Imagination?

Perhaps I’m just worn out from a long weekend, but Boice’s second chapter is one of the dullest writings on imagination and creativity I’ve ever read. That aside, he does offer some tips I find useful and assertions I agree with. On page 44, he duly states “that regular involvement in conversation and in information collecting precedes imagination,” but I’ve seen lots of imaginative children who, though observing life around them, certainly aren’t taking meticulous notes, and some of this imagination can continue into adulthood. He may be correct that fostering imagination and creativity require practice, but I find his advice to be limited. What about exploring outside of a room with walls, listening to stimulating music, meditation or people watching? Having fun and new experiences is stimulating for me; learning how to interpret those experiences into useful writing is I skill I can further develop.

Boice’s assertions on the elitism behind writing ring true for me, and made me think about my experiences working as a tutor. “…(W)e may expect only the very smartest and most talented of people to succeed at (writing),” he says on page 51. That’s definitely not how I want to approach the good folks who come in for a tutoring session, but sometimes my judgements cloud my ability to be a tutor who’s eager to help eighteen-year-old become a better writer. Ugly and distracting thoughts of “Wow, this student’s poor high school education really gives them a disadvantage,” can digress into “Why hasn’t someone taught them this already/why haven’t they learned this before,” to “I hope this student doesn’t flunk out of college, because this paper has almost nothing of substance.” If other people have similar uncomfortable experiences, I’d like to hear how they handle them.