Cut-ups and Zines

Stefanie Petrik's workshop introduced us to new techniques for creating and publishing our work. (New to us, that is.)

Cut-ups

This technique is based on the work of William Burroughs and Brion Gysin, authors of The Third Mind. They quote Naoleon Hill's book Think and Grow Rich, as saying that when you put two minds together there is always a third mind: a third and superior mind as an unseen collaborator.

I did know a little about cut-ups, but had imagined them to consist of sentences and paragraphs chopped up into individual words or phrases and then rearranged at random. Stefanie confirmed that was one of many options; but the way that she showed us was to take one of our poems and an article from the daily paper, and tear them into long strips, then put the strips together so as to form new lines across the page. She did pay some attention to the new meaning thus created. However when I emailed her a couple of weeks later to say I'd been playing with cut-ups, she asked me if reality had started to rewrite itself yet!

She also showed us permutation poems, a closely related technique invented by the same writers, in which 'the poem takes a simple sentence and forces every available meaning to be gleaned from different arrangements of words.' e.g. the phrase 'NO POETS DON'T OWN WORDS' going through a whole page full of permutations to get to 'DON'T (K)NO(W) WORDS OWN POETS'.

She explained that these methods stemmed from visual art techniques such as collage, and were also transferred to audio recordings and used by musicians such as David Bowie and Brian Eno, who 'both used cutting and splicing techniques that formed new, unconscious thematic links between works, words, and compositions.'

Zines

I would describe a zine as the magazine version of a chapbook – or perhaps I mean the chapbook version of a magazine. In other words, it's put together by hand. Wikipedia describes it as 'most commonly a small circulation, non-commercial publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest.'

Stefanie told us that zines were common during the punk era, the idea being that self-publishing is a way of becoming independent of the mainstream media.

She showed us how to create them in A5 size, by photocopying. Because it was not long after Sorry Day, which was still much in our minds, we all wrote short pieces on the theme of 'sorry' (not necessarily Sorry Day as such) and used them, in their handwritten form, as our content. We cut and pasted them on to folded A4 pages. (It is also possible to create printed versions on computer with a desktop publishing program.) We stapled them in the middle with a long stapler. We used our cut-ups on the cover, and the word 'sorry' handwritten with a pink pen.

We've decided to produce a zine a month!

Here are two places to find online instructions on making zines:
Action Girl Online
DIY 8 Page Pocket Zine





- Rosemary (Facilitator)

Writing Health

Elvis's workshop was not directly related to writing, at least not in the ways we're used to. He gave us a series of techniques from his healing practice, which he suggested we could apply in ways that would help our writing by keeping our brains alert and efficient.

Drink water!

Oxygen and water, he told us, are essential – particularly PURE water, so he recommended spring water.

Oxygen to the brain

He reminded us to do deep, belly breathing because it's more efficient. Inspiration, which we think of in connection with writing and other artistic endeavours, means breathing in.

He told us: 'Put the tongue up, over the top teeth, while breathing in; then put the tongue down, over the bottom teeth, while breathing out. This will feed the brain with oxygen. (It may make you dizzy.) Do this for seven minutes three times a day before meals.'

Holding anger works against us.

'When there's not enough oxygen in the brain we shut down the capillaries leading to the cells. There are doors – precapillary sphincters – all over the body. HOLDING anger is the thing (also embarrassment). When you continue to be angry, the liver continues to shut down.'

He gave us an exercise he called Shiver Shake, ideally to be done half an hour a day, which may be broken up into three lots of ten minutes. Put your tongue over your bottom teeth and laugh out loud, whilst raising and lowering alternate heels and lightly shaking your arms. 'A massage from the inside' he called it, good for all sorts of things including oxygenating the brain. It should be alternated with the Super Stretch: stretch the arms upwards in turn, yawning loudly. It's half a minute shaking and half a minute stretching, for half an hour. You can also do it lying down – and if need be you can cry instead of laugh! The diaphragm will still get its massage.

He said, 'Shivering opens the capillaries, driving the blood into the organs that matter most.'

Clearing stress

You can also do stress clearing with the breath – while seated, breathe with tongue forward, put your head down and laugh.

