Creating Cut-ups
There are several ways to create a cut-up poem. The first cut-up was created by Tristan Tzara, the Dadaist poet, in 1920. Here are his instructions:
Take a newspaper. Take a pair of scissors. Choose an article as long as you are planning to make your poem. Cut out the article. Then cut out each of the words that make up this article and put them in a bag. Shake it gently. Then take out the scraps one after the other in the order in which they left the bag. Copy conscientiously. The poem will be like you. And here you are a writer, infinitely original and endowed with a sensibility that is charming though beyond the understanding of the vulgar.
There are multiple variations to this method. You can also cut out phrases, lines, sentences, and move them around consciously to make a poem, as shown in the video below.
Making a Poem Using the Cut-up Technique
In the 1950's, Brion Gysin and William S. Burroughs created another cut-up technique. Cut-up techniques are an excellent process that can help with writer's block:
The Cut-up Method: The Cure for Writer's Block
From my poem, "The Arrival" I created a cut-up using the Gysin/Burroughs technique. I then revised it into "Spiritual Magick in Water".
Another technique I use that is a variation of this method is to take two pages of text, cut them vertically down the middle, creating four halves. This invariably cuts some of the words in half. I then take one half from one text and one half from the other, place them side by side, sometimes moving one or both halves up or down and find lines that are interesting and write them. I repeat with the other two halves. Often only one pair will create the best cut-up. I sometimes take it one step further and edit the cut-up, removing and/or rearranging lines. For instance, I used two of my poems, "Pink Moon" and "I Am" to create the cut-up, "I Hear You".
If you never thought you could write a poem I encourage you to try a cut-up and see where it might take you. As Tzarza stated, "And here you are a writer..."