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CHARACTER WORKSHOP
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Fiction 109: Creativity In A Box
There are reasons for imposing creative limitations, such as word counts and working within the established conventions of today's market. First, let me make it clear that this seminar is to illustrate a point and not necessarily a formula for writing fiction. Here are a few reasons word limits and other restrictions might be imposed: These are all good reasons, but I'd like to go another direction with
use of rules and constraints in creating fiction. The word inspiration
is the culprit in question here. Writers stare at empty pages and blank
screens waiting for inspiration to come. I don't need to tell you how
frustrating the wait can be; it is something we all confront. The Muses
are so few and writers so many. Inspiration does visit occasionally, and
many poets, writers and artists are waiting with nets to capture it and
put it on paper or canvas. The surrealist writers and artists thrived on
this method of creation, but there is another side of the story. Raymond
Queneua, the founder of Oulipo, (Workshop of Potential Literature),
writes:
"Another very wrong idea that is also going the rounds at the moment is the equivalence that has been established between inspiration, exploration of the subconscious, and liberation, between chance, automatism, and freedom. Now this sort of inspiration, which consists in blindly obeying every impulse, is in fact slavery. The classical author who wrote his tragedy observing a certain number of known rules is freer than the poet who writes down whatever comes into his head and is slave to other rules of which he knows nothing." Creativity can thrive with precision and impact within self-imposed parameters. By setting boundaries and rules to your invented reality, you are able to explore -- often finding relationships, meanings and, occasionally, even a Muse in hiding. Most of us walk through or by things all our lives without noticing them. By limiting our area of exploration, we can discover many things that are overlooked or taken for granted: this is great material for bringing our fiction to life. Stories can rise from small places as illustrated by Italo Calvino in the reading from Invisible Cities. The best way to see how self-imposed rules and constraints work is to
try it yourself. Write a 1000-word short story (yes, exactly 1000 words)
about a protagonist and an antagonist in a small enclosed area with only
seven objects in the room (not counting the room structure). Make a list
of rules and boundaries for your story. You may choose at least three of
the following rules and add three of your own. Don't make it too easy on
yourself because we are looking for the type of creativity that arises
from desperation and a heightened awareness: When you post your work, make sure the rules are included at the top of the page. When writing this assignment, remember voice, tone, emotional triggers, the power of suggestion, precise ambiguity and most of all, remember to be daring, break some rules and have fun. Note: You only need to select 3 of the rules (unless you really
have a lot of free time). Dialogue can be a one-sided
conversation, a monologue with a target; the other person or object
could react in some way: a nod, a bite, a code, facial gestures, etc.
Using objects with the same first letter and having the words
rhyme could be a little difficult ... probably not a good
idea to use both rules at the same time. Of course, there are different
degrees of rhyme: bye, buy, bike, byte, bite, blight, bright;
Bohemian, Bavarian, Bulgarian, etc. Course developed by: Bob Hembree Facilitated by: Deana Hoover and Peer Group
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