Thread: Which would you prefer to read?

A novel that is more straight froward and simply tells the story, or one that is more elaborate/creative/risky with it's writing. For sake of the question, let us assume that both novels have equally astounding plots; they are just written differently.

I just can't seem to decide on how exactly I want to write my novel. I have two ideas; one simple, one ornate. Each would work well with the storyline. Hopefully your input will help me make a decision. While I know that probably writing it more complex may lose some of my readers, it may possibly make my book stand out from the others out there. Though doing it this way, it could also be disastrous if I were to write it poorly; it could become boring, bloated, and confusing. On the other hand, writing it more simply is a much safer route. It would probably appeal to a wider audience and there is a least likely chance of me screwing the whole thing up. Yet, my novel will lose some of it's uniqueness that I hope it will have.

I think you need to go with the one that suits you the best.

How can I best tell this story?

I had the same problem, I started writing the exciting, novel way I saw it, a sort of tone poem aimed at the audio market, and got very mixed reactions, though most people liked the plot. Now I am rewriting it as a straight novel, it can become a specialised audio presentation, a t. v. sitcom series and all the other things I see in it later, but I realised that getting professionals to look at it would be easier in the first place if it is in a format they know and understand, then I can suggest going other places.

What exactly do you mean by creative, risky, elaborate?
Frankly, I like things that stand out, as long as they have enough flow to get from page to page.

Hmmmm. . . . . Whichever you choose, I think your priority should be approachability. Will it be easy to pick up and read? Will it be entertaining and stimulating? Even if the way of telling is unorthodox, a good read is a good read is a good read. Originality trumps more of the same in my book.