History Main / UnconventionalFormatting

[[center: ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. [[superscript:A literary trope]] in which the text is arranged on the page in strange ways, including but not limited to: right-to-left (in Western works), bottom-to-top, reversed, upside-down etc.]] It can also make use of [[color:red:colours]], [[AC:multiple fonts]] and other @@typographical tricks of this nature.@@

* In ''GoodOmens'', it mentions about a million styles of writing used for the title and multiple subtitles of Agnes Nutter's "nice and accurate" book of prophecies.

A subtrope of PaintingTheFourthWall. Sometimes used in MetaFiction and [[ScrapbookStory Scrapbook Stories]]. If employed throughout a work it may be a kind of ConstrainedWriting. See also FootnoteFever (with which this sometimes overlaps), AllLowercaseLetters, NoPunctuationPeriod, RainbowSpeak, CensorBox, BoldInflation, ColorCodedForYourConvenience and PageTurnSurprise.

* ''TheDemolishedMan'' uses unusual type layout to depict telepathic conversations (sentences trailing down a page and interweaving like braids; a party game where the image formed by the words is a kind of charade clue).

** ''TheStarsMyDestination'' by the same author uses this trope as well.

* In GoodOmens, it mentions about a million styles of writing used for the title and multiple subtitles of Agnes Nutter's "nice and accurate" book of prophecies.

** When the god Om regains his strength at the end of ''SmallGods'', he speaks with chapter and verse numbers inserted between his sentences.

It can be done for a ''variety'' of '''reasons'''. A '''''popular one''''' is to represent a character's mental state, ''e.g.'' using [[subscript:cramped text to symbolize claustrophobia or feeling "trapped".]] Or, to just ThinkInText: which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.

It can be done for a ''variety'' of '''reasons'''. A '''''popular one''''' is to represent a character's mental state, ''e.g.'' using [[subscript:cramped text to symbolize claustrophobia or feeling "trapped".]]

A subtrope of PaintingTheFourthWall. Sometimes used in MetaFiction and [[ScrapbookStory Scrapbook Stories]]. If employed throughout a work it may be a kind of ConstrainedWriting. See also FootnoteFever (with which this sometimes overlaps), AllLowercaseLetters, RainbowSpeak, CensorBox, BoldInflation, ColorCodedForYourConvenience and PageTurnSurprise.

* ''TristramShandy'' is probably the UrExample.

[[AC: {{TabletopGames}}]]
* The ''Expanded Psionic Handbook'' for ''[[DungeonsAndDragons Dungeons & Dragons]]'', like all other books of the Edition, has the spells listed in alphabetical order. Except the power ''"Deja Vu"'', which appears at the correct place in the alphabetic order, and again on the next page.

* "The Mouse's Tale" in ''AlicesAdventuresInWonderland'' winds down the page as if it were [[VisualPun a mouse's ''tail'']]

* ''{{Homestuck}}'' is ''all about this''. Every character has their own unique typing style that fits their personality (the humans doing subtle things like dropping initial caps or using different emoticons, and the trolls favouring LeetLingo), certain ArcWords are written in specific (occasionally flashing) colours or with an animated gif replacing one of the letters, and at one point a character doing something around the back of the narrator speaks to the reader through AltText. The ==> command that indicates a new page is even replaced with ======> for the troll arc, to reflect the change from the four main characters to the twelve main characters (count the bars).

* In ''TheCityOfDreamingBooks'', right after the villain is revealed, he hands the main character a book which will "answer all his questions" on page 333. As he flipps through the book, all pages are completely blank until he gets to page 333. The next two pages of the novel are completely filled with tiny letters that only say [[spoiler:''"[[FingerLickingPoison You just have been poisoned]]. You just have been poisoned. You just have been poisoned. You just have been poisoned..."'']] The next two pages of the novel are completely printed black with only a few words in white letters describing [[spoiler:how he falls unconscious]]. You probably have to squint a bit and move the book close to your face to read it.

** On the other hand, he did publish GahanWilson's story whose "title" is a black blob, and which incorporates sketches of the blob getting bigger and bigger until [[spoiler:it "eats" everybody by flowing over the text]].

A subtrope of PaintingTheFourthWall. Sometimes used in MetaFiction and [[ScrapbookStory Scrapbook Stories]]. See also FootnoteFever (with which this sometimes overlaps), AllLowercaseLetters, RainbowSpeak, CensorBox, BoldInflation, ColorCodedForYourConvenience and PageTurnSurprise.

* In ''TheCityOfDreamingBooks'', right after the villain is revealed, he hands the main character a book which will "answer all his questions" on page 333. As he flipps through the book, all pages are completely blank until he gets to page 333. The next two pages of the novel are completely filled with tiny laters that only say [[spoiler:''"[[FingerLickingPoison You just have been poisoned]]. You just have been poisoned. You just have been poisoned. You just have been poisoned..."'']] The next two pages of the novel are completely printed black with only a few words in white letters describing [[spoiler:how he falls unconscious]]

* In ''TheCityOfDreamingBooks'', right after the villain is revealed, he hands the main character a book which will "answer all his questions" on page 333. As he flipps through the book, all pages are completely blank until he gets to page 333. The next two pages of the novel are completely filled with tiny laters that only say [[spoiler:''[[FingerLickingPoison You just have been poisoned]]. You just have been poisoned. You just have been poisoned. You just have been poisoned...'']] The next two pages of the novel are completely printed black with only a few words in white letters describing [[spoiler:how he falls unconscious]]

* In ''TheCityOfDreamingBooks'', right after the villain is revealed, he hands the main character a book which will "answer all his questions" on page 333. As he flipps through the book, all pages are completely blank until he gets to page 333. The next two pages of the novel are completely filled with tiny laters that only say [[spoiler:[[FingerLickingPoison You just have been poisoned]]. You just have been poisoned. You just have been poisoned. You just have been poisoned...]] The next two pages of the novel are completely printed black with only a few words in white letters describing [[spoiler:how he falls unconscious]]

A subtrope of PaintingTheFourthWall. Sometimes used in MetaFiction and [[ScrapbookStory Scrapbook Stories]]. See also FootnoteFever (with which this sometimes overlaps), RainbowSpeak, CensorBox, BoldInflation, ColorCodedForYourConvenience and PageTurnSurprise.