Room for the Imagination
Finding the time to imagine is every bit as important as finding the time to write. I don’t know about you, but if I sit down to write without some imagination time beforehand, the writing will not happen when I put butt in chair.
I’ll have to sit and think. Sitting still and thinking is not my strong suit. If I sit and think, I get bored and start puttering on the internet.
For me, imagination time happens
- In the shower;
- In the car;
- While cleaning;
- While mowing the lawn.
I have plenty of time to write this summer, but the one thing I’m lacking is imagination time. I’m moving, so things I need to remember to do are rattling around in my brain like crazy. If I have time to think, I try to remember all that I’m likely to forget to do in the next few weeks.
Do you need imagination time before sitting down to write? When do you get it? How do you force it when life happens and you can’t think straight for all the stuff rattling in your brain?
Houston, We Have A Go
I’m in the mood for color. Can you tell? I’ve played with the fonts and the colors and stuff, and I’d love to hear what you think. My eyesight is getting worse by the day, so if I’ve made the paragraph font obnoxiously big, you can tell me. Also if I’ve gone too crazy with color.
The one huge, major change between WordPress and Blogspot is the time it takes to reply to comments. In Blogger, one types in the reply, submits, waits for the whole page to load, then scrolls down to the comment, back up to the comment box to type the reply, back down to remember the comment you were replying to, back up to finish typing the reply, then hits submit again. Replying to twenty comments in Blogger would take me about 45 minutes or so; replying to ten comments in WordPress took me less than 3 minutes.
Huge difference.
I can also reply from the admin area, too. I’m so excited about this, because one of the reasons I stopped blogging for awhile was because I felt it was rude to not reply to comments on my blog, but if I took that time, I didn’t have time to read your blogs. I really blog because I enjoy reading your blogs.
So WordPress fixed this major issue. Now I can have my cake, my icing, and eat it, too!
I’m sorta back, but until September, my posts might be sporadic. I’m moving. 
What have I missed? How are you? Anything special going on the rest of the summer?
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Natasha Fondren is a writer traveling the U.S. in a camper with her four cats. She is currently enjoying the lizards and desert heat in Arizona.
Imagination time for me is any time I am not being distracted by someone. When I am left alone my mind will take off and begin exploring. My best writing is usually done after long periods of day-dreaming. My funniest stuff is generally spontaneous.
I’ve not really been able to force my imagination. Have been able to prime it on occasion. I do that be rereading my own writing.
Bevie, being left alone sounds awesome! Oh wait, I’m alone all the time. Geeze! Being left alone by my own thoughts sounds awesome, LOL! Maybe I need to take up meditation more seriously.
Natasha, I LOVE your blog. It’s so colorful and different from anything I’ve seen. I’m getting blog envy.
And the font is wonderful. So easy to read.
Ideas come to me in spurts, but you’re right that it’s usually when I’m moving, and not when I’m sitting in front of a computer. Except … (there’s always an except) I’m emailing my CPs about a book idea. Suddenly, new ideas burst out of me as I’m typing. Things I’ve never thought of before. It’s happened often. Now I sometimes use a blank email and send it to myself.
You’re kidding! Really? That’s something, Edie. I’ve got getting-idea-envy, LOL! I need an idea factory like that. Usually it’s the bathtub. I need to spend more time in the ‘tub.
Very pretty. And it doesn’t overload my wireless connection thingy.
I thought of you when I picked and tweaked it, Stephen!
[...] Fondren has a new blog! I love the design, the bright colors and the easy-to-read font. Plus, I’ve missed Natasha! [...]
Aw, shucks, Edie!
Thanks!
Awesome new blog! I love the colors. They’re beautiful.
I’m definitely an “ideas in the shower and car” kind of girl. The shower’s the best!
Thanks, Robin! I’m joining you on WordPress!
The shower is definitely the best. I think I need to schedule some sitting-in-the-shower time. 
Love the new digs! It’s sooo cheerful and certainly brightens my day!
My imagination time comes when I specifically sit down to brainstorm…then the ideas come fairly quickly. I generally do need pen and paper or a computer somewhere near me to spark that creativity, though.
Oh good, Michele! It kinda did that for me, too.
I need the warmth! That’s cool. They say that linking the brainstorming with something helps you access it more on demand. I’m thinking I need a new link, LOL!
I am loving the new blog! My imagination time is when I am walking or doing something active–or in the train, but usually I car pool instead of going in the el. Also, bubble baths can get the creative juices flowing!
Lauren, you make Chicago seem awesome. Well, I used to visit and absolutely loved it, but I haven’t thought of living there, ever. I will have to visit! When I lived in Cleveland, I LOVED taking the Rapid. I would take it all the way to the airport and back, JUST to relax. That was before I wrote. If I still lived there, I bet I’d take it just to think!
I love the colors too. The font is a hair big for my taste, but it’s better than being too small or a color.
You nailed it about needing time for imagination. I’ve been thinking about Joe’s prompt and wasn’t liking any of the early ideas that I had. Of course my mind started churning when I went to bed way too late last night. I forced myself out of bed and wrote down a couple hundred words. The craziest part is it’s sci-fi! I’ve never written that before.
LOL, Melanie, I figured. I’m not having trouble reading the comments section, so I might make the post the same size. I do like not having to adjust my browser, though.
Sci-fi! Wow, I never thought of you paired with that! That’s cool! This post helped me, too. I’ve now determined to make time for imagining. I have no problem finding the writing time, but I stick myself in chair and get no writing done.
It is sci-fi light — no space ships or anything.
