What Is Stream-of-consciousness Writing Brainly

A s a writer, stream of consciousness may be fun to write but unenjoyable to read. Or for you, the reverse may exist true. When talking about screenwriting, stream of consciousness may not be a method oft used on the page but can be used and benefited from in the pre-writing procedure or even with visual elements on screen. This article will answer what is stream of consciousness writing by providing narrative examples and film examples, while also demonstrating another employ of the method to assistance screenwriters (or whatsoever author) connect to their all-time work.

Defining Stream of Consciousness

Stream of consciousness definition

So, what exactly practise nosotros mean by stream of consciousness? Well, if we can get a little "heady" on you lot, let's intermission it downwards. Try to recollect of your brain action as constantly moving forward, like a car on a road or, hey, an actual stream!

Merely for this analogy, let's stick with the car.

When we sit down downward to write, especially any sort of narrative, at that place is a lot of "starting" and "stopping." Nosotros think of ane line and nosotros write information technology down (the car goes forward) but then nosotros stop to recall well-nigh what the adjacent line should exist (the automobile stops). Therefore, a typical way to write is like mental rush-hour traffic, where the flow of ideas are constantly interrupted, considered, planned, etc.

Stream of consciousness writing is a wide-open highway where your mental car can bulldoze at total speed with nothing to block or detour ideas.

At present, hopefully that analogy fabricated sense only but in case it didn't, hither'south a more formal stream of consciousness definition.

Stream of Consciousness Definition

What is stream of consciousness writing?

Stream of consciousness writing is a method of writing that captures the myriad of thoughts and feelings that laissez passer through the mind. This method's purpose is to let these thoughts to pass through without any inhibitors. It's quite literally capturing the "stream" of your consciousness.

The term actually originated in psychology before the literary world ever got a hold of it. Information technology was coined in 1855 by Alexander Bain in the first edition of "The Senses and the Intellect." William James in 1890 used information technology in "The Principles of Psychology." Merely the starting time person to apply information technology to a literary text was May Sinclair, discussing Dorothy Richardson's utilise of the term in her novel, "Pointed Roofs" in 1915.

This is different from an internal monologue. Internal monologue relays thoughts in a linear and logical manner. Stream of consciousness can be marked often by not-linear and unusual grammatical or syntax structures, for it represents the more natural flow of thought. This is why the nature of this is ofttimes long-winded writing.

Stream of consciousness vs internal monologue

• Internal monologue is logical and ofttimes linear. Thoughts coherently movement from one to the next.
• Stream of consciousness writing is frequently not-linear, characterized by nontraditional grammer and syntax.

Now that we know the basics of stream of consciousness, permit'south look at some quick examples to make sure nosotros empathise the concept. Here'south Senior Lecturer Elizabeth Delf from Oregon Country University on what this writing way looks like on the page and how it shapes the storytelling.

Stream of Consciousness Writing Example

Permit'southward move on to discuss more than of the benefits of stream of consciousness writing and look at some more examples from literature and film in item.

Why is This Important?

Benefits of stream of consciousness writing

Considering of its cognitive nature, stream of consciousness writing is groovy for writing about consciousness or as unlike consciousnesses. What does that hateful? Information technology lets the author explore and write to a truer experience, one that is more reflective of what's happening inside the mind. This kind of do would be good for writing about a drug feel, a hallucination, or even describing a dream world or some other trance-like state.

The reason it'south used in narratives and films alike, is to make the viewer or the reader truly experience those thoughts as the graphic symbol is thinking them. It doesn't just relay thoughts to the audience for informational purposes, simply creates an experience of thinking.

Stream of consciousness writing isn't just for the narrative. It is also a brainstorming technique to encourage creativity and intuitive writing. This tin exist especially helpful for writer's cake.

Stream of Consciousness Examples

Use stream of consciousness in movies

In film, stream of consciousness isn't e'er used as a writing technique, but instead may express itself in the visual elements on screen.

Permit's consider David Lynch.

Lynch comes to heed as the majority of his films could be considered a kind of stream of consciousness. Permit's look at one in item...Inland Empire.

Laura Dern'southward character, Nikki, is an actress who gets lost in her new role. Her existent self and the grapheme she's playing start to blend into one. Bated from the distorted cinematography, the motion-picture show focuses on the subjectivity of Nikki's experiences. It goes from one hallucination to the side by side that feels more than similar an association than logical plot structure.

Whether y'all enjoyed this nightmarish drama or not, it'south a truthful experience of stream of consciousness using visual elements, auditory elements, and scene by scene surrealism every bit a way to show the character's perception. The audition experiences the messiness that is her mind.

You could understand this without ever hearing David Lynch explicate the film. But even more fascinating is how the filmmaker's stream of consciousness helped create the motion picture.

Caption: Lynch'southward stream of consciousness process

In the video to a higher place, he talks most his usual process — how when he gets an thought, he writes it down petty-past-little, and eventually, it turns into a script. With Inland Empire, he explains his process equally writing an idea down, then going right out to shoot it. Getting another idea, and then going to shoot information technology. He states he didn't have a inkling of how one idea was related to the other.

