“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions. Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

This is another of Einstein’s quotes. What do you think? I see where Einstein was going with this, because so much of what he used his incredible imagination for really did impact life. Because of his understanding, scientists and inventors came up with such things as GPS and solar cells for solar energy. His ideas regarding special and general relativity also proved that clocks act differently in different situations—depending on speed of travel and gravitational pull. (Can you tell I’m married to a Physics teacher?) And while this last item undoubtedly impacted how scientists understand the world and universe around us, it also provided all kinds of fodder for writers of time travel novels.

Personally, I feel like I spend more time with my imagination than I do with the here-and-now, at least during my working hours. I suppose most writers who write every day feel this way. The world around us is suddenly a store filled with ideas that apply to our books. We hear concepts in sermons, lyrics from songs, news stories in the paper or on television that somehow fit into our story, or one we hope to write next. Things pop into our heads that can give characters proper motivation, or add another level of conflict, or enhance some goal our characters are after. That’s how imagination works; one idea spurs another, and with a little pondering that leads to something else.

And as much as my family might prefer I spend more of my imagination on dinner, I have to say there is nothing more fun than using it to see what my characters will be doing next.

Let’s see where our imaginations will take us this week!

Just one last note, completely related to imagination but unrelated to Einstein. 🙂 I’ll be sending out another newsletter in the next few weeks, to unveil my new book cover for my September release, Whisper on the Wind. So if you’re not already signed up to receive my newsletter, please take a moment to do so (you can do that through my website or to the right on this blog). I’ll also be holding a contest for a chance to win a free copy of Whisper on the Wind when it releases, so look for that newsletter soon!