For Beginning Writers, Part 1: Imagination


On the heels of the first showing of “Julie & Julia,” hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans must have begun writing blogs, some daily, as Julie did. Not a bad idea, if one has something to say. One can write about family and enjoy comments from family. Or one can write on a broader subject in an endeavor to reach numerous others not related to one. A subject I have often written about in recent years, and been nationally published on and been paid for, is the field of writing. Ergo, it’s second nature for me to see the errors that pop up in blogs (catching some of my own and changing them). Today I am starting another series, this one addressing blogs to beginning writers or to those who wish to write, even to write just one book. My opinions differ with some of the stuff found in books on writing. But they agree with other books on the subject. Sad to say, the former are in greater abundance. Now I’ll switch to the second person pronoun. And we’ll deal with fiction.

You have heard, “Write about what you know.” I defy that. Write about what you can imagine, as well as know. What we imagine is based on what we know to begin with. Does Stephen King imagine anything when he writes? Does Robin Cook? Elizabeth George? Rosamunde Pilcher? Ridley Pearson? Felix Francis? How about Thomas Hardy, Edgar Allan Poe, Jane Austen? All of them must burst, or have burst, with imagination coming out of their ears. Well, no, out of their keyboards and pens. When I was little and knew I wanted to write when I grew up, my imagination showed me ideas generating in my brain, traveling down my throat into my right shoulder, down my arm into my fingers and through the pencil. The only trouble with that was there was so much more generation of ideas than there were arms. After I grew up, I was surprised at the number of people I met who had no imagination. How deprived they are! They also don’t get as much from their reading as those with a good dose of imagination working for them.

You cultivate imagination during your childhood. Perhaps you build on some special gene. But don’t lose heart over it, if your imagination isn’t at the bursting point. I have good news for you beginning writers. You can write gorgeous prose without much imagination, if you opt for nonfiction. Imagination helps even in nonfiction but you can do without it and write well. Just be sure you love research and have a plethora of vocabulary.

♥