creative writing school
Module 10: Text & Performance Art
structure
Introduction
Theory:
Toolbox
Stay grounded & motivated
Share your text with us
Theory:
- Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari – A Thousand Plateaus: Rhizomatic thinking and the flow of ideas
- Jacques Derrida – Of Grammatology: The fluidity of language
- Steve Reich: Fase – Minimalism and the power of repetition
- John Cage – 4'33": Embracing silence as presence
Toolbox
Stay grounded & motivated
Share your text with us
introduction
Welcome to the School of Disobedience’s Online Creative Writing School, where we explore the musicality inherent in text, examining how writing can be as rhythmic and expressive as composing music. Just as a composer navigates speed, tempo, refrain, and melody, so too can a writer orchestrate words with similar sensibilities, discovering the hidden musical potential of their texts.
Our approach will be grounded in a rich theoretical foundation, beginning with Steve Reich’s Fase, a minimalist masterpiece that unravels time through repetition and slight shifts in pattern. We will also explore the philosophical landscapes of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari’s A Thousand Plateaus, which encourages us to think in terms of connections and assemblages, rather than linear progressions. Jacques Derrida’s Of Grammatology will push us to interrogate the structures of language, opening new spaces where words unravel and meanings multiply. Lastly, John Cage’s 4'33" will ask us to embrace silence—not as absence, but as presence—and reflect on how the unsaid, like the unheard, can transform how we experience art.
In this course, we will dissect the elements of musical composition and translate them into textual techniques, exploring how speed, melody, silence, and refrain can enhance your literary creations. Embrace the opportunity to compose with words, to find the rhythm in your phrases, and to let your text sing.
Prepare to engage deeply with your craft, as we embark on a journey to uncover the symphonic potential within your writing. Your text is your composition—let it resonate.
Our approach will be grounded in a rich theoretical foundation, beginning with Steve Reich’s Fase, a minimalist masterpiece that unravels time through repetition and slight shifts in pattern. We will also explore the philosophical landscapes of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari’s A Thousand Plateaus, which encourages us to think in terms of connections and assemblages, rather than linear progressions. Jacques Derrida’s Of Grammatology will push us to interrogate the structures of language, opening new spaces where words unravel and meanings multiply. Lastly, John Cage’s 4'33" will ask us to embrace silence—not as absence, but as presence—and reflect on how the unsaid, like the unheard, can transform how we experience art.
In this course, we will dissect the elements of musical composition and translate them into textual techniques, exploring how speed, melody, silence, and refrain can enhance your literary creations. Embrace the opportunity to compose with words, to find the rhythm in your phrases, and to let your text sing.
Prepare to engage deeply with your craft, as we embark on a journey to uncover the symphonic potential within your writing. Your text is your composition—let it resonate.
theory
Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari
Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari – A Thousand Plateaus: Rhizomatic thinking and the flow of ideas
Deleuze and Guattari’s A Thousand Plateaus introduces the concept of the "rhizome"—a non-hierarchical, decentralized structure that resists traditional linear thinking. Music, like text, can be understood as a rhizomatic entity, where connections are made across time, space, and meaning. In this course, we will explore how writing can be a web of ideas that branch out rather than follow a single, linear path. Just as a musical composition might return to a central motif or abandon it entirely, writing can flow between fragments, shifting in tone or theme without losing its coherence. This idea encourages you to break free from rigid structures and embrace writing as an interconnected system of thoughts, ideas, and sensations.
Deleuze and Guattari’s A Thousand Plateaus introduces the concept of the "rhizome"—a non-hierarchical, decentralized structure that resists traditional linear thinking. Music, like text, can be understood as a rhizomatic entity, where connections are made across time, space, and meaning. In this course, we will explore how writing can be a web of ideas that branch out rather than follow a single, linear path. Just as a musical composition might return to a central motif or abandon it entirely, writing can flow between fragments, shifting in tone or theme without losing its coherence. This idea encourages you to break free from rigid structures and embrace writing as an interconnected system of thoughts, ideas, and sensations.
Jacques Derrida
Jacques Derrida – Of Grammatology: The fluidity of language
Derrida’s Of Grammatology challenges the notion of fixed meaning in language, presenting writing as an ever-evolving system of signs. Just as music can never be pinned down to a singular interpretation, so too does text move between meanings. In writing, this concept translates into the playfulness of language—where words, like notes in a melody, dance between multiple significations. By embracing the uncertainty and fluidity of language, writers can create texts that shift, surprise, and engage readers in a continuous process of interpretation.
