Constraint Fiction
Write stories using self-imposed rules like Perec's style constraints
Constraint-based fiction writing uses arbitrary rules to structure stories, inspired by Georges Perec and the Oulipo movement. Constraints might include: writing only in palindromes, using a specific word count multiple, telling the story in reverse, or limiting yourself to words of certain lengths. These constraints force creative problem-solving and often produce surprising, innovative narratives. It's intellectual play that reveals how form shapes meaning.
How to start
- 1Choose a constraint (word count multiple, letter avoidance, tense restriction, etc.)
- 2Outline a simple story or scene
- 3Write your story while adhering strictly to the constraint
- 4Revise and refine, maintaining the constraint throughout
What you'll need
- Text editorEssentialFree
- Writing reference materialsNice to have~$10
Where to learn more
Plot twists
Ways to spice this up when the basics get boring.
- Combine multiple constraints in one story
- Write a story where each paragraph uses a different constraint
- Challenge others to guess what constraint you used
Constraints provide structure that can paradoxically free creativity. The rules function like scaffolding, giving your ADHD brain a track to follow.
Perec once wrote a story about a man trying to produce a lipogrammatic novelβa meta-constraint where the constraint itself becomes the plot.
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