Well, I sometimes use these unconventional styles, but my beta(I think it's a fanfiction term, sorta like editor but totally volunteer and partially opinion based) says I shouldn't. Soooo.... should I? Unconventional styles, by the way, are stuff like: -A death chess game in which the whole short story goes on in the guy's head, his thoughts, everything. -A story in which related but not necessarily in order scenes are simply written, one after another. Like you get,"The Traitor is Revealed", then suddenly "The Assassination of the Organization's Leader", which happened 5 years before. But there's always a link. For example, the traitor(who was revealed) may be the assassin himself. -A series of murders, all witnessed from the point of view of various stray animals:cats, dogs, crows, even a rat. -A story from the POV of a man turned to stone, who went insane due to boredom, and views the ever changing world in a warped manner.
Many ideas seemed crazy before they were turned into stories. The only thing that matters is if you can create an interesting and memorable story that people will want to read. It won't matter if the POV is a man, dog, or a rock. As long as there is conflict to keep people reading, and characters to care about, the story will go on. However, I think the murders witnessed by animals seems interesting. It could be a unique way to introduce clues into the story and give several perspectives on the crime.
Look up conventional in a thesaurus and you'll find 'conformist, predictable and unimaginative.' Stepping away from the norm brings originality, which exactly what writing is about. I love your unconventional ideas and it would be a crime if you don't explore them. I disagree with Holden in some respects; your idea's arn't crazy, they're imaginative.
Did your Beta tell you why they think you should adapt your writing style? Is it because they feel it would benefit one of your peices of work? Or are they encouraging you to exercise your writing skills and experience? Do they prefer reading more conventionally styled pieces?
Academically, those techniques may be interesting to explore, but keep in mind there's a reason they aren't popular with readers.
@Everyone-Thanks for the comments! @e(g)-That's true. Why aren't they popular? To me, it's like reading something different from the usual good guy/bad guy morality grind.
Unfortunately, that a) isn't a definition of the word, and b) involves being near a thesaurus, even on the internet.
Sometimes people try too hard to be original and it comes in the way of a good story, but as long as you do it well, there's nothing wrong with unconventional ideas.
