This is a topic that I've been DYING to talk about, but I have a small introduction before getting to the actual tips.
On a daily basis I get several comments, inbox messages, or PM's asking me how I use my imagination, where I get my inspiration and ideas from, or how you can be more vivid with the uses of your own imaginations. So hopefully this will be something that other aspiring wattpad authors will find of use.
EVERYBODY has an imagination, weather you use it a little or alot doesn't really matter, it's moreso about HOW you use it. Being vivid with your imagination is all about being creative and free in thought, letting your mind 'take you there' so to speak. It's important for you to know that your mind as a whole is supposed to be nothing more than a tool to you, and In other words, YOU should be telling IT what to do, though it very rarely happens that way because for some odd reason our minds like telling US what to do (In the sense of not being able to control our own thoughts at times, I.E. dwelling on bad memories and depressing thoughts and not being able to shake them away). While I can't help you with controlling ALL of your thoughts, I can certainly try to help you better control your imagination.
It all started for me as a child, you see I have ALWAYS had a huge sense of curiosity about everything, (I'm so curious that I even sometimes describe it as having dangerous curiosity) I have to know what everything is, what it does, where it comes from, who made it, where they got the idea from, if they're still alive, etc, etc. Like literally even still to this very day, I'm so nosey that I just HAVE to know. Even if I have to Google it to find out, because Google is my absolute bestest friend, (but back to the subject at hand) It was because of my dangerous curiosity that I developed my imagination. Because of the fact that I wondered what everything was as a child, I would first imagine all of the things that something could've been used for based off of it's appearance and structure before asking an adult what it was ACTUALLY used for.
As I've said before, everyone has an active and vivid imagination as children, but usually it starts to fade the older we get, but I'm blessed enough to say that my imagination is still just as vivid as it was when I was younger, and maybe even a little MORE vivid now, but it's because I've never stopped using it. You have to think about it like this, our minds and imaginations are alot like muscles, the more we use them and work with them, the bigger they get and the more vivid they grow. The reason why so many adults don't have big imaginations is because the older we get, the more we're taught that make-believe and imaginations are for kids, but this is also where we go wrong. Some people are afraid to admit that they dream or daydream because they're worried about what other people will think, but I DON'T GIVE A DAMN. I have to admit that even now as a 23 year old young adult I still dream, daydream, and am very active with my imagination. It's funny because I daydream so much that my friends can always tell whenever they're being boring, because I'll purposely zone out on them while they're talking (zone out means to lose awareness of one's surroundings, I.E. daydreaming), which is a tactic that they HATE, but also one that's kept them from talking about boring things to me, lol.
But trust me when I tell you that having an active imagination can also have it's negative sides, especially if you're near someone in extreme pain because your mind will sometimes trick your body into pretending to feel the pain that you're watching the other person go through (This has happened to me several times, I hate to be near people in pain). A plus is that the very second someone opens their mouth to tell me a story I can immediately start to visualize it as clear as day, but a negative is that my friends hate watching horror movies with me, because my imagination always puts two and two together and accurately guesses the killer half way through the damn things, and so I end up ruining the rest of the movie for them by saying my thoughts aloud. In truth though, having a big imagination is more a blessing than a curse and while I will admit that part of it is big because I exercise it, I have to say that most of it is just God-given. It has to be, because the things that I see in my mind are to real sometimes, like they make to much sense, more sense than reality itself even (sometimes).
