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No one disputes imagination is a prerequisite for success as a writer. Whether writing a corporate documentary, a novel, poem or screenplay-imaginative power is vital to the creative craft.
Webster defines imagination as "the act or power of forming mental images of what is not actually present; the act or power of creating mental images of what has never been actually experienced..."
So it's clear that mental imagery is an essential imaginative trait. But where do mental images of what is not present or that have not actually been experienced come from? What's their source?
Could be a nagging childhood experience. A simple line from a lyric can fire the imagination. Your relationship with your father might form the basis of a story. Even adventures set in the future realm of outer space have roots firmly planted in earth's soil. Many have commented on how familiar archetypes propel the "Star Wars" story. Fanciful characters such as R2D2 spring from our notion of how robots should behave, then toying with the stereotype. Even inspiration in the form of a dream is a naturally occurring human experience. And, of course, there's always human sexuality to inspire.
Which brings us to another aspect of Webster's definition: "creating new images or ideas by combining previous experiences." Recombining experiences in novel ways is a potent writer's weapon. When the line from the lyric illuminates some aspect of your relationship with your father-you've got something new and potentially fruitful to work with.
Although we think of imagination as creating something out of nothing-that's not the most productive way to think about it. Your life experiences are the caldron of your imaginative powers.
So make sure you leave enough time in your hectic days to experience life in all its myriad forms. Take a vacation from your colleagues. Sign up for a college course that has nothing whatsoever to do with your career. Sit in on a support group for Alzheimer patient's family members. Go out of your way to cultivate friends who are outside the business.
Your well of experience will deepen. And what goes around comes around-creating such stuff as "dreams are made of."
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