Different Writing Styles

Who are you writing that content for?

Most authors have a particular niche or style that they work in, and a reputation that proceeds their name. Stephen King? Anne Rice? John Grisham?

See, you probably figured it out already. Each of those three are known for a specific niche that their name resonates within. They also have a reputation for producing a certain writing style that you may or may not like. But, did you know that most writers have multiple voices inside their head that want to come out and play?

No, this is not the time for a multiple personalities, you are the father, Maury Povich show joke, but if you were thinking about one like I was right then, then you understand the quandry that many writers face. The content of the writing forces you to take on a certain style, even if you want to do it differently. If you're writing about money or finance for example, then you can't write a funny book about money. Now sure, you could have some funny stories to make a point about something, but the overall tone has to be quite serious and commanding or no one will take you seriously.

But what if you desire to write about more things than just your known niche? How do you go about setting up that different voice and letting it be heard?

Many authors use a pseudonym, or a fake name, in order to publish work outside their normal go to zones. I don't think that makes a lot of sense in today's world anymore, but it does still happen.

In my opinion, the better option is to write a disclaimer at the beginning of your book, letting the reader know what kind of content is about to follow. If you are suddenly going to start cussing, killing, raping, or murdering characters in a book, you might want to tell people what they are getting into first. This is especially true if you have a reputation for being family friendly or producing children's content.

Take the new book I am working on for example. I have a reputation for writing advice and finance books. Those are very straight-laced, no nonsense subjects. I am now working on a fictional piece that is wickedly different that anything else I have ever produced before. In order to prepare the reader for what is about to come, I have attached this warning on the first pages of the new book.

 Warning


This book is intended for a mature audience.
The following story contains scenes of explicitly detailed sex, violence, crude and inappropriate language, and rape against underage children.
If you are sensitive to the subject matter contained within, or wish not to read such material, then please stop reading now.

Now my reader has been given a choice. They can stop reading and get a refund from Amazon, or they can proceed knowing that they are going to read about some nasty stuff that happens in a story based on real life. I am not risking my reputation by just letting them get into some gruesome story that they didn't know was coming.

Until next time,

Donnie

---