In this example, his entire filmmaking process for this film could be considered stream of consciousness! Which, considering we're talking about David Lynch, may not actually come as a surprise to nigh of us, but peradventure gives more than clarity to how and why the movie unfolded the way it did.

Stream of consciousness writing examples in a screenplay

And of course, screenplays tin have stream of consciousness in their dialogue or voiceover, but it's not every bit mutual. It'due south not as mutual because most of the time when a character is going on some tangent, it's considered an inner monologue. Go along in mind, an internal monologue is different than stream considering it follows a coherent path — often linear, going from one thought to the next, even if it appears as rambling.

And these monologues are in a ton of scripts.

But that beingness said, there are examples in picture palace that do utilize stream of consciousness in the actual script.

The voiceovers in The Big Lebowski border on stream of consciousness. Often going from one idea to the adjacent with unconventional grammer, syntax and heavy use of clan. To exist off-white, the associations are fairly logical in instances simply this is interspersed with dream sequences that are admittedly stream of consciousness.

Stream of Consciousness Example in The Big Lebowski  •  Read Total Scene

But before the movies, this technique was used as a mode to describe and dissect literature in the early 20th century.

Stream of Consciousness Examples

Using stream of consciousness in fiction

Stream of consciousness is most common in fiction. Novels are longer winded mediums than anything else and this kind of writing can exist used to not but reveal thoughts of a grapheme simply reveal the inner workings of their heed.

The get-go fourth dimension this psychological term was used in a literary sense was by May Sinclaire in 1915, when she was reviewing Dorothy Richardson's Pointed Roofs.

"On one side was the little greyness river, on the other long wet grass repelling and depressing. Not far ahead was the roadway which led, she supposed to the farm where they were to beverage new milk. She would accept to walk with someone when they came to the route, and talk. She wondered whether this early morning walk would come, now, every day. Her heart sank at the thought."

Virginia Woolf uses stream of consciousness throughout the iconic Mrs. Dalloway:

"Her only souvenir was knowing people nigh by in-stinct, she thought, walking on. If you put her in a room with some 1, up went her back like a true cat's; or she purred. Devonshire House, Bathroom House, the house with the china cockatoo, she had seen them all lit up once; and remembered Sylvia, Fred, Emerge Seton-such hosts of people; and dancing all nighttime; and the waggons plodding past to marketplace; and driving home across the Park. She remembered once throwing a shilling into the Serpentine. But every one remembered; what she loved was this, here, now, in front of her; the fat lady in the cab. Did it matter then, she asked herself, walk-ing towards Bond Street, did it matter that she must in-evitably cease completely; all this must go on without her; did she resent it; or did information technology not become consoling to believe that expiry ended absolutely?"

Woolf takes us through this paragraph of past people and places, through ways of nostalgic associations.

Brainstorming Tips for Screenwriters

Stream of consciousness brainstorming

In screenwriting, stream of consciousness writing doesn't happen on the page per se. While it tin exist voiceover or dialogue, generally speaking, you won't want to go on tangents in the confines of a visual medium.

But that existence said, the nigh powerful brainstorming tool for a screenwriter, or actually for any author, is stream of consciousness pre-writing.

Because stream of consciousness writing is ofttimes long-winded, lacking structure, it may seem unorganized. But there is withal organization in that location.

Stream of consciousness is the result of the mode your brain is naturally ordering its thoughts, feelings, and all of the energy in betwixt. This is powerful. Trust it. Deeper patterns appear.

Ones that are harder to access when you're obsessively thinking nearly plot, theme, and graphic symbol. This is what people refer to as flow state. Employ it!

Allow's write!

With stream of consciousness brainstorm writing, nosotros don't end or hesitate. We merely write without objectively thinking about what to put on the page.

And so rather than simply free writing, here are some stream of consciousness writing exercises you tin can try to help observe more about your characters.

Set a timer and but go for it.

1. You can offset with how yous're feeling or if yous're thinking of a character yous started creating...what if they felt this way?
2. You lot're at a party — what's going on, who practise you encounter, who do yous avert?
3. Imagine your graphic symbol is on a sailboat with ten plus people. They all of a sudden recognize someone on the gunkhole. Who is it?

Keep in heed, these just become regular writing prompts if you remember too much about them. The goal hither is to get into the flow of your natural thoughts, free of all ideas about those thoughts.

Don't hesitate and just continue writing until that timer goes off!

Upwards NEXT

Creative Writing Prompts

If you're feeling upwardly for it and want to practice more stream of consciousness, give the next post a try. We've provided over 80 prompts, that volition help get yous into that flow state!

Upwards Side by side: Writing Prompts →

What Is Stream-of-consciousness Writing Brainly,

Source: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-stream-of-consciousness-writing-definition/

Posted by: turneraloold.blogspot.com

Share this post