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[3]

A decent example of this sort of thing is Riddley Walker (I appear to be the only person on Earth who's read it). Specficially, the fictional words/phrases created have in-universe cultural relevance.

The question really is whether it turns out internally consistent or not. Are you looking to represent something, or just come up with esotertic language for the sake of it? Because that's what your success hinges on, unless the result is truly exceptional.

[Vector]

Why this style, out of interest? Vector seems far more literature-minded than me so I trust her when she says books like this have enjoyed a lot of success in the past. But why? What's the overall meaning, the point?

Usually, to express multiple interacting levels of meaning based on similarities between words--like birthing/berthing.

Because the reader is forced to think "okay, what does this mean" by the language used in and of itself, he or she will be more likely to catch upon these multiple meanings, and explore a fuller picture.

And, as for why one would encode things in the first place: it's more compact and forces the reader to engage with the material.  Why tell one story, when you can tell five at the same time and their interactions create more meaning?

[forsaken1111]

  Why tell one story, when you can tell five at the same time and their interactions create more meaning?

I should write a story which resolves to a completely different story when read through ROT13

[Jackrabbit]

Oh. Well, that sounds difficult to do, muddled and annoying. Not for me, I suppose.

[forsaken1111]

Oh. Well, that sounds difficult to do, muddled and annoying. Not for me, I suppose.

I agree. Some people like their entertainment to be like work I guess.

I get enough mental exercise at work, when I am reading a book I want my brain to be happy.

[Vector]

I agree. Some people like their entertainment to be like work I guess.

I get enough mental exercise at work, when I am reading a book I want my brain to be happy.

Yeah, I'm an enormous puzzle-addict, so this sort of stuff is my bread and butter.  I get frustrated sometimes, but in general I love crazy post-modernistic incomprehensibility.

[forsaken1111]

I agree. Some people like their entertainment to be like work I guess.

I get enough mental exercise at work, when I am reading a book I want my brain to be happy.

Yeah, I'm an enormous puzzle-addict, so this sort of stuff is my bread and butter.  I get frustrated sometimes, but in general I love crazy post-modernistic incomprehensibility.

I just realized that my post may have come off as derogatory towards those people, which wasn't my intent. There are many things I don't like, but others do. This is one, and that is fine.

[Vector]

Don't worry, I'm not the forum's thought-police >_>

There are times when I enjoy some good not-so-thought-provoking relaxation, myself.  Both are perfectly valid modes of being.

[G-Flex]

Just to throw this out there, there is a huge difference between "thought-provoking" and "difficult to figure out". It's not hard to fill something with obscure references and puns that take days to figure out, and doing so doesn't actually make something clever. It's just a literary tool, and like all the others, means nothing if simply used blindly or for its own sake.

[Vector]

No, of course.  This is why I suggested leaping into the po-mo after spending about 10-20 years working on "normal" literature.

[G-Flex]

Yeah, it's also why I wish the author would explain what he's trying to go for instead of just tossing it in and never saying a word about it. I'm also not sure how postmodern it is to totally ape someone else's style because it worked for them, if that's indeed what is going on.

[Jackrabbit]

I think perhaps some of the over-reactions by people eager to be thought comedic geniuses because of their derogatory posts scared him away.

Spit in the book? God damn.

[forsaken1111]

I think perhaps some of the over-reactions by people eager to be thought comedic geniuses because of their derogatory posts scared him away.

Spit in the book? God damn.

If he can't handle a little overreaction or a few supercritical comments, he really shouldn't be thinking about writing something non-mainstream... or putting part of it on the internet... or being on the internet at all, really.

Isn't that one of the rules of the internet? There will always be jerks, or something.

[Jackrabbit]

True. I'm just saying some of the comments are kinda baffling.

[TacKY]

I don't think it is a good idea to put down someone's novel idea no matter how out there it seems. People read and enjoy Lolita.... if you know what its about then you will understand.