From Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing (1990, 1992), let's consider his LIST.
Before the list, there's Twyla Tharp's warmup exercise, BECOME A VERB. Take a verb and perform it -- so suggests the dancer-choerographer for getting ideas to (rather literally) flow. Example: Wiggle. Another example: Twist. Another: Duck. Another: Cover.
And now THE LIST, "Trusting my subconscious [and Muse] to give bread, as it were, to the birds" (Bradbury, Zen, page 17).
Here goes (caps in original):
THE LAKE. THE NIGHT. THE CRICKETS. THE RAVINE. THE ATTIC. THE BASEMENT. . . THE BABY. THE CROWD . . . THE CARNIVAL. THE CAROUSEL. THE DWARF. . . THE SKELETON (Ditto, page 17).
From THE LIST, Bradbury derived the setting or "spine" of a story or core idea. Pretty neat, Ray.
Here's a random "rip" from one of my sets of saved lists, mostly a compilation of notes from scraps of paper, napkins, notecards, etc. It's sort of like William S. Burroughs and Brian Gysin's cut-up method, or halfway there. Looking at these strings of words, sometimes I know the origin, sometimes not. Sometimes I know how to pick them up, sometimes I'd have to start afresh:
el griffe tampico pirates
otters water dogs
checkpointe charlie on the esplanade
preservation hall
howlin’ wolf
the fat of the land
the dirty shames
general kirkland
the remains of ira slack
“I find the film in the editing" -- David Charron -- "I have to develop a structure”
“it just came to me, man”
Angelman syndrome
guy on wheelchair and american flag, whipping behind cars, flies up and into the smoke shop!
“He ain't got no impulse control”
fugue state
Even Those Who Remember
History Are Still
Doomed to Repeat It
LA, Hamburg -- zen
let's it speak for itself - still, choices
theatreless theatre
this is the way it is
things that are lost
in search of lost time
Paris, Texas, close to the Red River
uniformed assassins
pearls and swine
voilent voiler veil to veil veiled past
king of hearts
voilent voiler veil to veil veiled past
king of hearts
june has left the building
meritocracy vs. aristocracy
who died and made you king?
alexander kent novels
bats and rats are where it's at
pensive
1776 Ben Franklin
humpty dumpty
1776 Ben Franklin
humpty dumpty
the difference between hessians and modern mercenaries
mercy for and administering to the afflicted
Cyrus
dusty springfield, the cake
when the battle is over (who shall wear the crown?)
now gather round people and listen to this . . .
play guitar play
“If baseball was any slower paced it'd be farming”
* * * * * * * * * *
Have you tried lists? I've got lists of proper names -- people, places, etc. -- and various words I want to remember; phrases; slang; core ideas; reminders; remembrances; and references. It never stops -- "until the end." How about yours?
* * * * * * * * * *
Have you tried lists? I've got lists of proper names -- people, places, etc. -- and various words I want to remember; phrases; slang; core ideas; reminders; remembrances; and references. It never stops -- "until the end." How about yours?
Today's Rune: Wholeness.
2 comments:
I often make lists of words. Sometimes when I'm caught in a meeting I'll just right down fun words, like cupreous, or crepuscular or niveous. Helps me keep them in my head for writing.
Erik-I write all kinds of stuff down too. At the time, I think I'll surely remember my intention, but later it barely makes sense. I'll have to try to 'list it together' sometime.
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