Page 1 of 2 [ 17 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

charlie92
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 17 Jun 2014
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 32

06 Jul 2014, 12:50 pm

Depending on the source, I've read that people with any sort of ASD tend to be either super imaginative or have a complete lack of imagination. I have a complete lack of it and this frustrates me a lot. For example, in school we'd have creative writing assignments and stuff like that, I'd spend the entire class period sitting there blankly not having a clue what to write about whilst everyone else was busy writing. Not even because 'I could write X but it sounds stupid', but I would not have a single idea in my head that I could use.. Sometimes I've ended up reading what other people wrote about and it usually tended to be good and interesting. And I've always wanted really badly to be able to write stories. I just don't have a clue how to. I am aware of websites with 'writing prompts' but I find them useless. They give a sentence, and that's all fine, but then I just look at them and think 'ok, that happens, and then what next?' :(



eric76
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 10,660
Location: In the heart of the dust bowl

06 Jul 2014, 2:00 pm

charlie92 wrote:
Depending on the source, I've read that people with any sort of ASD tend to be either super imaginative or have a complete lack of imagination. I have a complete lack of it and this frustrates me a lot. For example, in school we'd have creative writing assignments and stuff like that, I'd spend the entire class period sitting there blankly not having a clue what to write about whilst everyone else was busy writing. Not even because 'I could write X but it sounds stupid', but I would not have a single idea in my head that I could use.. Sometimes I've ended up reading what other people wrote about and it usually tended to be good and interesting. And I've always wanted really badly to be able to write stories. I just don't have a clue how to. I am aware of websites with 'writing prompts' but I find them useless. They give a sentence, and that's all fine, but then I just look at them and think 'ok, that happens, and then what next?' :(
When I was in high school, any time I had a writing assignment I would write about motorcycles regardless of the assigned topic.

In junior high we had our first research paper. Mine was titled "Common Diseases of the Horse's Hoof" -- the only paper I remember writing in school that wasn't about motorcycles.



Kiriae
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Mar 2014
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,349
Location: Kraków, Poland

06 Jul 2014, 3:19 pm

I got a great imagination but I always struggled from all those school essays that want you to imagine something right away. There is something called afflatus needed to do it and the afflatus is not something that comes to you just because you want it to. It comes on its own, at its own time. For me it is usually when I am falling asleep or soon before that. I got the best ideas then. Thats why I usually write late at night and never during the daylight.



K_Kelly
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 18 Apr 2014
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,452

06 Jul 2014, 3:23 pm

Hey, I have the same problem. Just to let you know, I understand it's hard not having the ability to imagine on the fly.



The_Walrus
Forum Moderator
Forum Moderator

User avatar

Joined: 27 Jan 2010
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,878
Location: London

06 Jul 2014, 4:16 pm

What do you do when you are walking on your own?



charlie92
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 17 Jun 2014
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 32

06 Jul 2014, 4:41 pm

The_Walrus wrote:
What do you do when you are walking on your own?

Walking? I think you may have the wrong word. :/

And it's not even imagination on demand that I don't have. I'm not able to think of anything creative or interesting at all ever. I'm not even in high school anymore, I was just using it as an example. So yeah this isn't me moaning about classes or anything. I would LOVE to be a creative person but I have no idea how to be one.



seaturtleisland
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Feb 2012
Age: 32
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,243

06 Jul 2014, 5:25 pm

charlie92 wrote:
The_Walrus wrote:
What do you do when you are walking on your own?

Walking? I think you may have the wrong word. :/

And it's not even imagination on demand that I don't have. I'm not able to think of anything creative or interesting at all ever. I'm not even in high school anymore, I was just using it as an example. So yeah this isn't me moaning about classes or anything. I would LOVE to be a creative person but I have no idea how to be one.


I think what Walrus meant was what do you think about while you're walking alone?



Sherlock03
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 Oct 2012
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Posts: 594
Location: Virginia

06 Jul 2014, 5:41 pm

Just let your mind go and let your thoughts run on a subject using divergent thinking. Example: Think about elephants.
Largest land mammal->Stuffed elephant named Henry in Natural History Museum in D.C-> Tusks made of ivory -> Ivory poachers in Africa- >Africa natural habitat of elephant-> Elephants used by Hannibal during second Punic War -> Romans discover elephants frightened if smell of horse blood- Elephants frightened by mice -> Dumbo -> etc.


