Destructive writing: breaking texts to build texts

Abstract

ABSTRACT Uncreativity and plagiarism have long been stinging words that can end careers, but are there ways to ethically use and not abuse the work of others? Destructive Writing is a writing strategy that acknowledges the friction and freedom of this practice, a practice that exalts in the fact that words have weight and attempts to shoulder this burden to new and unfamiliar heights. To the Destructive Writer, all stories and words are valuable and appreciated materials to be used again and again, often divorced of their original meaning to both bring attention to new concerns as well as dust-off texts that may have slipped into obscurity. At its heart, it is a mode and classification of writing that defies conventionality and the idea of a traditional author.