Imagination is like a coffee cup.
One minute it’s empty-the next, it’s brimming with hot, steaming, fluid
characters that fill your senses with pleasure. True, you may have stared into
the bottom of that cup until the tears burned tracks in your face before the
first delicious aroma of an idea floated up.
Okay, enough metaphors and similes.
How do you fill your cup with
imagination when all you see is the bottom?
1. My
room is filled with fantasy and unusual artwork. Sometimes, when I get stuck, I
will just look around, contemplating each piece. What is going through that
nymph’s mind right now as she faces the river god? Where will the fairy find
herself at the end of the dark river? Eventually, my imagination will take me
away and I’ll be writing. I’ve even been inspired by my own mirror.
2. Take
a walk. Pay close attention to everything and everyone you see. The man mowing
his yard may just have murdered his wife. The boys playing together could have
supernatural powers. Let your imagination run wild. Carry a small notebook if
you need to for your ideas, because they will come. Inspiration can flow from
the most unlikely of sources.
3. Join
a writing group, live or online, that gives prompts. Some of my best stories
were written from prompts. In fact, Writer’s Digest provides writing prompts
every week. Another unusual source is an “idea generator.” Use one that just
generates one or two words. You don’t even have to use them, just let them inspire
you. Let your imagination take over. For instance, the word may simply be “blue.”
You immediately think of the shining feathers of a hawk. And you’re off!
These are just three ways you can
inspire your imagination. Now go out and fill your cups. The world is waiting.
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