Review of the Penguin Book of Oulipo, plus a course I'm running on the subject - UPDATED

Great techniques for dealing with writer's block, as well as just plain fun!

How do you deal with writer’s block? Chances are you follow the advice of the experts who advocate free writing: just write the first thing that comes into your head, and see what happens. But how about adopting a strategy that is diametrically opposed to this: using constraints?

It sounds counter-intuitive, but imposing a restriction is likely to lead to more creativity rather than less. For example, if you attempt to write a coherent piece without using a particular letter, you really have to choose your words carefully. The result is likely to be more interesting as a result.

The 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’. At least, this is the view of Dennis Duncan in his book The Oulipo and Modern Thought (Amazon affiliate link).

So, what is ‘potential literature’ or Oulipo? It’s much more than a technique to combat writer’s block! I think it can best be summed up as applying constraints to see what unexpected literature results.

This book explains, in an extensive introduction, the sorts of constraints that are employed, while an index of constraints points the reader to examples of the techniques used.

One of the constraints, for example, is writing in the form of an acrostic. This is where the first letter of the first word of each sentence or line spells something out. I applied this technique to my article Short Story Adventures.

Another technique, already mentioned, is omitting a letter. This is known as a lipogram. An example is Perec’s novel, A Void, which does not have a single ‘e’ in it.

This Penguin book is a veritable cornucopia of examples of Oulipo — in some cases written by authors who predated the movement, which started in 1960. (Those cases are known, somewhat playfully, as ‘anticipatory plagiarism’.)

Interestingly, some of the techniques are mathematical in nature. For example, one of Queneau’s pieces is based on Set Theory, and another (A Hundred Thousand Billion Poems) is based on the mathematics of combinations. In that particular case, the author wrote ten sonnets. Each of the 14 lines of each one can be cut out and used in any of the other poems. The result is more possible sonnets than one could ever hope to read in several lifetimes.

You can approach this book in several ways. One would be to start at the beginning and read through to the end. Another is to use the index of constraints to explore examples of particular techniques. Yet another is simply to dip in at random.

Whichever approach appeals to you, you will be sure to find this book hugely rewarding, both in terms of enjoyment, and for trying out new ways to challenge yourself.

And, of course, for blasting away writer’s block!

The course I’m running on Oulipo

The following is information about a course I’ll be running online, on 8th June 2023, courtesy of the City Lit Adult Education Institute. The course will last for one days, and is an introduction to the writing techniques invented by a group called the Oulipo.