Oulipo
The most recent article I wrote for a client is characterised by 24 pieces of data. More correctly: metadata.
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Review of a collection of writings from the Oulipo, including minutes of meetings, lectures and correspondence.
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A Minor Harp, by Terry Freedman
What do these pieces of writing have in common, apart from being examples of creative nonfiction about blues music?
Read MoreIf 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.
Read MoreWorking within a limit of 100 words is both terrifying and liberating.
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Private Eye, by Terry Freedman
The trouble with detective fiction.
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Neon tube map, by Terry Freedman. I’m thinking: does this count as a visual homophone (a homovide?) of a tube map?
Homophones are words that sound the same but don’t mean the same, such as fare (food) and fare (cost of travel), or their and there. In Oulipo, you take a phrase and think of one which sounds like it. I believe that it is permissible to stretch the definition of “sounds like”, so I have taken advantage of that fact.
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Shock, Horror! by Terry Freedman.jpg
My Christmas, Oulipo-inspired message decoded.
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Click the cover to see the book on Amazon (affiliate link)
A different way of thinking! Photo of a notice outside Chives cafe in London, by Terry Freedman
How to use an Oulipo technique involving proverbs to get through writer’s block.
Read MoreIf you are a teacher of English or creative writing, you will find this book to be a rich source of material to discuss and analyse with your students. And if you are a writer, this book will I’m sure prove to be a good investment in extending your craft.
Read MoreYou may not believe this, but film-making and film studies on the one hand, and writing on the other, have a great deal in common.
Read MoreThe word Oulipo is an acronym of a French group, Ouvroir de littérature potentielle. This is usually translated as Workshop of Potential Literature, although given its association with the sharing and critique of work on creative writing courses, the word ‘workshop’ might be ditched in favour of ‘work room’.
Read MoreOne of the techniques employed by the Oulipo is known as N+7. This is where you take each noun, and replace it with a word that is seven words on in the dictionary. Of course, results vary according to what dictionary you use. The following article is an N+7 version of my review of the Penguin Book of Oulipo. Enjoy!
Read MoreMy first foray into the world of Oulipo.
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