Oh cool! I love science fiction!
I feel like I just stepped onto the yellow brick road! Fantastically re-design job!!
Thanks, Rick! That comparison made me smile!
Since you’re asking opinions on the blog — is there a way to access the comments without having to click on the title?
Isn’t that a pain? I’ll have to work on that. You can access comments by the little side fly-out thing with the number of comments, or the title. I’ll work on putting a link at the bottom of the post, for those of us who are used to blogspot’s ways, LOL.
The colours are restful to the eyes, and the layout is excellent.
Moving is exciting, and in time you will tell us where.
You bet, Barbara! It’s not that I’m keeping it secret, it’s that I have to be 100% sure, and make sure all the pieces fall into place. I let you guys know in a week or two. As soon as I know!
Oooh, all pretty and bright and shiny and…
‘K, I’m over myself now. I like the big font, but then, I’m not 25, or even 35. =)
And um, I couldn’t figure out how to comment until I clicked Melanie’s comment in the sidebar. (Yeah, I’ve made no secret of my tech-challenged self)
I’ll adjust. And I love it. And it’s nice to see you back–even if sporadically. Where are you moving? Big move? Across town move? How’d I miss this?!?!
Thanks, Lainey! I’m fixing that annoying comment thing tonight, I promise! Yeah, to comment in WordPress, you have to go to the post page by clicking the title or that little tab on the side that says how many comments there are.
I’m going to put one at the bottom, tonight!
Well, pretty certain it’ll be a big move. I’ll announce for sure in about a week.
In the car, definitely. The problem is that now I carpool I get no daydreaming time in which to ponder plots and characters. Instead I get to hear about someone else’s political views or their kids or whatnot.
One thing I used to do a lot of was lay on the sofa with headphones on and listen to music with the curtains drawn. I would spend hours doing that before I moved from SF and began working a rather stressful job. I didn’t even own a tv during that time period. Made me think about stories a lot more.
Oh wow, Written, that sounds like an AWFUL carpool, LOL! Sheesh. I LOVE life without a TV! Glenn has it on all the time, but when he’s gone, I watch my one or two shows a week on hulu.com, and that’s it. With all the breaks shows take now, you’re lucky if you get 20 episodes a year.
I used to keep my TV in my closet, LOL.
Thank you!!
Your welcome, LOL!
I love the new blog. Wow. You put your finger on my problem and I didn’t even know it was a problem. I don’t know how many times I’ve sat down to write and ended up distracted by the internet. I thought it was lack of discipline but as soon as you said your imagination and listed the places where you think it clicked for me. If I’ve spent imagination time prior to sitting down to write then the internet, e-mail, or even spider solitaire can’t distract me. If I don’t know what I want to write, I’m lost in blogland.
SO true, Richmond! I didn’t exactly realize until I blogged about it. That’s the magic thing about blogging; I sometimes don’t realize things until I write about them.
It sounds funny to have to schedule imagining time, but I think it’s as important as butt in chair.
Good to see you back, and with a zippy WordPress template, too! I love WordPress and am glad you’re enjoying it so far, too.
As for imagination time, I need that, too, and I get it in the exact same ways (although I get it weeding the garden instead of mowing the lawn). I come up with some of my favorite ideas on the weekends when I can stay in bed a little longer and don’t have to get up immediately. Also, I do sometimes play Freecell or Solitaire or Bubble Shooter and let my mind wander. Somehow when my hands are free my mind is more engaged.
Oh, and can you free up your mind by carrying around a notepad and writing down these things you don’t want to forget? Then you can just go back to reference them instead of having to keep them in the forefront of your mind.
Caryn, you’re one of the ones who inspired me. I know it was ages ago that you switched, but I move slow, LOL.
I forgot sitting in bed! I love imagining before bed!
I’m discovering interruptions make me more productive. Isn’t that bizarre?
I love the new colors! And I love the larger font!
As for imagination, I tend to never stop daydreaming and will often write whole paragraphs in my mind, but by the time I’ve sat down to write them out, I seem bored by them or not bothered, lol. It’s a vicious cycle.
Thanks, Nadine!
I write in my mind, too, but I always forget the “perfect” sentence and/or paragraph by the time I sit down to write. Annoying!
Hi-de-ho neighbor.
Well I see one thing that might be a problem with commenting on your new blog is the annoying time delay when it comes to typing out a comment.
Other than that, I like the template that you use.
Hi, G! Do you mean you typing? LOL!
Thanks! It’s growing on me.
I definitely need imagination time too. [nod] I don’t have any particular routine or technique which I always use or which always works when I do
but often I’ll get an idea for a story, scribble some notes or even bang out a page or two, then put it away and leave it for a while. “A while” can be a few days or a few years. Then often when I come back to it, I’ll find that my subconscious has been working on it for me and I can bang out quite a bit more.
Sometimes, though — usually with longer stories — I need more conscious imagine time before I get started. I’ll dink around with the plot, get to know the characters, work on building the world, while waiting to fall asleep or just after I wake up but not all the way. That half-awake stage is a great place for story-dinking.
A change of scene also helps, so long as I’m not too horribly busy. I’ve done a lot of writing on cruises, for example, but if I’m at a convention my time is too full to really write. I got almost 6K words written last week while I was in San Francisco, though. Being somewhere new, with time to relax and appreciate it, seems to get the story machinery going.
Angie
I LOVE the new look!!! And I’m glad your back, sporadic or no…looks like I have some catching up to do already!!!!
Thanks, Realmcovet! It’s good to see you!