spir <denis.spir@free.fr> wrote:
On the other side, the Oulipo school of writing believes that writing with apparently arbitrary constraints improves the results.
???
How can you assert such a non-pertinent (and wrong) statement (in regard to the point beeing discussed)? Oulipo games are about helping *creativity*. A set of strict constraints helps the poet be creative -- or rather they let whatever unconsciounsly creates "popping" good mattery into conscious poetic minds.
Do you think that writing code is an act that does not involve creativity? Writing with constraints to improve creativity applies to any kind of writing, not just poetry. I heard about the idea in my creative writing class; I've never heard of Oulipo before. It also has already been invoked in this thread with respect to writing programs: constrained to 80 characters, you are encouraged to refactor the code, thereby producing superior code. --David