Creative Writing: The Art of Imagining

Seeing with the Inner Eye

What I see, you do not

Within, that, stirs a picture for me to paint.

A dull landmass protruding from the sea

Is but an empty canvas yet to be filled;

Hovering clouds up yonder you see

But to me, they are but forms yet to be defined.

When writing a creative piece, imagine all that you see as an empty canvas. You decide on the tools to choose, the hues to select, the ideas to inject, and the reactions to evoke. However, once the words are painted, the work is out of your hands. The proprietary right rests with the reader and the reader brings in his or her own emotions, understandings and opinions. That is the beauty of a creative piece; it belongs to the author, and yet, it does not!

Having said all that, how does one begin to stir those dull interpretations that the naked eye suggests into a creative piece?

Try the following exercise: Look at the brown landmass mass you see in the off-centre of the picture. What do you see?  You might see just a landform, perhaps an island. Now, do what countless creative authors have done. Imagine it is something else.  

• Perhaps, it is a huge sea beast, known or otherwise. 
• Maybe, it is an alien-created island, hosting a spy and/or experimental centre for the alien race's information-gathering venture on earth. 
• On the other hand, it could be a mirage.
• Then again, it may be a landing area that leads, through a doorway on the surface, to the interior of the ocean and/or even earth.

Take a look at the following picture. What do you see? A banana peel, no doubt, on what looks like a carpet. Now, close your eyes and imagine what had happened. You could even imagine that the banana has a life of its own or it is actually not a banana! If so, what is it? 

If you have any suggestions, email us at admin1@thepeartree.info, no later than by June 4th, and we will reproduce the best examples on this website. We will also include a short story based on the above picture.