Communication of the Imagination
I learned Dutch as a child, since my family is Dutch, and I learned French in school, since I live in bilingual Canada. I took classes in Russian and German in university, and even Swahili when I lived for a summer in Tanzania. I’m no longer fluent in Dutch and French (you don’t use it, you lose it—there’s a reason for that expression!) and I could hardly make sense of any of the other languages anymore, but my interest in languages remain.
My current obsession is the language of imagination. It’s not a language the way we define the others, but the concept of translation and interpretation remain analogous. In our minds—our imagination—reside the perfect stories. We may not know all the details but we can feel the story in our heads/hearts/minds/souls. The problem is—like any language—translating what’s inside your head into something the outside world can understand. That’s why writing is so difficult! We think we should be able to spout what’s on our mind, pour our thoughts onto paper, but that’s not enough if we want readers to make sense of what we’re trying to say.
Enter the principles of storytelling, the need for structure, the use of conventions, the expectations of readers. The more you learn about the “grammar” of stories, the more successful you’ll be at conveying your ideas. Writing, then, is the communication of the imagination.