This document provides information about author BS Johnson and his experimental and innovative approach to writing novels. It discusses how Johnson believed novels should be based on real experiences rather than made-up stories. It also outlines some of Johnson's novels and how he experimented with typography and form in unconventional ways. The document aims to help readers understand Johnson's life and work, and reflect on how his innovative spirit can inspire new approaches to our own work.

1. What can we learn from BS Johnson?
Dave Briggs

2. Aims
• To gain knowledge about
BS Johnson, his life and his
work.
• To practice skills of
assessing different ways of
telling stories and
innovating in the way work
is done.
• To reflect on the attitudes
we have towards our
work, whether we have
fixed ideas about how it is
done and the ways we
could innovate ourselves.

3. Objectives
• Understand the
concept of a story, and
a novel
• Gain an understanding
of the life and work of
BS Johnson
• To take away ideas on
how Johnson’s
approach to his writing
can help us in our work

4. What is a novel?
• BS Johnson was a novelist.
• However, he said that “telling stories was
telling lies”.
• He believed that films and TV did made-up
stories much better than novels.
• Therefore, all novels should be based directly
on the author’s real experience.

5. Discussion exercise
• Think about the books you like to read.
• Which would you call novels?
• Why would you describe them as novels?
• Can you think of a story in a book, that isn’t a
novel?

6. About BS Johnson
• Born in 1933 in London
• Started work at 16 as a
clerk
• Learned Latin at night
school and went to
university
• Became a teacher, and
then a full time writer

7. BS Johnson’s work
• His novels were
increasingly
experimental in
terms of form and
typography
• He also wrote
plays, films and
television
programmes

8. Form
• Form is the way the story is
written. For example:
– Traditional ‘realist’ novel
– Film scripts
– Diaries
– Letters
– Stream of consciousness
– Different perspectives
Typography
• Typography is the way the
story is printed. For
instance:
– Use of fonts
– Size of writing
– Use of white space
– Use of colour
– The shape of the paper
– The way the book is bound

9. Johnson’s novels
• Travelling People (1963)
• Albert Angelo (1964)
• Trawl (1966)
• The Unfortunates (1969)
• House Mother
Normal (1971)
• Christie Malry's Own
Double-Entry (1973)
• See the Old Lady
Decently (1975)

10. Discussion exercise
• Look at the worksheet with different stories
listed.
• What form could they be written in?
– Remember, form is the style of writing, such as
letters, diaries or film scripts etc
• What typographical innovations might be
used?
– Remember, typography is things like
fonts, paper, binding and so on

11. About BS Johnson
• At the age of 40, in
1973, he committed
suicide.
• He didn’t feel he was
achieving the critical
or commercial
success he should
have been.

12. Summary
• Ultimately, Johnson
failed on his own
terms.
• But we are still
talking about him!
• Also, he tried to do
something
new, didn’t settle for
the accepted
methods.

13. Final exercise
• Check your
knowledge with the
quiz
• Think about the final
question – what can
we learn from BS
Johnson in our own
lives and practice?

14. Any final questions?
Dave Briggs
dave@kindofdigitial.com