By and large, are you more likely to follow an author or click on their work if you have an idea of what to expect, or if it's going to be a complete surprise.
I ask this because I don't like being predictable, when it comes to my prose fiction. I would prefer it if people were completely unsure of what they were going to get from my work than know what to expect.
That said, I wholeheartedly see the appeal in being a predictable author, as it comes with some guarantees. Just wanted others thoughts in this.
I like a mixture of both, tbh. I follow certain authors because most of the time, you know what you'll get if you've read enough of their work. You know to expect in terms of style and quality.
However, I do like to be surprised sometimes and it's great when an author tries something new, or I stumble across a newly published member to this site and it's fresh and of great quality.
I think it's a good exercise to change up a style or play around with themes, etc. It can be a good challenge in finding what works for you and how to write in new and different ways. There are also the added benefits of potentially bringing in new readers and followers.
I think it varies by site.
Where you have a wider range of narrower categories ( such as here ) deviance isn't nearly as shocking, because the category chosen will typically be a bright neon sign saying "This is something different than you're used to."
The same applies to sites that use tag based navigation rather than categories. The tags will be prominent in the listings, and provide that same neon sign.
When you have a smaller selection of wider categories, it can get dicey. You may not know what you're getting into until it hits you in the face. That's where readers get irritated by deviations from the norm.
Here, there's not much reason to worry about the occasional one-off, or even branching out into a new area of interest. Longtime readers may get irritated if an author completely takes a branching fork, and doesn't continue to produce some of the work they're known for. If an author is just expanding their horizons, while continuing to produce the familiar work people are used to, readers aren't going to mind much. If it's something they know they're not going to like, there's that neon sign saying "Skip this one and wait for the next release."
On a site like Lush, the categories are going to betray any attempt to be completely unpredictable.
In my experience, readers by and large prefer a degree of predictability. How well they react to deviance is entirely dependent upon how deviant it is ( a strictly romance writer suddenly coming out with a sci-fi non-con story, for example ) and how many warning signs they have before opening it. It's investing time in something that makes you cringe and close it unfinished that causes readers to back away.
As long as it's your content or storytelling that's unpredictable and not the quality of your writing, I like the idea. I have actually found as a reader that I often change up authors or try someone new if my current "favorite author" gets too predictable. Some predictability is good, of course, but when you start anticipating every twist and turn with such uncanny accuracy that the stories fail to ever surprise you, the author is probably getting too predictable.
Frankly, I am probably too predictable, excluding some wild cards like my two fantasy pieces.
I like to think I'm unpredictable as a writer but, deep down, I know my style tends to be pretty samey. I do, however, like to stretch myself now and then, trying something challenging like writing from the female perspective or giving a character a different voice to inject a particular feel into the piece.
In terms of reading others, I'm always on the lookout for authors that transport me into their world and deliver high quality, immersive stories. I do have a bunch of favourite authors here who consistently write top-class fiction so they're on my go-to list, simply because I know I won't be disappointed and therefore the investment of my time in the reading experience will be rewarded. So in that regard, they're predictable in the sense they'll be predictably good - even if the style or tone or subjects might pleasantly surprise me.
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