_________________
"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth." - Marcus Aurelius


LupaLuna
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 14 Jan 2013
Age: 55
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,551
Location: tri-cities WA

06 Jul 2014, 5:58 pm

Here is another thing to consider. Do you consider your lack of imagination do to the fact that you are shy or feel embarrassed about some of the imaginative ideas you have?



charlie92
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 17 Jun 2014
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 32

06 Jul 2014, 7:51 pm

LupaLuna wrote:
Here is another thing to consider. Do you consider your lack of imagination do to the fact that you are shy or feel embarrassed about some of the imaginative ideas you have?
I do have very severe social anxiety and am basically a recluse. But I'm not even talking about wanting to be creative and SHOW it to people. I can't even be creative for my own amusement.

seaturtleisland wrote:
I think what Walrus meant was what do you think about while you're walking alone?

Oh. Well, usually I'm rather preoccupied with thoughts like 'They looked at me - do they think I look weird?', or if not that, I'll be thinking about what I have to do that day or where I'm headed to.



MathGirl
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 11 Apr 2009
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,522
Location: Ontario, Canada

06 Jul 2014, 7:53 pm

I've based all of my writing assignments on my dreams.

When I'm awake, I have very little imaginative ability. My "imagination" is more of a recall and prediction based on that recall, i.e. what is going to happen in this situation, what will I say and do, what will they do, etc.


_________________
Leading a double life and loving it (but exhausted).

Likely ADHD instead of what I've been diagnosed with before.


eggheadjr
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 3 Oct 2012
Age: 60
Gender: Non-binary
Posts: 1,371
Location: Ottawa, Canada

07 Jul 2014, 10:42 am

Kiriae wrote:
I got a great imagination but I always struggled from all those school essays that want you to imagine something right away. There is something called afflatus needed to do it and the afflatus is not something that comes to you just because you want it to. It comes on its own, at its own time. For me it is usually when I am falling asleep or soon before that. I got the best ideas then. Thats why I usually write late at night and never during the daylight.


Exactly that! :D


_________________
Diagnosed Asperger's


The_Walrus
Forum Moderator
Forum Moderator

User avatar

Joined: 27 Jan 2010
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,878
Location: London

08 Jul 2014, 7:16 am

charlie92 wrote:
Oh. Well, usually I'm rather preoccupied with thoughts like 'They looked at me - do they think I look weird?', or if not that, I'll be thinking about what I have to do that day or where I'm headed to.

Isn't that imagination?

Do you think about "what ifs" and such? Do you wonder if you'll see so-and-so, what you'd talk about with them, what you'd do if killer robots attacked the supermarket when you were in the soft drinks isle?



slave
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 28 Feb 2012
Age: 113
Gender: Male
Posts: 4,420
Location: Dystopia Planetia

08 Jul 2014, 12:30 pm

charlie92 wrote:
Depending on the source, I've read that people with any sort of ASD tend to be either super imaginative or have a complete lack of imagination. I have a complete lack of it and this frustrates me a lot. For example, in school we'd have creative writing assignments and stuff like that, I'd spend the entire class period sitting there blankly not having a clue what to write about whilst everyone else was busy writing. Not even because 'I could write X but it sounds stupid', but I would not have a single idea in my head that I could use.. Sometimes I've ended up reading what other people wrote about and it usually tended to be good and interesting. And I've always wanted really badly to be able to write stories. I just don't have a clue how to. I am aware of websites with 'writing prompts' but I find them useless. They give a sentence, and that's all fine, but then I just look at them and think 'ok, that happens, and then what next?' :(


you seem to be able to imagine that help can come from a computer monitor....from usernames and avatars from around the world...you are imagining real humans thinking about and answering your request for help



Ganondox
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 7 Oct 2011
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,791
Location: USA

09 Jul 2014, 3:19 am

Well, let's start with what you can do. Where did you get the 92 in your username?


_________________
Cinnamon and sugary
Softly Spoken lies
You never know just how you look
Through other people's eyes

Autism FAQs http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt186115.html


charlie92
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse

User avatar

Joined: 17 Jun 2014
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 32

09 Jul 2014, 8:17 pm

Ganondox wrote:
Well, let's start with what you can do. Where did you get the 92 in your username?
From my date of birth. :P