As I pointed out in this blogpost last week, I want to experiment with using an unusual format. I did already write a diary-style tween novel, but now Want to try other formatting, similar to, if not the same as those in the pictures below:
I experimented with using different fonts and different sizes for pages of texts, and with writing a formal letter using one of the letter templates in Pages.
Other samples of unusual formats that have been used in books include stories told entirely or almost all in the form of tweets or text messages. One book I currently have on my TBR shows images of post-it notes, and hand-drawn cartoon illustrations, pie charts, and notes written on notebook paper, to name a few. I want to learn how to format these sorts of things.
When reading books in one of these unusual formats, there are times when I'm not sure of the order in which to see the formatted text, such as that in the top photo above, the pages with the dark background. See this link for other examples of unusual formatting (the images above are from this link as well.)
What is your take on these so-called unusual formats?
I often find them hard to read.
ReplyDeleteNot knowing what order to read something in might be the whole point of that format. Whatever supports the story, right? I mean, you could do it as an illustrated piece rather than trying to format words. I wonder if you could contact some of those book's authors and see if they'll tell you how they did it.
ReplyDeleteInteresting.
ReplyDeletefrustrating
ReplyDeleteI LOVE unique formats! So much! I find that they make me excited to read something, because it feels... different, and unexpected! I mean, of course iit should make sense in the context of the story, but if it does, then I am very much for it!
ReplyDeleteI love when it is like a diary format, or has all the notes, emails, extra stuff in it. While I don't really enjoy or have trouble reading poetry novels, I like that too.
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure I spied Illuminae. Those books were brilliant for me! I have read plenty of diary/epistolary format books, but that was a whole different level. Another book that comes to mind is Hello by Liza Wiemer. It had traditional narrative, poetry, and screen play format. I loved how each character's point of view came in a different format.
ReplyDeleteI love books that use interesting formatting! (Illuminae was a favorite for me, by the way.)
ReplyDelete