This was the special technique of Jack Kerouac’s that Michael McClure discussed in a workshop hosted by the Northwest SPokenword Lab. When you get stuck composing spontaneously, go up a few lines, or to the beginning of the poem you’re writing, and read it. Like silt deposits from upstream, some notion that crossed your mind and left will come back and you will have the momentum to carry on with the poem.
Kerouac’s “alluvial technique”—often referred to in the context of his “spontaneous prose” or “spontaneous poetics”—is a method of writing where the author continues to add words, phrases, associations, and “alluvials” (extra vowels and consonants) to a sentence until the breath and mind are completely exhausted. It is the practice of allowing the subconscious to flow directly onto the page, capturing the full range of consciousness without immediate editing or grammatical restriction.
Key Aspects of the Alluvial Technique
“Alluvials” as Sediment: Just as a river deposits silt (alluvium) along its banks, Kerouac believed in adding all the secondary thoughts, echoes, and “extra” words that come to mind while writing. This approach often meant adding descriptive details or emotional nuances at the end of a sentence until no further detail could be squeezed out.
The “Endless Sentence”: Kerouac would end the sentence by continuing to add these alluvials until he “finally got the last breath out,” according to Allen Ginsberg’s interpretation of his methods.
Jazz Influence: Inspired by jazz musicians like Charlie Parker, Kerouac aimed to write in a way that mimicked the spontaneous, improvisational nature of “bop” jazz, allowing for long, breath-driven phrasing.
Removing Inhibition: The technique encourages removing literary, grammatical, and syntactical inhibitions to produce “pure” prose.
Core Beliefs Supporting the Method
Kerouac codified his approach in “Essentials of Spontaneous Prose” and other notes:
“First Thought, Best Thought”: Similar to Ginsberg’s phrase, Kerouac emphasized writing without re-writing or trying to fix the original, “spontaneous” creation. “Be in Love with Yr Life”: Writing should be a passionate, honest expression, not a cold, intellectual exercise. “Write What You Want Bottomless from Bottom of the Mind”: The goal is to tap into the deepest, uninhibited subconscious mind.
Purpose of the Technique
Capture Immediate Experience: It allows the author to “sketch the flow” of thoughts and sensations exactly as they occur, creating an authentic “interior monologue”.
Create Fluidity: By treating the writing process as a “jazz improvisation,” Kerouac aimed to create a, “dynamic fluctuation of his interior and exterior worlds”.
Confessional Tone: The method aims to deliver a “confessional impression” of the author’s direct experience.
More at: https://allenginsberg.org/2013/05/spontaneous-poetics-71/