Derrida’s Of Grammatology challenges the notion of fixed meaning in language, presenting writing as an ever-evolving system of signs. Just as music can never be pinned down to a singular interpretation, so too does text move between meanings. In writing, this concept translates into the playfulness of language—where words, like notes in a melody, dance between multiple significations. By embracing the uncertainty and fluidity of language, writers can create texts that shift, surprise, and engage readers in a continuous process of interpretation.
inspiration
Steve Reich
Steve Reich: Fase – Minimalism and the power of repetition
In Fase, Reich’s minimalist composition invites us to experience music as a series of small, evolving patterns. The repetition of a simple phrase over time creates a meditative rhythm, but what is most striking is how the music shifts through subtle dissonance. For writers, this technique is a powerful reminder that repetition in text—whether of a word, phrase, or image—has the capacity to build tension, shape emotion, and transform meaning. As Reich's patterns phase in and out of sync, writers can experiment with repeating ideas that slowly diverge or intensify, challenging the linearity of narrative progression.
In Fase, Reich’s minimalist composition invites us to experience music as a series of small, evolving patterns. The repetition of a simple phrase over time creates a meditative rhythm, but what is most striking is how the music shifts through subtle dissonance. For writers, this technique is a powerful reminder that repetition in text—whether of a word, phrase, or image—has the capacity to build tension, shape emotion, and transform meaning. As Reich's patterns phase in and out of sync, writers can experiment with repeating ideas that slowly diverge or intensify, challenging the linearity of narrative progression.
John Cage
John Cage – 4'33": Embracing silence as presence
Cage’s revolutionary 4'33" invites listeners to reconsider the nature of music by presenting silence as the central experience. The absence of sound becomes its own form of presence, reminding us that silence is not empty—it is full of potential. In writing, the concept of silence can be reflected in the use of pauses, the white space on a page, or the unsaid in dialogue. Silence, when embraced intentionally, allows for reflection and resonance. In this course, you will be encouraged to experiment with silence in your writing—whether through minimalism, ellipsis, or implied meaning—inviting readers to engage with what is not said as much as with what is.
Cage’s revolutionary 4'33" invites listeners to reconsider the nature of music by presenting silence as the central experience. The absence of sound becomes its own form of presence, reminding us that silence is not empty—it is full of potential. In writing, the concept of silence can be reflected in the use of pauses, the white space on a page, or the unsaid in dialogue. Silence, when embraced intentionally, allows for reflection and resonance. In this course, you will be encouraged to experiment with silence in your writing—whether through minimalism, ellipsis, or implied meaning—inviting readers to engage with what is not said as much as with what is.
creative writing prompts
Phasing patterns (Inspired by Steve Reich’s Fase):
Write a short piece where a single phrase, image, or sentence repeats throughout the text. Each time, make a small, subtle shift—whether in tone, meaning, or perspective—that gradually changes the overall narrative. Allow the rhythm of repetition to drive the flow of the piece.
Rhizomatic storytelling (Inspired by A Thousand Plateaus):
Construct a story or essay that does not follow a linear narrative. Instead, allow your thoughts and ideas to branch out in multiple directions. Return to certain motifs or characters, but let the piece feel like a web of interconnected themes rather than a single, straightforward plot.
Deconstructing language (Inspired by Jacques Derrida’s Of Grammatology):
Choose a simple sentence or phrase and deconstruct it by breaking it into its component parts. Explore how changing a single word, reordering the sentence, or interpreting it through different contexts can shift its meaning. Write a series of short texts that show how language is fluid and open to multiple interpretations.
Writing silence (Inspired by John Cage’s 4'33"):
Write a piece where silence plays a central role. This could be through dialogue where key things are left unsaid, through white space on the page, or through minimalist descriptions that leave much to the reader’s imagination. Explore how silence can evoke emotion, tension, or reflection.
Write a short piece where a single phrase, image, or sentence repeats throughout the text. Each time, make a small, subtle shift—whether in tone, meaning, or perspective—that gradually changes the overall narrative. Allow the rhythm of repetition to drive the flow of the piece.
Rhizomatic storytelling (Inspired by A Thousand Plateaus):
Construct a story or essay that does not follow a linear narrative. Instead, allow your thoughts and ideas to branch out in multiple directions. Return to certain motifs or characters, but let the piece feel like a web of interconnected themes rather than a single, straightforward plot.
Deconstructing language (Inspired by Jacques Derrida’s Of Grammatology):
Choose a simple sentence or phrase and deconstruct it by breaking it into its component parts. Explore how changing a single word, reordering the sentence, or interpreting it through different contexts can shift its meaning. Write a series of short texts that show how language is fluid and open to multiple interpretations.
