Avant garde?

I'm not, but I'd think nanowrimo would be perfect for that kind of thing.

Best,

Jim

Hrm. Define avant garde novel?

This year's is a coming-of-age story about a character who incresingly lives in a world of his own imaginging. Very abstract and absurdist. Does that qualify?

Next year's is a concept novel with every chapter coming from the White Album. That strikes me as applying.

I'm sorta trying for that, I suppose. Either that or it's trying to happen by itself? My MC, if I ever get to that point in the "plot", is convinced he can control water, and creates an "elemental" of sorts, who acts as a daughter to him. His friends, and people on the streets, think he's crazy and walks around in the rain without a jacket, signing animatedly to a bucket of water. It's a bit ambiguous as to who's right: does my MC really have the ability to control water with his mind, or has he just lost it? Are the others right, or are they just stubborn in their belief that such things are impossible, and explaining it away with a mental illness and a water bucket? I'm leaving it open for debate until the end.

There's also a character who pops up every now and then about whom I know next to nothing: not the sex, age, appearance, name, nothing except that he/she is a Jehovah's Witness, observant, and is incredibly important to the plot, though in a very, VERY small way. It's a strange character.

And some other weird things that, if I can pull them off, will be very, very nifty. Probably not avant garde, but definitely an interesting (and fun!) challenge for me ^__^

I'm thinking like, a book is traditionally a whole bunch of words, maybe some pictures, etc.
What if you just redid the concept of a book?
Obviously, keeping the words part.
Just something out of the norm. Not necessarily a unique plot, but that could certainly work.
It's hard to describe. xD

I have written several novels that have formed in their own way and are unusual and unique in both form and language use. They are what I think of as my most true voice. It also seems to be a kind of natural language I move in.

My novel, for NaNWriMo this year, has not been like that. It is more of a Yarn.
It is about character too, but is based in a world that opens up magically at its seams and goes back and forth.

I have even felt it belongs to Fantasy as its home genre.

But Literary Fiction is where I feel my personal home may lie. I certainly seem to have a lot of intrigue over what gets written here and how so much of what I find myself reading here is so individually crafted and compelling. I want to read more.

I also want to add that I love experimental writing. Who says that form itself cannot be defined anew?

nope. nada. not in any way.

it would kick ass, though :D

While I've been writing, I've been writing down extra ideas for my novel about how I would include music in it. Either just a suggested songs list in the beginning, or somehow indicating in the novel when to listen to certain songs. It seems slightly corny though. I also use some postmodern techniques, which I have yet to implement to the final thing, such as leaving holes in the text, or changing fonts (which I'm not sure about). Sometimes I blend words into each other. Stuff like that. I still haven't decided which ones I want to use, or any at all, but I like the idea of having those sort of things, outside of the text, that make the reader think in a different way than they would when just reading words.

Hah.

Sometimes when I'm writing, I can't help but think 'this song would work excellently here'. I've had the same sort of idea as you.

Not sure how feasible it is, though.

And yes, it IS corny. :p

I find this thread intriguing and would really love, (whether it is THIS -NaNoWrMo- or another work) to read short excerpts of anyone's avant -garde or experimental writing ( 2-4 paragraphs or equivalent) if any of you care to post.

~~

I also think that writing can be musical, in its own way, in how it can be used, even without music added on and often look for the pauses, the crescendos, etc.

And regarding use of actual music, I think, given our cultural exposure to cinema that uses music in story regularly, that it has become natural in to feel times when a certain song would make a great little bridge or fit in so nicely to a storyline.

I also wouldn't be afraid to break in a story and play that song if the author prompted me to. It might be kind of disruptive, but It also might be kind of fun! I even imagine a novel that comes with its own soundtrack. Hahaha! Could be a new trend!

-Best!
-RT