Mind-Blowing Postmodern Writing Techniques You Can Use in Your Next Novel

Mind-Blowing Postmodern Writing Techniques You Can Use in Your Next Novel Postmodern writing has some distinct features that set it apart from all earlier forms.

Postmodern novels make for exciting and engaging reads precisely because they subvert the reader’s expectations and celebrate chaos and disorder. If you too want to write a story that is unconventional, incorporate the following techniques into your next story1. Fragmentation “Fragmentation” simply means the breakdown of various elements and their dispersion throughout the novel. The idea is to reject the earlier notion of the unity of time, place and action or a linear flow of plot and character development. Using this technique will add playfulness to your novel as the reader will never be able to guess what comes next. You can reorganize the structure of the narrative by jumping from one timeline to the next or one character’s consciousness to another.

How to use it: Create a disconnected plot, a non-linear timeline and play around with facts Who has used it: John Fowles’ renowned novel The French Lieutenant’s Woman features three alternate endings. Instead of offering a single outcome to the story, the writer resists closure by exploring multiple possibilities.

2. Metafiction Metafiction is a narrative style where the writer self-consciously draws attention to the process of writing the story. Postmodern literature emphasized meaninglessness and play. Postmodern writers began to experiment with more “meta” elements in their novels and short stories, drawing attention to their work’s constructed nature and reminding readers that the author isn’t an authority figure. An example would be a novel about a novelist writing a novel.

How to use it: Address the reader directly in the story, or surprise the reader by appearing in the novel yourself!

Who has used it: Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote is essentially a book about books.

Cervantes breaks the fourth wall by commenting on his process of writing the book, in which he urges the reader to make up their own mind about the written text.

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