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Description

The cut-up method breaks writer's block by taking existing text, cutting it into fragments, and rearranging them to create new, unexpected, and surreal narratives. Popularized by William S. Burroughs and used by artists like David Bowie, this technique forces the subconscious to bypass creative ruts, turning random word combinations into fresh, non-linear ideas or poetry.

Resources

Old books, newspapers or magazine. Or pictures could be used for SEND to make a story

Instructions

Select Source Material: Choose a text (a page from your own stalled manuscript, a newspaper article, or a book).
Cut the Text: Physically cut the page into smaller pieces—sentences, phrases, or single words.
Rearrange Randomly: Shuffle the pieces and rearrange them on a flat surface, allowing your intuition to guide new combinations.
Rewrite/Refine: Read the new text, keeping or rearranging phrases that stand out to create a collage poem, story snippet, or new scene.

Tags

• Poetry
• writer

Badge Links

• Writer - Poem