[stylist] Stream of consciousness

[Homme, James]

Hi Bridget,
I don't know how to say this, but here goes anyway. Your analogy about voice and the soprano is good, but it reminds me of something I did in college in jazz improvisation class. Our teacher told us to play in the styles of some of the great artists purposely. He said that doing that was one way that we could find our own style. We had to attempt to imitate both the phrases the artist would use, but as closely as we could, the tone that came out of the instrument. When it came my turn to play, I totally lucked out. The teacher told me to imitate Paul Desmond, whose solos I had listened to by the hour, and I had even memorized a few by rote. That was a lucky day.

Jim

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bridgit Pollpeter
Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 6:05 PM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Subject: [stylist] Stream of consciousness

Ashley,

In my original post I mention some well-known SOC writers, but my
favorites are Virginia Wolfe, Fitzgerald (though I disagree The Great
Gatsby is the great American novel, though I like it) and Jack Kerouac.
Annie Dillard can write in this style and Cormac McCarthy is another
contemporary example.

Free association can be done about anything. Essentially, you choose an
object/person/event and write whatever comes to mind. Or you don't need
anything as a starting point- just simply start writing what pops up in
your head. A couple of my instructors even would say, during free
association exercises, which we didn't do much of, that if all we had
was a single word or phrase, to just write it over and over until
something else comes to mind.

The difference between free association and SOC is that F A is a tool to
help a writer pinpoint an idea, capture some image in order to inspire
or at the very least to simply write. Free association is to writers
what doodling is to artist or arpeggios are to vocalist.

SOC is an actual writing technique that has a distinct style and voice.
This isn't a great example, but to simplify the definition, consider it
like a genre- it has distinct features setting it apart from other
styles of writing.

F A exercises can be done in any style dependant upon how a particular
writer writes- style, tone, voice. It's not about how you write or how
that writing sounds; it's about writing to get thoughts flowing and
geling. SOC is a literary technique that has distinct features.

I've written with a SOC voice before, but only because it seemed natural
to the piece I was working on. Oddly enough, I've never written fiction
with a SOC voice. In school, we didn't try our hands at writing
different styles like SOC unless it was natural to our writing style. We
studied different styles in the works of published authors, but with our
own writing, we worked within the framework of our own organic process
and style. We weren't discouraged from trying our hand at different
styles, but we never had to do this. You can't force style and voice on
a writer. Just like you can't expect a soprano with a high, clear pitch
with no vibrato to have rich, velvety tones.

You learn to identify voice. Though, like with some vocalist, some have
the ability to traverse between various styles and voices.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/

"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

MESSAGE: 10
Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2011 20:59:43 -0400
From: "Ashley Bramlett" <bookwormahb at earthlink.net>
To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [stylist] Stream of consciousness
Message-ID: <0C46214ECC5944B6893E31C1C34F4E5E at OwnerPC>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
        reply-type=original

Bridgit,
I can see you studied well. You know your terms and how to recognize
them. Does free association writing have to be about objects? And what
makes Soc
be SOC?
Hmm, maybe a mini research project. But I am sure you could explain it
well
since you've written in many styles.
Do authors pick one or the other or have you seen them mix both. Who are
Soc
writers?
Ashley


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