“Essentials of Spontaneous Prose” (1958)

“Essentials of Spontaneous Prose” (1958)


SET-UP The object is set before the mind, either in reality, as in sketching (before a landscape or teacup or old face) or is set in the memory wherein it becomes the sketching from memory of a definite image-object.

PROCEDURE Time being of the essence in the purity of speech, sketching language is

undisturbed flow from the mind of personal secret idea-words, blowing (as per jazz musician) on

subject of image.

METHOD No periods separating sentence-structures already arbitrarily riddled by false

colons and timid usually needless commas but the vigorous space dash separating rhetorical

breathing (as jazz musician drawing breath between outblown phrases) “measured pauses which

are the essentials of our speech” “divisions of the sounds we hear” “time and how to note it

down.” (William Carlos Williams)

SCOPING Not “selectivity” of expression but following free deviation (association) of

mind into limitless blow-on-subject seas of thought, swimming in sea of English with no discipline

other than rhythms of rhetorical exhalation and expostulated statement, like a fist coming down

on a table with each complete utterance, bang! (the space dash)Blow as deep as you

wantwrite as deeply, fish as far down as you want, satisfy yourself first, then reader cannot fail

to receive telepathic shock and meaning-excitement by same laws operating in his own human

mind.

LAG IN PROCEDURE No pause to think of proper word but the infantile pileup of

scatological buildup words till satisfaction is gained, which will turn out to be a great appending

rhythm to a thought and be in accordance with Great Law of timing.

TIMING Nothing is muddy that runs in time and to laws of time Shakespearian stress of

dramatic need to speak now in own unalterable way or forever hold tongue no revisions (except

obvious rational mistakes, such as names or calculated insertions in act of not writing but

inserting).

CENTER OF INTEREST Begin not from preconceived idea of what to say about image

but from jewel center of interest in subject of image at moment of writing, and write outwards

swimming in sea of language to peripheral release and exhaustion Do not afterthink except for

poetic or P. S. reasons. Never afterthink to “improve” or defray impressions, as. the best writing

is always the most painful personal wrungout tossed from cradle warm protective mind tap from

yourself the song of yourself, blow! now! your way is your only way “good” or

“bad always honest, (“ludicrous”), spontaneous, “confessional” interesting, because not

“crafted.” Craft is craft.

STRUCTURE OF WORK Modern bizarre structures (science fiction, etc.) arise from

language being dead, “different” themes give illusion of “new” life. Follow roughly outlines in

outfanning movement over subject, as river rock, so mindflow over jewel-center need (run your

mind over it, once) arriving at pivot, where what was dim-formed “beginning” becomes sharp—

necessitating “ending” and language shortens in race to wire of time-race of work, following laws

of Deep Form, to conclusion, last words, last trickle Night is The End.

MENTAL STATE If possible write “without consciousness” in semitrance (as Yeats’ later

“trance writing”) allowing subconscious to admit in own uninhibited interesting necessary and so

“modern” language what conscious art would censor, and write excitedly, swiftly, with writing-or-

typing-cramps, in accordance (as from center to periphery) with laws of orgasm, Reich’s

“beclouding of consciousness.” Come from within, out to relaxed and said.

Jack Kerouac, “Essentials of Spontaneous Prose” in Ann Charters, ed., The Portable Beat Reader (New York: Viking, 1992).





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