Writing Advice:
Why Write?
Writing is a gift to yourself, as much as it can be a gift to other people. You don’t have to write for publication. You don’t have to write anything “finished” or “good.” The value of writing is its value to you. At Imaginative Storm, we believe that writing just for yourself is as valid and valuable as writing for others.
So, why write?
To develop a creative practice
Humans are naturally creative creatures. Having a creative practice enriches our lives. Writing is available to everyone who has language. You don’t need any special skills. You don’t need expensive materials or specialized equipment. You don’t need a studio. You don’t even need much time. In the Imaginative Storm method we use a 10-minute timer, and you’ll be amazed at the quality of writing that can be generated in just 10 minutes!
To gain understanding of yourself and your life
Writing is a terrific way to explore your thoughts, perceptions, and beliefs. When you use the Imaginative Storm method and write what you don’t know, you’ll surprise yourself with insights you’d never get any other way.
To enrich your life with greater awareness
When you write in the Imaginative Storm method, you notice things you wouldn’t notice otherwise. Nuances of light and color, quirks and idiosyncrasies, the spectrum of possibilities that surrounds every action and event.
To explore the mystery of human nature
Why do people do what they do? That’s the question that underlies all storytelling: why we write, and why we read (or listen). It will never be answered; the mystery will never be solved. Writers explore the infinite ways in which we shape the world, and the ways in which the world shapes us.
To improve communication and creativity in your business
A creative writing practice trains your mind to make imaginative leaps, to explore new ideas—to think outside the box. Plus, the new verve and sparkle in your writing translates to everything you write: emails, memos, proposals and reports. You enroll people in your vision. You excite and energize them to work more creatively and more productively.
Come write with us!
Everything we do in the Imaginative Storm is suitable for writers across the spectrum: from those who consider themselves beginners to published writers with many titles to their name.
Join our Prompt of the Week Zoom to write to a random prompt for 10 minutes! We usually have some newcomers, and we will welcome you. It’s on Thursday at 3 pm PT / 6 pm ET, for an hour.
Explore our Circle site, where we publish the raw material we write in 10 minutes. You’ll get an idea of what’s possible, and how we support one another with appreciation rather than competition or criticism.
Get our Daily Prompt delivered straight to your inbox every morning.
Check out our vast archive of image prompts on YouTube. We guide you step by step in working with the prompt, share what we did in our Saturday session, and time you for 10 minutes while you write.
Let us guide you step by step through the 10 sessions of the Imaginative Storm method, in our self-paced online course Write What You Don’t Know: Imaginative Storm Writer Training. The course includes a monthly live Zoom with Imaginative Storm co-founders Allegra Huston and James Navé. Ask us anything!
Sign up for one of our live workshops, on Zoom or in person, and explore the memoir, or fictional story, you might write.
Order our book Write What You Don’t Know: 10 Steps to Writing with Confidence, Energy, and Flow.
Subscribe to Imaginative Storm on Substack for our newsletter with thoughts on writing.