The most recent article I wrote for a client is characterised by 24 pieces of data:
Started: 05 June 2020 15:09
Completed: 06 June 2020 11:39
Total time: 1.17 hours
Total earned, if client approves: I never discuss money.
Number of words in title: 5
Number of words in topic: 2
Number of words in document: 1212
Number of characters: 6887
Number of paragraphs: 24
Number of sentences: 54
Number of subheadings: 8
Number of links: 1
Reading level: 11th-12th grade (approximately 16 to 18 year-olds)
Main style: Normal
Font: Arial
Font size: 11
Top heading style: Title
Title font: Arial
Title font size: 26
Subheading style: Heading 2
Heading 2 font: Arial
Heading 2 font size: 16
Number of illustrations: 1
Number of versions: 2
More Oulipo-related articles:
In Escapism: a 50 word prose poem I presented readers with a prose poem constructed in accordance with a constraint, and invited them to suggest what that constraint might be. Here’s the poem again, followed by the solution.
The following story has been written in accordance with a constraint, in true Oulipian style. The Oulipo is a writing movement based on constraints, such as omitting the use of a particular letter when composing a text.
If your interest in the Oulipo goes beyond simply trying out their techniques, and you wish to learn about the context in which it was conceived and the developments in went through, you will find this book very useful.
As someone who had little in the way of mathematical prowess at school, I initially opened Prime with some trepidation.
Many people advocate free writing as a way of cutting through writer’s block. Well, it’s never worked for me, and it doesn’t seem logical anyway. If you can’t think of anything to write, how would allowing your mind to just generate stuff do any good?
On the surface, this would seem to be nothing more or less than an example of performance art presented as literature. However, there is much more to it than that because Johnson has introduced elements of randomisation…
Poetry lovers will recall the impact Slake' s first book made. "Tied up in Notts" was, at the time, not merely avant-garde but positively risque. The reason, of course, was Slake's cavalier approach to poetic conventions. For example, his 15 Line Sonnet caused a massive rift in the arts community.
This is the usual way of doing things. Someone writes a book, or a poem or whatever. Then (with a bit of luck) someone reviews it.
A fellow writer, Nathan, and I decided to do it the other way around. He wrote a review of something I hadn’t written yet. Then I wrote it!
Oulipo techniques are great for dispelling writer’s block, and generating new works.
Three reviews in one article, plus a couple of news announcements.