Lesson 8

Lesson 8

A Lesson by Tantra Bensko
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Inducing a waking dream.

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This is similar to the spontaneous writing trance, but takes it a little further into slow brain-waves. You may end up with something very surreal. Surrealist writers aimed to learn all they could from their subconscious through their work. You are going down into where your symbols live.

Breathe deeply, slowly, and focus on your breath, as you release tension everywhere in your body. This works best if you lie down, and have a pad of paper and pen next to you, so you can roll over and write with your dominant hand. Imagine a theater in front of you, or whatever method you like for creating an inviting setting for images to show up in.

Intend to dream, while awake, and be able to write it down, ideally, without coming out of it and stopping the process. This may end up being illegible, so try to remember it as well. Writing it down with eyes closed, peeping to make sure you're making it readable, works pretty well.

You may not see any vivid images of creatures doing wild things lit up before you, but push yourself to do so, by asking -- if I were seeing something, and dreaming right now, what would be happening? And start making yourself see something, or if you never see it, just start writing spontaneously. If you start to see something at all, go with it, follow it, push a little with easy imagination, but never let your conscious mind direct too much.

You may see intense scenes, and whatever they are, record them. Use them as a basis to write a story from. Revise deeply.


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Posted 11 Years Ago


black pantie sundays
an island in the sky
tune it up, tunneling
“But just in case you weren’t ducky,
I'm gonna pour this gasoline all over the room.”
incinerated dog in a santa clause hat

nocturnal vibrations
you take me back
we're going back
“It's all for the camera you see, you sure know how to fail in life.”
too hot, the headache got worse.
any other man would know his bowels are weak

you never leave the princess
“You said you’d take her out, all corny dogs and popcorn.”
midnight train, full moon..
a coal burner racing down the tracks
the train everyone knows was lost

the hollandaise sauce
the African people are going to ask questions
“We were just going to chit-chat from the beginning, and ...here we are now.”
Brazil is out, the whole place exploded

you have to stop the subconscious
just before you go to sleep,
otherwise, that hell-gate opens and flows
“And you know ducky, you shouldn’t have played with matches.”
the tunnel, there’s light at the other end
it’s just an island on fire.
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Beginning Experimental Fiction


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Author

Tantra Bensko
Tantra Bensko

Berkeley, CA



About
I teach fiction writing through UCLA Ex. Writing Program, and my own academy online where I focus on Experimental Writing, which I also teach through Writers College when I have time. I have nearly 20..
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