Great Writing = The Perfect Combination of Imagination and Skills

A Story by AliceCalch

Tips for word inspiration and expanding your outlook.

Great writers will all say that they are inspired. Whether it is some event, some person, some place, or just some amazing thought that nestled into their brains for a moment, they are able to trigger their imaginations and have the “stuff” from which exceptional prose is born. They also have writing skills which they have developed over time, and those skills allow them to put that prose into words, phrases, sentences, dialogue, and paragraphs that are both grammatically correct and wonderfully engaging. So, where do they get the triggers that set off imagination? From many places, and those places are also the places where they work on many of their writing skills.

Read, Read, Read

Every well-known writer always speaks to the fact that from a very early age, s/he loved to read. So what does reading accomplish for the would-be writer? Here are all of the things that are gained:

1. Heavy readers have far larger vocabularies than low-level readers.

Heavy readers internalize correct grammar, punctuation, sentence structure variety, and the uses of phrases, clauses, and other devices that allow for variation in writing.

3. Heavy readers are exposed to the use of figurative language that make descriptions vivid

4. Heavy readers are exposed to ideas " lots and lots of ideas. And these ideas are stored in the subconscious. They are retrieved and released by the “triggers” that come later on.

5. Heavy readers practice the use of imagination as they read the works of others. They can place themselves in scenes, picture themselves as the characters they encounter, and stimulate those brain synapses that engage the right side of the brain " the creative side!

Write, Write, Write

Successful writers also state that they write every day, even if they are not working on a specific project. As they write, their minds have a chance to “wander,” and, in that wandering, imagination is stimulated and encouraged. So, if you want to stimulate your imagination, keep a journal and commit to writing in it daily. This type of “free writing” exercise will get your “creative juices” flowing. And those journal entries may one day become the impetus for a writing project you undertake.

Observe, Observe, Observe

One of the most entertaining activities is to engage in “people watching.” Whether you do it at a park, at a mall, at a restaurant, or any other public gathering place, you can focus on an individual and create scenarios about that person’s life. This is a wonderful method of stimulating the imagination, and, after you have built your scenario, go home and type it up. You may have occasion to use it someday.

Do Imaginative Things that don’t Relate to Writing

1. Paint a piece of old furniture in bright bold colors and experiment with those color combinations.

2. Make up your own recipe for something and cook or bake it

3. Make some unique piece of wall art using stuff from the hardware stores " bolts, nuts, gears, washers, etc.

4. Take a painting or a dance class

All All of these things get your mind going in different directions " the more you take in new activities that are out of your “comfort zone,” the more imagination you will garner.

Practice Writing Descriptions of All Sorts of Things

1. Use people you know and place them in scenarios that are the total opposite of who they are

2. Pretend that some inanimate object in your home has come to life and write a description of its activities

3. Use figurative language as you describe these people an objects

You have to get comfortable with using similes, metaphors, and personification, and that only comes with practice " lots of practice

Get an App

An app like Evernote is the perfect thing to have as you go through your day. Sparks of creative thought will hit you at the most unusual times. You may be in a meeting at work; you may be at a restaurant for lunch or dinner; you may be at the gym or taking a walk. All of a sudden a thought will come to you. If you don’t write it down, it will be lost. In the past, writers always carried a notepad with them for this purpose. You have something much better!

Take a Creative Writing Course

You can find one at your local community college. Don’t do this online, because you really need the interaction with others for this be a successful experience and for you to “see” how others engage their imaginations and then produce great writing. You will learn how to engage that creative and imaginative side of you, because you will be forced to practice it through the assignments you are given. And with each assignment, you will get better!

There is creativity and imagination in all of us. We only have to look back to our childhoods to remember how free we were to use it. Somehow, along the path toward adulthood, we became to “stuck” in the real world of day-to-day living and lost the imagination we once had. You can get that back!