Imagination VS Experience

[Deleted member 84247]

I personally think imagination is more important than experience if you are able to capture it with words. In fact, I think experience can make people's words diluted or jaded sometimes.

If you only ever had bad experiences with something the words you use to describe can come across as more dull, sometimes even preachy against it. An example I can give is people putting their horrible experiences with people in the fantasy novel. Every single person the main character meets is out to get them, which can still be an interesting story, but what about the same person who is able to imagine a world surrounded by nice people?

Imagining the unknown experience can provide an interesting perspective that hasn't been seen before. You can see what expectations an author has about people or their environments.

This isn't all to say that experience can't be a valuable tool, but that's why I am asking which you think is more valuable.

 

[HelloHound]

All flare has to be backed up by power or knowledge to have an impact, otherwise you'll get called out by those who do have experience

 

[Deleted member 84247]

All flare has to be backed up by power or knowledge to have an impact, otherwise you'll get called out by those who do have experience

I realize this, but I still think imagination is more valuable.

 

[Kalliel]

Imagination, of course.
The thing is, you have to know when to cut off your imagination, or it would become outrageous, even in fantasy setting.
Another thing is that if you follow your imagination, you will eventually be called out at some point by someone who has experience, so there's that.
I personally prefer imagination because I love supernatural/fantasy stuff more than something based exactly, or closely on reality.

 

[jrell]

A few years ago, I had to write a scene that involved a character operating a coffee machine in detail. The thing is, I had never used one before in my entire life, so I had to spend a few hours researching and figuring out how this damn machine works ?.
I believe that proper research makes it possible to write well even without experience.

 

[Prince_Azmiran_Myrian]

I don't know.

 

[Deleted member 84247]

Imagination, of course.
The thing is, you have to know when to cut off your imagination, or it would become outrageous, even in fantasy setting.
Another thing is that if you follow your imagination, you will eventually be called out at some point by someone who has experience, so there's that.
I personally prefer imagination because I love supernatural/fantasy stuff more than something based exactly, or closely on reality.

I have a similar thought process. I think if the world is internally consistent, I don't care how much it is based off reality. I also don't care about being called out by someone with experience if it is a fantasy novel. I understand if it is a non-fiction or something.

I have experiences that I can tell an author has not had, but they still write about it. I don't mind the unique perspective. Like someone shooting a gun that has never shot before. If they never actually seen a gun, but they can imagine one, they might end up making a gun that no one has thought to make.

 

[TsumiHokiro]

You can't start imagining something without having first experiencing something. What I want to say is, whatever you imagine, you will first have to have had an experience that will have enabled you to imagine something was possible.
So, I want to say that there is no better, because without experience, we would never be able to imagine further things.
An example of this: you had the experience of liking someone, but you imagine that it can be so much more. You know what life is like on earth (an experience) and you imagine what it is like on other worlds (imagination). You heard that sex is great (experience) and you write smut as a virgin (imagination).
Did you mean to ask: Fiction or Reality?

 

[Deleted member 84247]

You can't start imagining something without having first experiencing something. What I want to say is, whatever you imagine, you will first have to have had an experience that will have enabled you to imagine something was possible.
So, I want to say that there is no better, because without experience, we would never be able to imagine further things.
An example of this: you had the experience of liking someone, but you imagine that it can be so much more. You know what life is like on earth (an experience) and you imagine what it is like on other worlds (imagination). You heard that sex is great (experience) and you write smut as a virgin (imagination).
Did you mean to ask: Fiction or Reality?

Kinda. But you don't need experience to imagine something. The first person to write their character getting eaten by a giant worm didn't have that experience. Or what about the creation of Eldritch abominations? The only experience we have with something similar is squids/octopuses.

I am also not sure what you mean about fiction or reality.

 

[TsumiHokiro]

Kinda. But you don't need experience to imagine something. The first person to write their character getting eaten by a giant worm didn't have that experience. Or what about the creation of Eldritch abominations? The only experience we have with something similar is squids/octopuses.

I am also not sure what you mean about fiction or reality.

You can never write more than you imagine, can you? Can you write about the fears of your mother, or can you write about what you think your mother fears?
The Eldrich Abominations are exactly what I mean by the limit of the imagination of a man and experience. They are Gods, plenty of gods in our mythology, they use the concept of sea life, which is a part which we humans are fascinated with, and it infuses us with a fear of madness. The writer was a man who was extremely familiar with religion, knew plenty of sea life, and knew the psychology of fear. How can that not be more an extension, by imagination, of their everyday life experiences?
And being eaten by a giant thing isn't exactly something you require to be an adult to write about. Have you never been bitten by a dog? Your fear would then make you dread of the dog getting bigger. And if you, the writer, were afraid of worms, and you heard people were afraid of giant dogs, would you not also write about your fear of being eaten by giant worms?

 

[Cipiteca396]

To reverse the question, would it be possible to write a (Fictional) story without imagination? No. You'd just end up writing an autobiography.
And it wouldn't exactly be non-fiction at that point either- just writing your experiences, without being able to imagine other people's experiences, would create something less than true.

