“Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express — verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other manner — the actual functioning of thought. Dictated by the thought, in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern.”  – Andre Breton, Surrealist Manifesto of 1924.

Research I performed into the Surrealist movement of the early-mid 20th century, for a novel I wrote, left me with a valuable and sometimes mysterious tool.  “Automatic Writing” is a technique used by Surrealists to open the pathway from the subconscious to paper.  My belief is the relationship between a purist view on this pathway, and the reality of it, is somewhat asymptotic.  Even so, I found the process itself actually works in mysterious ways, and even can cure a case of writer’s block.  I will never know how it works, I just know what it has left behind.  Here’s an example of a writing I did in just a couple minutes.

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Manipulation.  Gnomes unpronounced.  Singularity, confused and fused.  Deliberate trees starve.  Too little beforehand.  Bequeath, mammoth.  Why I starve myself for you?  Even though.  Grasshoppers sing melodies.  Keys to forgotten locks.  Fury and furry.  Heads in common.  Black beneath- can’t see.  Forever, too many.  Dire.  Drums implode.  Vacuum inside, blow out.  Forever the tea kettle whistles.  Brains out of force.  Intercepted the preposition.  The premise, intent inherent.  Value masks the truth.  Who knows what to write.  Negative opposition to be only you.   Undertaken caretaker.  Foresight, behind.  Les miserable little girl and flags rebel.  Is it a dog?  Chains sing persistently.  The hum and ring.  Tether to fall.  Go upward, beyond blue.  To much in control now.  Stop.