Imagination, Inspiration, and Hard Work. These are the three fundamentals of writing. Without even one of them a book is impossible. But what are the aspects of these three fundamentals? What do they mean? And what good does knowing these three do?

Imagination, the Content

When a writer thinks of a story idea, or makes up a character, or finds a new way to write a scene they have been struggling with, they are employing one of the three fundamentals. This is their imagination. Without the imagination, there would be nothing to a story. It would not have any content, it would not have any meaning. Everything a writer writes comes from their own imagination, everything from the basics such as the characters and the plot, to the details such as descriptions and symbolism. Imagination is a crucial part of writing. Everything, from the writing phase to the editing phase, involves different kinds of imagination. Not all imagination is the stuff of dreams and tales. Creativity and innovation are two kinds of imagination, and are an important part of wordsmithery and the art of storytelling as well as story-building. And imagination is not subject to fiction only. Non-fiction writers use imagination to word each phrase, sentence, and paragraph so that a reader learns everything the writer wishes to tell them without any confusion. Imagination is the blueprints, the resources, the structure, and the décor of the story you wish to build.

Inspiration, the Drive

When the word ‘Inspiration’ is spoken to a writer, a common idea is an ethereal force, some mystical, perhaps even magical, influence that lifts your spirit of imagination and sends you on a wonderful journey through your story. But though inspiration can be an amazing and wonderful experience, I have found that it is a far more powerful thing than this. You will only find inspiration once when writing a story, and that is when you find the persistence, the drive, to turn a story idea into a fully-fledged book. Inspiration makes your imagination, your content, a story that is accessible to more people than just yourself.

Hard Work, the Foundation

No writer likes the idea of having to strive and struggle to put their inspiration on paper, communicate clearly with their reader, or get their work out into the world. But any author will tell you that hard work is the most important part of writing. There will be moments of excitement, moments of pure genius, moments when your imagination, fueled by your inspiration, takes off. Those are the moments of ease. But they cannot, and will not, last. The time will come often when a chapter must be written. You know what happens in the story, but to write it somehow seems so difficult. Finding the words to say, how to communicate, describe and embellish feels impossible. Your innovation fails you. But that is where the Foundation of writing comes into play. You cannot stop here. If you must write it, you can write it. Hard Work is the pressing on in spite of your imagination flagging.

Knowing Your Fundamentals

Knowing these three fundamentals is not in itself a necessary thing. Since you use it every time you write, simply knowing you have and use Imagination, Inspiration and Hard Work does you little good. But there are at least two reasons that knowing these three fundamentals is helpful to any writer. The first reason is that in any occupation it is good to know what is going on, how things work, and how it affects you, even if you do not use it consciously for your benefit. The second reason is that knowing the fundamentals keeps you aware and focused, and it can at times help you when you know the meaning of these three ideas. It can be an encourager, a grounder, and a good reference to return to when you feel lost or deflated.

Conclusion

Imagination, Inspiration, and Hard Work are the tools every writer uses to make a story, whether they realize it or not. Knowing and considering these three fundamentals can help you in your writing, even if by simply putting your mind in the right way of thinking.