Imagine Your Life

The holidays are behind us now and most of you have reluctantly returned to work. Your bodies might be sitting behind a desk or working on the manufacturing floor, but your minds are somewhere else. Somewhere far, far away...lost in imagination.

Imagination is a writer's greatest asset. Novel writers use imagination to create characters, shape plot, and write dialogue. Poets make imaginative thoughts and visions come alive on the page. Copywriters and other non-fiction writers use imagination to create advertising or write articles. A writer's imagination is undoubtedly the most used tool in her/his repertoire, but how many writers use this tool in their 'real' lives?

Now, I'm sure you've often thought about what your life would be like if you were free to write. Most of us have from time to time. You've imagined what it would feel like to have your first article accepted, or your first novel published. There's your book on the New York Times Best Seller list. There you are on Oprah! Great feeling, right? But have you thought about your day to day life? How would you structure your daily writing activities? What would a day in your writing life be like?

Here is an exercise often used by Lifestyle/Creative Career Coaches to help their clients get a feel for living the life they dream of. This exercise can be used by anyone, but we are going to model it here for a writer:

Imagine you no longer have to work an outside job. You can now stay home and write to your heart's content. Drawing on the things you know about yourself, what would your perfect day be like? What time would you like to get up? Would you take some time to relax over coffee or breakfast before starting your day, or would you go straight to your home office? Where is your office? Is it in a room in the house, or outside (such as in a detached garage)? Do you work at a computer or writing desk, or do you take your laptop or a notebook and wander outside to write in good weather? How long will you write? You might have a set schedule, or you might write so many words/pages before stopping. Or you might not even write first thing in the morning. You might use that time to research, or run errands, and write in the evening.

The key is to use your imagination to create what you'd like your life to be like. Write it all down. Describe a daily work routine that makes you happy. This is about you and your unique personality. It's a new year. Start today. Imagine your life. Make it extraordinary.

Happy Writing!
StellaD