Writing silence (Inspired by John Cage’s 4'33"):
Write a piece where silence plays a central role. This could be through dialogue where key things are left unsaid, through white space on the page, or through minimalist descriptions that leave much to the reader’s imagination. Explore how silence can evoke emotion, tension, or reflection.
toolbox
Rhythmic mapping:
Choose a piece of music and map its rhythm, tempo, and mood onto a piece of writing. Experiment with how changes in speed and pauses affect the flow of your text.
Repetition and variation:
Take a single sentence or word, and repeat it at regular intervals in your writing. Allow each repetition to shift slightly in meaning or tone, reflecting how minimalist music uses repetition to create depth.
Sensory writing:
Engage all five senses while writing. Imagine how your text could be felt, heard, or even tasted. Let music inspire these sensory connections, and bring a multi-layered depth to your writing.
Collaborative soundscapes:
Write in response to a piece of music chosen by a friend, creating a dialogue between your text and their musical selection. Reflect on how the music influenced your writing process and the emotions it evoked.
Mapping the Rhizome:
Create a mind map for your writing that branches out in multiple directions. Instead of following a linear outline, explore how ideas can connect laterally. This tool encourages nonlinear storytelling and helps you embrace the complexity of ideas, much like Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of the rhizome.
Playing with pauses:
Inspired by John Cage, this exercise encourages writers to consciously include pauses or silences in their work. Whether through the use of ellipses, line breaks, or moments of minimal description, this tool will help you explore the power of what’s left unsaid.
Deconstruct and rebuild:
Take a simple piece of writing and deconstruct it—break it apart, rearrange the words, and shift the meaning. This tool encourages experimentation with structure and meaning, much like Derrida’s approach to language. The goal is to see how flexible and malleable language can be.
Choose a piece of music and map its rhythm, tempo, and mood onto a piece of writing. Experiment with how changes in speed and pauses affect the flow of your text.
Repetition and variation:
Take a single sentence or word, and repeat it at regular intervals in your writing. Allow each repetition to shift slightly in meaning or tone, reflecting how minimalist music uses repetition to create depth.
Sensory writing:
Engage all five senses while writing. Imagine how your text could be felt, heard, or even tasted. Let music inspire these sensory connections, and bring a multi-layered depth to your writing.
Collaborative soundscapes:
Write in response to a piece of music chosen by a friend, creating a dialogue between your text and their musical selection. Reflect on how the music influenced your writing process and the emotions it evoked.
Mapping the Rhizome:
Create a mind map for your writing that branches out in multiple directions. Instead of following a linear outline, explore how ideas can connect laterally. This tool encourages nonlinear storytelling and helps you embrace the complexity of ideas, much like Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of the rhizome.
Playing with pauses:
Inspired by John Cage, this exercise encourages writers to consciously include pauses or silences in their work. Whether through the use of ellipses, line breaks, or moments of minimal description, this tool will help you explore the power of what’s left unsaid.
Deconstruct and rebuild:
Take a simple piece of writing and deconstruct it—break it apart, rearrange the words, and shift the meaning. This tool encourages experimentation with structure and meaning, much like Derrida’s approach to language. The goal is to see how flexible and malleable language can be.
stay grounded and motivated
"To close this lesson, I want to share something personal. After spending time exploring the connections between text and music, it’s important to ground ourselves, to come back to the body, and rest. I’ve always believed that the best way to ground at the end of a creative journey is through music that brings you back to yourself—music that creates space to breathe, reflect, and simply be.
So, here’s something close to my heart—my top 5 grounding tracks. These are the pieces I return to when I need to relax, reconnect, or even find inspiration for the next step. You can use them however you like: to rest after your writing, to reflect on what you’ve created, or to let them fuel the ideas that are still forming in you. I hope they offer you the same peace and creativity they bring me.
I hope you enjoy these moments of stillness. Thank you for journeying through this chapter on text and music with me. Let’s stay open, keep breathing, and trust that creativity flows best when we’re grounded."
—Anna Ádám
Founder of the School of Disobedience
So, here’s something close to my heart—my top 5 grounding tracks. These are the pieces I return to when I need to relax, reconnect, or even find inspiration for the next step. You can use them however you like: to rest after your writing, to reflect on what you’ve created, or to let them fuel the ideas that are still forming in you. I hope they offer you the same peace and creativity they bring me.
- Gautier Capuçon - Jérôme Ducros: Una mattina
- Seas feat. Clementine Blue
- Carbon Based Lifeforms
- Brian Eno: An Ending
- J. S. Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, Prélude
I hope you enjoy these moments of stillness. Thank you for journeying through this chapter on text and music with me. Let’s stay open, keep breathing, and trust that creativity flows best when we’re grounded."
—Anna Ádám
Founder of the School of Disobedience
Photo: FORTEPAN