With a discussion over lunch with a colleague, an interesting conversation came up, where we were talking about the development of imaginary worlds and the characters that inhabit them. He is re-reading the Game of Thrones books and was wondering what the process is for a writer to be able to develop such complexity, not just in storyline, but also in character depth, bringing in layers and nuance, as if they were intimately acquainted.
And, they are.
At least of a sort. Because writers can only write what they know, which means that their characters and worlds are going to be built from the building blocks of experience. And, the more they write, the greater and more detailed that imaginary world view becomes, the more connected to the characters, the stronger the interrelated relationships between the imaginary experiences of characters become.
Not only this, I at least think that most of the greatest writers, are also astute observers of their environment, as well as being reflective on what they see and experience. For many, they were probably the nerdy kid at school, the one who was singled out and teased, the outcast forced into a lonely world of consumption of vicarious experience, through watching their peers interact with each other, and themselves. They also likely saw many of those behaviors and actions in people when that person though, no one was watching.
The imagination is a muscle. It can be trained.
Reflection in itself is an imaginary process, a creative process, taking what was observed and breaking it down as if how it played out in experience, is actually how it played out. It never is. From the perspective of our awareness, what we experience is a story we tell ourselves we experienced, not the reality. And, our feedback loop we use to evaluate authenticity and accuracy, is self-reported, to the impartial audience of ourselves.
We make a judgement on the world we see and feel we are correct, even though the vast majority of our judgements have no evidence loop to say whether we are right or wrong. And therefore when we are proven wrong, it feels like that incorrect evaluation is an outlier, as after all, we were right all those other times we felt right.
But, the feedback of being wrong about our evaluations of the world, generally come through external feedback, where what we present as our view, meets a conflict of some kind. This means that in order to discover how often and how wrong we might be, we have to present it to the world and see what the world responds.
A writer does this when they deliver their world to their audience and the great writers are those who are able to find that connection between the audience and the characters and world within. It needs to be relatable, even if the framework of the setting is imaginary. The audience needs to feel familiar, which is why love is the most common topic in music, likely followed by sadness. It is about connecting with the emotional side of the audience, the desire, the wanting, the disappointment, the anger and the fear.
Good writing builds the world for the audience and compels them to play a role, even if from a position of silent observer, the fly on the wall position. And, this type of writing isn't by accident, though for some it might come more naturally. It is like method acting to make it believable, it is about channeling the character and for some time, embodying the role, even if it is vastly different to what one might know in the real world.
The success of this process depends on the audience, where the feedback is the reception and it can be a brutal world getting criticism in the public world, especially these days. It really is no wonder why so many people say "I don't care what people think of me" yet, create nothing that is going to attract people's judgements.
And, I believe that while some people are becoming more reflective on their experiences, there is also a move away from dealing with the negatives by avoiding them through other activities. Rather than dive into the issues at hand, there is always a tool of distraction in hand. This not only leaves the challenges unfaced and without closure, but also lessens or stagnates the abilities to deal with future challenges also.
In my opinion, which is all I can give, everyone should write, because not only is it an outlet and a development tool of imagination, but it is a tool that can be used to make sense of our experience and possibly, develop better quality responses to the challenges we face. Rather than acting on default programming, reacting to the environment, we become a little more analytical and tactical, making our responses more tailored for circumstance and primed for an improved outcome.
In many ways, writing through our experiences is like being able to go back in time with the perfect response, acting the way we would have liked to act, if we had only had the time. However, if we do not build the rules of our own engagement, we are going to keep acting in ways that we wish we wouldn't, not getting the results we wish we would.
We are complex - far more complex than any written character - yet, while we know this, most of us spend very little time exploring what it means for us and how it affects our world. What many find though is, once they become intentionally reflective, they start to recognize that things that were happening to them, were actually happening with them, that they were at least in part, responsible for the outcome. And in doing so, are empowered to change their behavior, to adjust the programming to bring action closer to imagination.
We are all creative and while some of us imagine a better world to escape to, others among us imagine a better way to get there. Yet, it seems that all of us, are not content imagining that things are perfect, just the way they are.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
I often write out my thoughts. This forces me to make them coherent. It is at this time when I recognize that what I was thinking made sense, or no sense.
Exactly!
There is something like "if you can't explain it simply enough, you don't know it well enough". That applies to our own experiences and thoughts too, right?
Certainly, I tend to write better than to speak. Writing affords the time to find the right words. In my mind, it's a jumble. Speaking takes the shortest path. Writing wants clarity.
Nice point of view.
I can say some people are more imaginative than others but that is something you can work on.
