The stone building seemed like a castle nestling on a hillside as I drove down a steep hill. “Look at that view, the mountains tops have snow on them.” In the distance high peaks surrounded the area, topped with a white crown of snow. It was breathtaking.“What a place to live.”
A woman was walking up the hill as we passed. She was not out of breath, and looked used to the steep
climb. Her face seemed unmoved by her surroundings, just looking at her shoes and dusting her coat with
her hand. “It’s just ordinary to her”, I signed and wondered why sun drenched beaches have so much appeal.
The wide moorland stretching up to the peaks seemed empty of life, no sheep, just miles and miles of green and brown. A forest of darker hue at the foot of the peaks, with snow reaching skyward. Yet this was only twenty five miles from from a big city. This is the scenery that feeds the soul and gives life to the senses. It all looks lovely on TV, but getting out into the wild countryside, wind blowing, rain and snow forever threatening, stimulates the senses.
If I were seen by a satellite way up a few miles beyond the atmosphere, it would be showing a silver object slowing moving across a vast wildness. Is this what is meant by experiencing life in all its wonder? I once sent a story to a magazine and got back a note saying one should write about what one knows.
I have often wondered if this were true. Was it true of Mary Shelley forinstance or Tolkein. I don’t think their subject matter was very easy to observe somehow.Whereas Wordsworth and Ian Fleming could reference their work from their experience.
But there are some things we must see for ourselves to render a breath of reason to the world of writing. The vast wildnesses of the world, be it desert or forest or mountain or moorland, give a balance to the urban sprawl while stimulating the imagination.
It is the imagination which gives form and vision to an individual’s view of the world. The empty places can give an individual insight between the self and other people, the crowds in the cities and the sometimes emptiness of the countryside illustrate the changes one can see and the lifestyles that are so different. Imagination can be stimulated by this difference. I don’t think I have ever read of a test which actually measures imagination? Is it just the ability to understand from another perspective other than our own.
In writing is it the ability to describe in words what a painter can do pictorially? “Do we see ourselves as others see us”, as Burns suggested. Or is it we can stand back and refresh our view of the world and see what is and what might be? Perhaps it is just being able to be, and see and feel, that provides the food the soul needs.
“Stop and take a photograph”.
Another way to reference the imagination.
“It is the imagination which gives form and vision to an individual’s view of the world”. I think there’s a lot of truth in this. I’ve been asked to describe a boutique hotel I’ve not stepped my foot in; I only have photos to guide me. Imagine showing the photos to 5 different writers: their imagination will mesh with their visual sense and the descriptive outcome can be quite different. Maybe I should visit the place to see and touch and get a feel of the place.