Non-Traditional Writing Styles

[Varine]

I've been doing some more writing recently, and have been working on a novel of sorts that follows a few different people in the last days before the world. I want to use a different writing style for each story arc, and make some use of non-traditional styles, primarily I'm interested in three forms: a second person narrative, a series of like police reports on someone, and a form of narrative poetry (like Beowulf or The Odyssey), most likely alliterative.

I'm wondering if anyone has read any stories written in similar styles. Alliterative poetry, obviously, isn't too hard to come across, however I've never seen a second person work intended for adults (actually I've only ever seen it in a few Goosebumps books when I was a kid, I think), and the one based on records of the person.
If so, what did you like/dislike about the style of it? And does anyone have any other ideas for writing styles?

 

[KaerfNomekop]

in the last days before the world

You mean before the world began?

a second person narrative

How about Homestuck?

based on records of the person

Journal entries or diaries come to mind here, either from a lover, stalker or private detective.

You could do what Roger Levy does in Icarus, where chapters alternate between time periods and viewpoints in multiple storyline threads and the link between them only appears near the end.

 

[Varine]

before the world ends*

Although before the world began sounds like a much more interesting topic. Can I have that, too?

And the second person thing isn't like that. The narrative isn't around adapting the story to you somehow. The outline I drew is about a man narrating what he imagines he and his deceased wife would be doing if she were still alive; it's like he's talking to you. I don't actually know what perspective it is, but I assumed it was the second, at least to some extent, and in a future tense. An example would be like, "We would go to the park. You would sit on the bench in the moonlight, and look towards the horizon."

I've never read Icarus, I'll look it up in a little bit.

What I've outlined so far doesn't sound quite like that. The connections between all of the characters are only minor interactions; for the most part they don't even directly interact. It's really more of an experimental attempt than anything. Each of the stories will follow a character, but as I said, each one is going to be done in different writing styles. My goal with it is to release it to a wider market than I did with my last short story (which I only really put on here and I sent a copy to my mom and sister, who turned out to not be very good at reviewing things), and get some input into what I'm good at, and what I like to do.

EDIT: I thought I should add that in the 'present' of the stories, most of the world has shut down, like garbage and power facilities aren't running. So it's not like it's a 2012 thing where it just happens; it's expected and it's not a safe time. Which is also an important part in all of it.

 

[KaerfNomekop]

And the second person thing isn't like that. The narrative isn't around adapting the story to you somehow.

I actually only meant the way Homestuck is told; pretty much everything is in second person where the writer talks about how "you" interact with the story, with or without choice.

What I've outlined so far doesn't sound quite like that. The connections between all of the characters are only minor interactions; for the most part they don't even directly interact.

Have you considered writing short stories for each character, then putting them together?

My goal with it is to release it to a wider market than I did with my last short story

Wattpad has a pretty large userbase; the only problem is getting more than a few stumblers to read and review your work.

So it's not like it's a 2012 thing where it just happens; it's expected and it's not a safe time.

So everyone's just waiting for the end? <reference>

 

[Varine]

I actually only meant the way Homestuck is told; pretty much everything is in second person where the writer talks about how "you" interact with the story, with or without choice.

Yeah, pretty much. So it's a little weird, because I'd probably change tense a lot between past and future (because it goes over previous events, kind of intermixed with past ones, whereas most writing is past tense).

Have you considered writing short stories for each character, then putting them together?

That's basically what it will be, but in chronological order. So each short story will be split into shorter, couple page segments, and will be introduced as those events happen in order (so say it talks about the childhoods of a few characters. If the oldest one is 50, then it would talk about his first, then it would be talking about when he was in his thirties when a teenager character is introduced).

Wattpad has a pretty large userbase; the only problem is getting more than a few stumblers to read and review your work.

There are plenty of writing forums. I just have to put it on a bunch of them.

So everyone's just waiting for the end? <reference>

More or less.