the concrete aspects of the text more oblique and abstract. When we built
up a person-in-action in Chapter 2,we were making the description more
concrete. In Chapter 8, however, we tended, especially in the section on
‘the new sentence’, to make the text more abstract.
Rearrangement
Changing the order of a text can often improve the structure and make the
material much stronger, even if it is otherwise unchanged. Think of your
work as if it were in moveable segments. Is your structure progressive or
repetitive, varying, multilayered or numerical? Is it several or none of
these? What is the structural rationale behind it? Look back to Chapters 3
and 5 for more guidance on this.
Shaping
Look at the fine detail such as punctuation, spelling and grammar
(whether you are working with or subverting these conventions). This
book assumes familiarity with these conventions, but many books are
available for consultation if you feel you are not familiar with them.
Shaping also involves, where relevant, playing with the visual effect.
Remember that, especially in poetry, there is no reason to stick to the left-
hand margin.
Overall, treat the idea of a final (and perfect) text with scepticism. Remem-
ber that the final text is usually only the place where the author decides to
stop. Behind every final text are many other routes that the text could have
taken. In fact it is perfectly reasonable to create several versions of a work
rather than only one (as many musicians/writers/artists have done). We
have also seen in this book how it is possible to adapt a particular text for
different media (a hypertext or performance text, for example, may be
rewritten for the page) so that the work itself is constantly transforming.
The creative process always consists of forking paths from which it would
be possible to move in many other directions. And experimentation is
about taking risks, trying different alternatives, not searching for absolute
perfection. Creativity lies in having the courage to make choices, but the
paths that were not taken are still open, and can be explored another day.
Good luck with your experiments and enjoy your writing!
280 The Writing Experiment