Imagining Intention: Smack Dab in the Imagination by Dia Calhoun

“Set an intention” is a common piece of wisdom I’ve heard for those beginning pilgrimage walks and those undertaking quests generally. I’ve begun to set intentions not only on my own “everyday” walks—as in on this walk I will stop at every corner and breath deeply—but also with my writing time.

When I begin my daily writing practice, (having a “practice” is a wonderful term I learned from artists) I decide my intention. Will I “wander” with an idea? Simply play and see what happens? Or will I focus on a specific task or part of the craft, such as creating dramatic suspension or pacing? Setting the intention gives me purpose and a north star beyond the surface goal of generating or revising a specific number of pages or poems. It also helps me hone my focus when many issues in a poem or manuscript are clamoring for my attention. No, I'm not doing descriptive verbs today, I’m focusing on this character’s dialogue. Setting the intention also helps me feel satisfied after the writing hours are done.

So where does imagination come in? In two ways. First, I imagine an image for the intention in order to embody it. For example: today words will flow out of me like a river; or, today I will fill my writing with more space, like air holes in a good, chewy piece of bread.

Second, I sometimes form an intention for my imagining process itself. For example: today my imagination will fall like a gentle rain on this project; or today my imagination will leap like a frog from here to there in the manuscript instead of inching from word to word. My choice depends on my mood and on where I am with a project.

Some days, when my specific intention eludes me, I simply write to discover my intention. Funny how the work usually knows.