Thread: The role of imagination in forming new ideas

In another thread, Baron implied that new ideas are formed, out of nothing, by one’s imagination.

Do you believe that 'out of nothing' is the only way ideas are created?

I get my ideas by joining together parts of two or more existing ideas to form a new one, which in my opinion is quite different to using one's imagination to form something 'out of nothing'.

I’m wondering if the two different ways may have differing consequences, as far as a work of fiction is concerned. For example, is it possible that the work produced by an imagination-driven writer might have greater page-turning appeal?

Could you give that some thought, and then tell me what you've come up with?

I don't believe it's possible to have an idea "out of nothing". If it feels that way, it's because you don't exactly what things led to the new idea. But all semantic nit-pickiness aside, I am generally pretty aware of where my ideas come from, as in I am able to say "Oh well I saw this show, and read that book and like the idea of this... and that's how I ended up with the plot of my story." A lot of people call them 'sparks', and when i get a set of sparks that fit together, i make a story out of it.

For example, on my laptop I have a whole directory of little notes, like if I come across an interesting article or concept on wikipedia, or something is just a phrase that I think sounds cool. Then sometimes I sift through those notes or sparks and see if I can combine any into a story.

I think a lot of people do something similar

I'm trying to come up with anything OTHER than imagination that forms new ideas, but just can't.

Lin, I was zeroing in on the 'out of nothing' part of it. That's what I find hard to comprehend. And I'm also curious about the comparitive fiction-writing skills of a person lacking imagination.

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

comparitive

gotcha

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

I get my ideas by joining together parts of two or more existing ideas to form a new one, which in my opinion is quite different to using one's imagination to form something 'out of nothing'.

Ox, I think I see what you're getting at. You're talking about synthesis: combining two or more existing ideas into a new, but still derived, idea. When people say that they get their ideas "out of nothing" I believe that they are simply unaware of the synthesis going on behind the scenes. That is really the only way humans can make new discoveries. We build on what came before. All of nature works the same way.

Okay, I'm gonna leave before I start waxing poetic.

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

Lin, I was zeroing in on the 'out of nothing' part of it. That's what I find hard to comprehend. And I'm also curious about the comparitive fiction-writing skills of a person lacking imagination.

Cast all aside and write.

Originally Posted by moderan

gotcha

'Sfunny. I looked at that too. Then I said, "No, comparison's spelled with an i, it's gotta be right."
English, grrr.

Comparatively speaking, no. It happens to the best of us.

You're taking Rob a bit literally aren't you, Ox? The basic point is that you don't need to see something happen in order to imagine it, hence my Superman example in the other thread. Information is the key thing. You can put data together in different ways to come up with something new. You can't act on a sum of data that equals 0. That's illogical, but the best imaginations can make something unique out of familiar concepts, and some of those go on to become popular and are used by others, some even become cliches. "Out of nothing" just seems a bit silly to me. I mean, whence come thoughts? And don't say the neocortex, it's not as simple as that.

Haven't there been threads identical to this one before from you, Ox? Seems to be a reoccurring theme.

...maybe you can get some from here:
http://www.houseofideas.com/
Probably not from here:
http://www.thehouseofideas.net/
Possibly here:
http://www.houseofideas.cc/
Dunno about this one:
http://www.houseofideas.us/
Your best bet might be from here-they've billed themselves as "The House Of Ideas" since 1964:
http://marvel.com/

The only way I could imagine something out of nothing would be if I had a muse. There is no such thing as nothing. My whole life's experiences, which includes experiences of my imagination at play, has a say in what I can now imagine. But I could say I imagined something out of nothing, but that would only be to save me lecturing someone on how my mind works.

I think everyone uses synthesis, OX, aware or not.

Personally, I'm pretty aware of what's being synthesized to form my ideas. I could probably explain it in minute detail, as long as the idea wasn't so old as to have absorbed its roots.

Originally Posted by Foxee

Haven't there been threads identical to this one before from you, Ox? Seems to be a reoccurring theme.

Clearly you either didn't bother to absorb the OP or you absorbed it and totally misunderstood it.