I like stories that contain unpredictable themes, where the reader is wrong-footed in their expectations by the author. It's something that I attempt to do with my own writing.
As for the 'pattern of attack' in writing, I was surprised by how the structure of my recently completed ( last night!

) WIP affected my writing method. The plot involved a 200-mile journey through the Appalachian Mountains, following a trail alongside a river, so my protagonist had to deal with whoever he encountered—the good, the evil and those in need of his help. I started the novella thinking it would be primarily about a confrontation between my hero, who yearns for peace after the Civil War, and a psychotic killer who's continuing the conflict for his own pleasure. Instead, I found myself entering the world of writing a
Hero's Journey with thoughts of
The Hobbit, Heart of Darkness, Gulliver's Travels and
The Odyssey haunting me. I found that the best way to tackle his journey was to write in two-hour sessions each evening, dealing with each encounter in one chapter, before having my hero move on before nightfall.
Normally, in creating a novel, I'll write in 5-6 hour blocks from late afternoon, not worrying if I finish a particular chapter or an encounter between my protagonist detective and a criminal suspect.