Imagine

"Everything you can imagine is real." --Pablo Picasso

When I start work with new writing clients, I ask them to imagine a scene in which their writing is making a difference in the world. Sometimes the reaction is, "But isn't that ridiculous?" or "I feel arrogant when I imagine being successful."

I press the client to write the scene, suspending disbelief. A wonderful shift takes place. When the writer sketches onto the page her vision of getting thanked at a book signing, or reading a letter from a young reader, or meeting a reader whose life changed in some way, the effect is mind-altering. As Brenda Ueland says, "Writing is a generosity." Your truest dream is not about being lauded and praised as a writer. It is about giving.

Imagine how the gift of your writing might affect one person, one day.