million characters, and I want every paragraph to be from a different POV??” Fritz Leiber did that with The Wanderer (which happens to be sci-fi).

If you’d like to support me while I write stories with plots reserved for gardens and/or dead bodies, consider buying me a ko-fi. Thanks!

[klywrites]

guess what

even if you're writing for adults, it is okay to write simple, digestible prose and short chapters!

many adults are learning to read. many are tired and busy. many are reluctant readers but want to get into reading.

not everything needs to be ~fancy~ or advanced. sometimes things that are too fancy become inaccessible.

you can still write about adult topics. or you can NOT write about adult topics and still write adult characters.

even if you're writing for adults, you can make your story fun and silly! appeal to your inner child, to your nostalgia.

you can also change/adapt your style whenever you want to! if you normally write long and fancy things, but life is hard right now, take it easy. it's okay.

seriously, if your writing style is simple and straightforward, it's okay. it's yours. the words are there, the story is there. and someone will be so happy for it.

[klywrites]

the novel has no fixed form

there is no one right way to write a novel

sending extra support vibes to fellow neurodivergent writers

[klywrites]

Me coming upon writing advice, wondering if it’s worth a reblog: "Hmm..." 🤔

Me after reading it and sensing that the tone is discouraging, condescending, or the advice speaks of absolutes: "No, I will not be subjecting my followers to this, goodbye." 😌

[klywrites]

klywrites 101

Hello and welcome to my writeblr.

profile

kly, melle, etc. i can't decide

she/her

adult

canada

writing (original fiction)

character-focused, literary, fantasy, science fantasy, contemporary, historical, slice of life, quiet/cozy

I like to blend genres and bend rules

lately I’ve moved away from fantasy a bit but it’ll always have my heart; also moving away from full length novels for now.

fyi main WIP is referred to as “RSverse”. it’s currently shelved but it haunts me so I never shut up about it. if curious, there’s a link below:

wtf is RSverse?

blog

navigation (link, not mobile) - if you wanna find writing tips, resources, references, memes, etc.; needs to be updated but it’s fairly comprehensive

my writing (tag & link) - all my writing (old tag is #kly writes)

My tags are abundant and occasionally inconsistent, but if you need me to tag anything, please let me know!

will update as needed

[klywrites]

someone please convince me to write something self indulgent and not worry about it being good 😭