Feeding the brain

Elvis recommended doing everything one can for the brain, and told us his recipe for banana icecream. The banana strings are the most important ingredient. They have the highest concentration of serotonin we know of. He described serotonin as the glue for the brain. It's in fruits; the maximum is in banana strings. The strings form the white pith inside the skin; scrape them off and put them in a blender with the banana itself. You need to use ORGANIC bananas. Blend and freeze – as simple as that. To make 'chocolate' icecream – though he doesn't recommend real chocolate because of the caffeine content – add carob molasses and a little rosewater; just enough rosewater to change the carob taste to chocolate.

The mind clears; you get better memory. Have three bowls of banana icecream for breakfast every week.

Questions and answers

He had called for questions in advance. They included:

How can I be more disciplined about my writing?

'First thing in the morning, lie down, put your tongue forward, laugh and shiver and super stretch for half an hour. After this you can do half an hour of disciplined writing first thing.'

How can I change my writing style?

'Re the word "my" – ask, "Who am I?" '

After some exploration we arrived at the conclusion: 'I am a soul'.

A way to experience this is by using a mudra. (Mudras are hand positions which produce specific results – an ancient technique revived in modern times.)

'Place the right hand on top of the left, palms up, interlace your fingers so the little fingers are outside. When your hands are close to the abdomen, the hand position removes views of who you are; your focus is on Soul / Higher Self / Divine Spark above and behind the head. When you open your eyes, know YOU are looking through your eyes, the light is looking through the body. You get past personal identification, where the motivation is not focused.

'You can write in many styles, as a soul. You can change, once you're in the identification of the permanent self.'

How can I market my work?

'To market a book,' he said, 'You need a title that sells. At this time a word that sells is soul. Then there's the old standard: sex. So a good title would be Soul Merger Sex.

'Having a title that sells is 80% of marketing. You can hang any story on a title, if you back it up somewhere in what you're doing.'

What did we get from Elvis's workshop?

Some of us were disappointed. It was the first day back after the holidays; we wanted to WRITE.

Others could see the application of his unusual techniques to our writing.

Pam put a good slant on it the following week: 'I think that if you're a writer you can take any experience and decide, "I can use that!" '

And sure enough, he did turn up in some of our later writings, in various guises.

I myself thought him an entertaining and unusual man with his own brand of expertise, and found the experience educational in many ways.

The banana icecream is delicious!

- Rosemary (Facilitator)

Politically Correct

By Pam Moore









I’m politically correct I am
I’m now a proper Pamela not a prejudicial Pam
And I call myself a Person – not a womyn or a man
And my p.c. conscience is clear.

You mustn’t call me middle aged but merely in my prime
I am NOT getting old – just challenged by time
I know YOUR thoughts and feelings are as valid as mine
And my p.c. conscience is clear.

I don’t eat anything which has a face and eyes
I don’t pollute the planet or go poisoning the skies
I’m not racist or sexist, I am tolerant and wise
And my p.c. conscience is clear.

Political correctness is my true philosophy
I say that everything has rights from a cane toad to a tree
I’m loving and respectful to all humanity
And my p.c. conscience is clear.

A female gender person came to my door one day
Emotionally challenged and in some slight disarray
“You pinched my bloke, you harlot! And now yer gonna pay!!”
But my p.c. conscience was clear.

So I said: “This person you refer to is your former partner now.
And he made some rational choices, you mad demented cow.
And if it is a fight you want, come in! I’ll show you how!
MY p.c. conscience is clear”

SHE was not politically correct at all.
Her misuse of the language really left me quite appalled
And our brief interaction sadly ended in a brawl
But my p.c. conscience was clear.

Political correctness put that person in her place.
I do NOT have a broken nose – it’s simply just displaced
And what you see as bruises are adornments to my face.
And my p.c. conscience is……..

Clear as a bell
She can go to hell
That narkish gnome
And leave us alone!
Pea brained tart!
Breath like a fart!
Whining old witch!
Bothersome bitch!

How dare she accuse me of snaffling her man!!
…………When I’m politically correct I am……..

© Pamela Moore 2007