Visualization

I just listened to a wonderful workshop by author Stephanie Bond, all about visualization for the writer, and it was a great refresher course for me.

Visualization is something you probably already know how to do. It's how we prepare our minds for any activity. When you get ready to cook a meatloaf, you visualize in your head how it will turn out, right? When you're at the grocery store, you might even visualize the steps you go through, so you can remember to buy all of the ingredients.

But you can use the technique to prepare for any activity, whether it's a meeting, a task, a phonecall. Simply see in your mind how you want things to turn out. See the meeting going well, with you relaxed and saying just the right thing at the right time, making the sale or whatever the goal is. Imagine your heart's desire in exquisite detail. Imagine how things look, what they sound like, even how they smell. Engaging all your senses makes the visualization more powerful.

So does engaging your emotions. Imagine how you will feel when you get the outcome you're hoping for.

Whenever I start a new book, I try to imagine the finished product. I see it with a title, a beautiful cover with my name displayed prominently. I imagine my agent telling me how wonderful it is. I imagine an editor calling to say she wants to buy it. I imagine that book hitting the bestseller lists. I also imagine how readers will feel after finishing my book--delighted, satisfied, excited, whatever.

Visualization works as an excellent motivator. If you revisit your visualization often, you'll keep your eye on the end product, which motivates you to work hard. But it also works on a subconscious level. Some say the subconscious mind cannot tell imagination from reality. If you see in your mind's eye that you look great in a bikini, your subconscious will get to work reconciling the reality of your body with the "reality" in your mind, and the pounds will melt off. So the more realistic and vivid you can make your mental pictures, the more effective they'll be.

I don't know whether this is true, but it's a nice theory and it seems to work for me. At any rate, it's certainly a pleasant diversion and far more productive than filling your mind with, say, worry and guilt!

Vividly,
Kara