Writing Journal Worksheet – Cut Up (PDF)

The cut-up technique is a fun, aleatory writing exercise that can help you push the boundaries of your use of syntax and vocabulary.

There are a few ways you can use this worksheet…

1. Crease the page along the vertical lines. Fold so that the edges meet and write a text across columns 4 and 1. You can use found words, or write your own. Repeat for the other side (columns 2 and 3). Now fold the page down the centre and read the resulting text. What new ideas emerge?
2. Write a separate text in each of the 4 columns. You might like to insert some poetry and experiment with different styles and eras for more “dynamic range” in your cut-up writing. Then either read across the lines, or cut up the page along the vertical folds and rearrange the columns.
3. For more variety, you can also fold or cut the page horizontally, or cut vertically down the middle of each column.
4. Cut out your favourite words and paste them into other portions of the text.
5. Print on both sides of the page for even more cut-up or fold-in options!

Want more writing games?

1. Fortune Telling with Bibliomancy
2. A Writer’s Block Board Game
3. A Word Crawl with Sticky Notes