And everything in life needs work and experience so writing the thoughts gives us pro ante a knowledge and thinking deeply that the first thoughts 💭
I love it when people get out if their comfort zone to learn a new skill. It can be hard, but rewarding in so many ways.
You are right it pretty hard but rewarding.
Let me agree and disagree with you! For sure writing helps someone to organize his thinking, another to develop his imagination! In general, to define his position in the world but also to perceive the world.
The point is that we are not all the same! For the same purpose, others turn to music, dance or even sports! In any case, nice article! Im glad I found you
Yes to the first, no to the second ;D
And yes for sure, there are other outlets that can help in the process, but there is also something about the speed at which we are able to write that slows us down and forces a review of the review :)
Come back any time :)
Many of things we used to see in movies we thought were myths, but they became realistic like a spy bug, which is something that can be applied in reality. But there are events from the imagination that cannot happen, I do not know why they are focused on.
It is the age old question of "life imitating art, or art imitating life" - before any creation, there is thought.
Does this thought come from learning, or is it an acquired talent by instinct?
Writing can be fun if the passion in it develops a positive feeling and makes an impact in one's life and also to touch others who find it as a tool for gaining pleasure.
It can also be tormenting - where it highlights how poor our past behaviors might have been - but it then gives us the space to improve.
Writing with constructive dialogue gives you new ideas suitable for reflection and simulation. Sometimes, if we consider the example of drawing, we may find an expensive painting, but it seems to you simple. This is because our imagination is limited in real things.
A lot of people "don't get" abstract art or jazz music, for much the same reason. Their imagine can't release itself freely enough to paint in the images that are not there.
Some say creativity and imanation are talents which gets developed over a long time of practice. Im not a writer and but a photographer. Before I started, it was inherently difficult especially when I was learning how to use photoshop. But now I can teach someone how to use the software without a computer. I believe imagination is likewise
Photography is a skill - it is possible to have an eye for the image, but not the skill to capture an image. Similarly, it is like me being able to hear when a note is off tune, but not be able to sing myself.
Very funny. I'm very much like you. Trying to sing all my life but was never able to get the tune right.
I also think that imagination is an art and the best writers harness that power of imagination. They express their thoughts through their writings through careful observation of the environment. Also what they see and feel they reflect in their work.
Art can be practiced, can't it?
I have not read the book but from watching the series, the writer must have been so good. This is based on the assumptions that most books are better than the movie versions.
I totally agree with this.
Everything can be learnt. I think its a matter of interest and a aspice of consistency.
I totally agree with the concept of knowing your audience before picking a pen. This is why most books on how to get rich will always talk about the problems of their audience. This pattern makes it possible for the audience to relate and drives more interest in the reader.
You are right, books generally are better, especially if read before the movie. The reason is, when we read, we build the world for ourselves, it becomes ours.
Hmmm.. I never thought of it this way.
It makes sense now
If the writers' imagination can be obtained from experience and what they have experienced, they can also imagine what has not happened.
We should be the best writers of our own lives. What we have experienced should be lessons and abundant resources to shape our future.
A better future should be imagined by everyone as a form of responsibility for their lives, for their past and future, by doing their best today.
Today must be better than yesterday, and tomorrow must be better than today.How to imagine is the extent to which we dare to imagine.
I often follow you, sir. In my opinion, in many ways, your imagination is also wild and everywhere, but still with a strong foothold.
This is the process of creation. Before making, we have to imagine it can be made. Same as for a better future, right?
Yes, I see.
Some people are already planning their future. However, some others do not know how to achieve their future.
I think if one first starts to criticise himself, they will recognise what is responsible for the outcome.
It can be hard to critique oneself well though - we are blinded in so many ways and never objective.
Life experience translated into art. Like musicians, reflections of their past and the good ones have the ability to tell the story.
Yep - and pain seems to be more common than pleasure :)
I am even more amazed that an Australian man with a stroke writes articles every day!
So, I guess your health has been restored!Dear my friend @tarazkp!
Most are amazed that an Australian man can write.
Even an East Asian man, like me, who is not accustomed to English, could know that you are an outstanding poet and writer!
I felt you had a European idea!
From my point of view, I guess you are an anarchist!
I hope you to be as healthy as the koala warriors!😄
I have no idea what I am - those labels for things tend to annoy me, as most people call themselves something one minute, then something else the next.
you are so blessed that you can write so well, love to read it.
Nice 👍 post 😊😊
What a perfect way you have express my feeling right now, your writing is a perfect way to explain the world we are.today while we're looking for a better world, others are trying to fit into the world and make a better life out of it. Really there's no better place to be, but we only have better people who understands how to make a living out of it.