Explaining the process of writing presents unique difficulties. It isn’t merely sitting down at the desk and typing. No, writing begins with creating a story in our minds. It begins with creating a character, giving her a backstory, inventing supporting characters, thinking of points of tension, and hooking readers into the story. When we create a character, we live with that imaginary individual in our heads for days, weeks, months, and even years. We inhabit her world as much as she inhabits our world.
Yesterday, I had a solid hour to work on a new story while sitting in a public library. I confess to looking unusual when I write. In my mind, I see the story happening as I write, and on occasion, my emotions will match what is going on in the story which then shows on my face. Sometimes, I will blankly stare into space trying to figure out dialogue or how quickly I want to move the story forward, and this may lead me to stare at someone without realizing it. It is like a movie I can rewind and fast forward with ease and speed, but the problem is that I’m the only one who can see it when I’m writing. I put the characters on the page, and I see the story playing out as I write. What my face may be doing is another story entirely!
During those creative moments, someone may speak to me, but I will answer in a distracted voice if I answer at all because I don’t want to lose my train of thought. Yesterday, no one interrupted me so I kept writing, and when it was time for me to leave, I didn’t want to stop writing. I was on a creative kick, and I was mentally inhabiting the space where this character exists. It’s difficult to pull myself out of it when I’m deep in the writing process because I’m feeling everything the character feels and reasoning through what the character is doing.
This unusual headspace I enter when I write is why I love to hear how other writers use their imaginations. It is why I enjoy hearing about imagination and the creative process from other kinds of artists. I have always had an active imagination. It brought alive castles, law offices, operating rooms, other countries, and all manner of places I’d never been when I was young, and honestly, it still does today. My imagination still takes me to places I’ve never been and places I’ve invented in my head. I can honestly say I would not be who I am without my imagination and my ability to see a person or place in my head that I’ve never seen or that doesn’t exist in reality. My imagination is a part of who and what I am.
If you are a writer or artist, all of this may sound very familiar. You may be thinking, Yes! She understands me. She knows what it’s like to disappear into your mind and create. I hope you feel welcome here and share your experiences and thoughts in the comments. If you are close to a writer, I hope this serves as an introduction to what their headspace may look like. They aren’t trying to ignore you when they don’t respond. Mentally, they are just somewhere else. Their creativity is sparking, and they need time and space to express it. Please give them the freedom to create.
The writer using her or his imagination is a unique creature. They aren’t deliberately ignoring you, making faces, or staring at you. They are merely on an adventure in their mind’s eye, and they are trying to see where it takes the character in the story they are writing. Don’t worry. They’ll be back in little while.
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Inspirational Verse for the Day:
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10, CSB)
All Things Subject to Change 