On the other hand, you could absolutely create an interesting story with pure imagination and no experience. Children do it all the damn time.

So definitely imagination, with experience being useful for sanding down the rough spots in your narrative.

 

[TsumiHokiro]

As for fiction or reality. Reality is when you write about world events. Fiction is when you invent events. This is what you seem to be trying to say by "imagination".

To reverse the question, would it be possible to write a (Fictional) story without imagination? No. You'd just end up writing an autobiography.
And it wouldn't exactly be non-fiction at that point either- just writing your experiences, without being able to imagine other people's experiences, would create something less than true.

On the other hand, you could absolutely create an interesting story with pure imagination and no experience. Children do it all the damn time.

So definitely imagination, with experience being useful for sanding down the rough spots in your narrative.

Children still do not create stories about seafood untill they have seen seafood. Only after they have first seen seafood do they create stories about seafood.
Or heard the word "seafood". Or someone told them what "seafood" is. They never create stories about things they don't know about. This is an experience!

 

[Deleted member 84247]

You can never write more than you imagine, can you? Can you write about the fears of your mother, or can you write about what you think your mother fears?
The Eldrich Abominations are exactly what I mean by the limit of the imagination of a man and experience. They are Gods, plenty of gods in our mythology, they use the concept of sea life, which is a part which we humans are fascinated with, and it infuses us with a fear of madness. The writer was a man who was extremely familiar with religion, knew plenty of sea life, and knew the psychology of fear. How can that not be more an extension, by imagination, of their everyday life experiences?
And being eaten by a giant thing isn't exactly something you require to be an adult to write about. Have you never been bitten by a dog? Your fear would then make you dread of the dog getting bigger. And if you, the writer, were afraid of worms, and you heard people were afraid of giant dogs, would you not also write about your fear of being eaten by giant worms?

Well, the main point is which do you value more?

 

[georgelee5786]

Imagination

 

[Cipiteca396]

Children still do not create stories about seafood untill they have seen seafood. Only after they have first seen seafood do they create stories about seafood.

Ah, I see. It's nice to know the boogey man is real... Thanks for that.

 

[Deleted member 84247]

To reverse the question, would it be possible to write a (Fictional) story without imagination? No. You'd just end up writing an autobiography.
And it wouldn't exactly be non-fiction at that point either- just writing your experiences, without being able to imagine other people's experiences, would create something less than true.

On the other hand, you could absolutely create an interesting story with pure imagination and no experience. Children do it all the damn time.

So definitely imagination, with experience being useful for sanding down the rough spots in your narrative.

I agree with this as well. Children are usually creating more interesting stories than adults, but the problem is they don't have the vocabulary to really paint the picture.

 

[TsumiHokiro]

Well, the main point is which do you value more?

Imagination is the answer you are looking for.

 

[Kalliel]

Well, the thing about having to have experience to imagine sonething, I think that's true.
Why? Because everything is related to each other. You might not necessarily have the experience in one area, but there are other areas that you are familiar with, and you use that to start relate and imagine whatever you like.
Take the boogeyman for example. He's not real. Someone imagined him.
Why did they imagined him? To scare children, which I like a lot. But the point is, the boogeyman is supposed to be the embodiment of children's fears, so how did they find out what children feared? From experience, that's it.

 

[Lysander_Works]

Imagination can map out a better experience. If experience is still bad, same imagination can motive to make a better experience the next time.
Both are still important, but we have to start from the building blocks of life.

 

[Tempokai]

I agree with AI here:

Spoiler

Ah, the eternal debate between experience and imagination in storytelling – akin to arguing whether garlic or sunlight is more detrimental to a vampire's health. Let's sink our teeth into this.

First off, let's address the idea that experience dilutes or jades creativity. Experience, my dear nightwalker, is the lifeblood of authenticity in storytelling. While imagination constructs worlds, experience populates them with real, tangible life. It's like saying, "Who needs to bite humans when we can just imagine the taste of blood?" There's a richness in the real thing that synthetic substitutes can't match.

The argument about bad experiences leading to a negative portrayal is a bit like a vampire only frequenting blood banks with expired supplies. Sure, if your experiences are all doom and gloom, your stories might mirror that. But what about the wisdom, the nuances, the depth that comes from living through various scenarios? A vampire who has seen centuries unfold can tell a more compelling story than a fledgling who has only read about history in books.

Moreover, this notion that imagination alone can construct more positive or varied narratives is like saying a vampire could survive on a diet of fairy dust and moonbeams. Experience grounds imagination, preventing it from becoming a flight of fancy that lacks relatability and depth. A balance of both is essential. Just as a vampire balances their dark nature with a touch of humanity, a writer should balance imagination with the weight of experience.

In summary, while imagination is the wings that let a story soar, experience is the gravity that keeps it from floating off into the realm of the unbelievable. One without the other is like a vampire without fangs – technically still a vampire, but lacking a certain bite.