Gryphon
The One who has the Eyes
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2021
- Messages
- 681
- Points
- 133
I'm curious about this concept, because imagination is one of the most crucial aspects about being a writer. Without the ability to imagine oneself in a parallel world with its own rules, customs, and people, it would be impossible to write a good book no matter how many words one knows. Either you couldn't write a book at all, or it's going to have more stuff taken from other media then original content.
I think of myself as a very imaginative person. The book I'm writing currently is pretty expansive, and pretty original for what it is. I do add in some things from other media, but its usually just to match a specific tone instead of taking specific scenes and repeating them one by one. As a kid, I've always imagined myself in the world of the TV shows I've watched, creating new plot points based off of what I would do, and how the characters would bounce off my character.
Then I had a discussion with someone a few weeks ago, where they told me that no matter what they did, they just couldn't imagine well. Here's a test.
Close your eyes and think of an apple. What do you see. Can you see an apple, or is it a blank void.
If the apple is there, then can you tell me major details about it? Is the apple red, green, yellow, or some strange color. How does light bounce of the surface of the apple?
Touch the apple in your mind. How does it feel? Bite into it. What does it taste like? Did your bite go through smooth, or did your teeth catch on the roughness of the fruit?
Depending on how many answers you can give, and how far you can detail the apple, will depend on the amount you can imagine scenarios. Granted, the apple test is easy since its not really coming up with original stuff, and not even stuff not applicable to our reality, but if you can describe even the minute details of an apple, I'd say you could imagine a great deal of things.
Thats where the interesting part comes in. The person I was talking to said they couldn't even past the first step. They couldn't imagine the apple. They can answer the question using the memory of them eating an apple a day prior, but they can't imagine a fake apple or describe them eating the fake apple.
Which brings up the question? Can imagination be taught? Would they be able to see an apple in their mind one day, or is the level of imagination one has depend from the day we are born? Would it be possible for someone to write a somewhat original story if they can't imagine their story within their minds by using the memory previous stories they've read? I'm genuinely curious about this.
I think of myself as a very imaginative person. The book I'm writing currently is pretty expansive, and pretty original for what it is. I do add in some things from other media, but its usually just to match a specific tone instead of taking specific scenes and repeating them one by one. As a kid, I've always imagined myself in the world of the TV shows I've watched, creating new plot points based off of what I would do, and how the characters would bounce off my character.
Then I had a discussion with someone a few weeks ago, where they told me that no matter what they did, they just couldn't imagine well. Here's a test.
Close your eyes and think of an apple. What do you see. Can you see an apple, or is it a blank void.
If the apple is there, then can you tell me major details about it? Is the apple red, green, yellow, or some strange color. How does light bounce of the surface of the apple?
Touch the apple in your mind. How does it feel? Bite into it. What does it taste like? Did your bite go through smooth, or did your teeth catch on the roughness of the fruit?
Depending on how many answers you can give, and how far you can detail the apple, will depend on the amount you can imagine scenarios. Granted, the apple test is easy since its not really coming up with original stuff, and not even stuff not applicable to our reality, but if you can describe even the minute details of an apple, I'd say you could imagine a great deal of things.
Thats where the interesting part comes in. The person I was talking to said they couldn't even past the first step. They couldn't imagine the apple. They can answer the question using the memory of them eating an apple a day prior, but they can't imagine a fake apple or describe them eating the fake apple.
Which brings up the question? Can imagination be taught? Would they be able to see an apple in their mind one day, or is the level of imagination one has depend from the day we are born? Would it be possible for someone to write a somewhat original story if they can't imagine their story within their minds by using the memory previous stories they've read? I'm genuinely curious about this.