Wednesday, July 30, 2014


So the other day I used the hashtag #amimagining. I have no idea if this is actually a thing, but it should be! There are tags for #amwriting and #amediting, even #amquerying. Why not a tag for the most important aspect of the whole writing process.

Without that time spent letting our minds roam, none of our creations would come to life. We need time to dream, time to plan. Letting our imagination run wild is the best way to fill our invented worlds with real details and make our characters larger than life. 

I don't know about you, but I often hold whole conversations in my head between multiple characters as though I were schizophrenic. Create flowery descriptions of places I've never seen. Or plot misery and suffering for my main character. Then I'll frantically text information not to be forgotten to myself or jot it down on scraps of paper pushed into drawers in my bedroom.

Background music is a necessity for me, though any sort of talking brings my #amimagining to a screeching halt. I can't work with the tv going or when my teens are chattering. For me, #amimagining requires solitude or at least silence from the other person.

The absolutely best time for me to plan a murder, kiss, or sword fight is while I'm getting ready in the morning. Then when I come downstairs, I can rush straight to writing--if I'm lucky. If I can stay awake, the time before sleep is also great for #amimagining. Taking the dogs for a long walk is the perfect place to work out plot problems. And vacuuming is not only relaxing and useful, but fantastically creative!

So let's have a conversation about the wonders of #amimagining. What are your requirements? Where do you get your best thinking done? Shout out about it on twitter and in the comments. Let's see if we can't get this hashtag trending!    


  1. I get some of my best thinking done in the shower/tub. It's some of the only time I have by myself, with no distractions.

  2. My most creative time for #amimagining is in bed just before sleep. No kids, no TV just me and the mind.

  3. Strangely, I get some of my best ideas while working out. That's strange because I'm not fond of working out. Other than that, I get ideas while writing. I think it's a self defense mechanism my brain pulls out to help me avoid working on something i'm not that fond of.

  4. I tend to slip away into the imagination during walks, and I nearly always go there when in bed, right before I go to sleep. But on and off all day long, I slip in and out of 'imaging' time. I need to catch myself sometimes, as my day-dreaming can try and squeeze in when it really shouldn't (like conversations). lol

  5. Great thoughts, Michelle! I, too need solitude when I #amimagining. Early morning is best for me. I also tend to have vivid dreams which I write down. Sometimes those dreams pan out into full blown stories, sometimes not, but I write them down nonetheless. You never know when something from them might be useful! Thanks for posting this!