Pure Imagination

‘I’ve always hated the expression, “write what you know.” It’s a hall pass for the imagination-impaired. But when your life becomes a twisted mystery, maybe it’s time to lean into it.’

I came across this quote on the new Netflix series by Tim Burton, Wednesday. It made me laugh, as much of that series does (I knew it would be good when the opening scene showed our protagonist entering Nancy Reagan High School, complete with a giant bust of the First Lady). But at the same time, it triggered one of my chief anxieties these days: Do I have enough imagination to be a writer?

I know that I lack empathy. I have to try very hard to understand others’ feelings. And I am constantly amazed by the wonderful ideas expounded in my writers group.

But at the same time, my trouble with empathy has made me pay closer attention to people’s speech and expression, which has proven useful when writing. And I find the more I work with the group, the more my own imagination has developed.

When I attended the Stirling  mystery writers convention earlier this year I was surprised by the number of authors who didn’t know “who dunnit” when they started writing a novel. But as I finished my own, only to discover it did not end as I’d plotted, I came to appreciate the power and process of imagination in writing.

Imagination is a muscle, and it becomes more fit with usage.