USE YOUR IMAGINATION
NOT TO SCARE YOURSELF
TO DEATH
BUT
TO INSPIRE YOURSELF
TO LIFE.
(Adele Brookman)
Someone once told me that our best quality is often also our worst one. I don't know how true that is for everyone but it certainly is for me. My imagination has always been one of my better attributes. But somewhere along the line, it veered off a wholesome path full of unicorns and fairy dust, and into some gnarly woods where hideous creatures scuttle beneath thorny, poisonous bushes.
Now, while that's all well and good for writing, it's not so great for living. Seriously, sometimes I'm surprised I manage to leave the house. When your imagination enjoys poking a stick into the darkest shadows to see what comes lunging out, you learn to duck, and then ultimately, to stay down.
I need to remind my imagination about some of those old paths, the ones that aren't so dark, the ones where the twists and turns lead to something good. Maybe the unicorns and fairy dust are gone, but the sunshine and cool breezes aren't.
If your imagination often holds you hostage in a deep, dark place (um, see what I mean?) then start negotiating with it - one worst case scenario for two best cases, a creepy thought for two positive ones, etc. The stories I need to tell might live in those wild woods...but that doesn't mean I have to. Not anymore. Oh, I'll still visit - someone has to hunt down those horror stories - but I'll be bringing the biggest flashlight I can find. And extra batteries.
I have never thought of a person's best quality also being their worst one before...this is very intriguing and thought-provoking!
ReplyDeleteIt kind of blew my mind when I first heard it. :)
DeleteInteresting. Maybe writing down those stories from the wild woods help us to live in the sunshine?
ReplyDeleteCould be, Simon. Could be....
DeleteMy best is my worst? Well, some days my guitar playing does suck.
ReplyDeleteTake a bat with you as well.
I'd like to take a crossbow but let's be real - I might actually be able to swing a bat. :)
DeleteVery true! I'm a big thinker, so I'm always looking at situations from all different sides. The problem is, I'm often so busy thinking when I should be doing something!
ReplyDeleteToo much thinking can paralyze you. Believe me, I know.
DeleteI never thought about this but it's interesting. My imagination is often my enemy because I tend to imagine the worst case scenario for everything!
ReplyDeleteOh yes - the worst case scenario and I are the best of friends. Unfortunately.
DeleteI understand that philosophy a little bit. I can't figure out what is my best quality though. I'm afraid I have some mediocre traits.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you have a "best" quality! Ask your family and friends - they probably see you more clearly than you see yourself.
DeleteTry to take it over, like a lucid dream, and conjure up a superhero to navigate things for you! Erm... I know that is probably easier said than done... It's funny. I don't think of my imagination as particularly spectacular. I feel more like a puzzle master, pulling things together from arbitrary places. Probably why my fiction stays in the realm of realistic, in spite of loving horror and fantasy.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of being a puzzle master - nice! :)
DeleteI'm one of those who usually thinks about the worst case scenario, but usually I don't dwell on it. Or the rational side takes over, the part that says, this can't or won't happen. Which is probably a good thing. :)
ReplyDeleteI struggle with the dwelling part - I get mired down in the worst case scenario then struggle to get out. I usually do manage to work my way free but it's not easy.
DeleteIf someone's going to scare me, it might as well BE me. I seem to do it a lot, then I resort of Stephen King.
ReplyDeleteHa! I never thought of it that way before.... :)
DeleteI'm all for the flashlight. =) It wasn't until a recent review I realized some of my own writing might be a bit dark...and truthfully, I like that corner of imagination. Without a little scary, you can have the relief of sunlight. =)
ReplyDeleteI only wish it was a dark corner and not a whole giant room. :)
DeleteWhat a novel idea and very thought-provoking. One of my daughter's best qualities is that she is very out-going, an admirable trait, but it can be very off-putting to people who are more private. I like where your best quality has taken you!
ReplyDeleteMy imagination is both my best friend and my worst enemy. Wherever we go, it's quite the road trip. :)
DeleteBringing light to the darkness and or else having the light within you to overcome the darkness, something we should all strive for.
ReplyDeleteYou have a gift with words.
Thank you so much, Kay!
DeleteI was grappling with that yesterday. I was imagining the absolute most dramatic, worst ending to a situation, knowing it was all going to be okay. I didn't even think to blame it on the writer in me!
ReplyDeleteNow you have an excuse!
DeleteYup, that happens. It does make for interesting writing though.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely does!
Delete