Although it was awhile coming, here is more of what I shared at the conference regarding creative writing of any sort.

Anybody who says, "I have no imagination," is mistaken. Everybody has imagination. It is like a well in the middle of a green field. It may be an open well from which it is easy to dip the fresh, clear water OR it can be a covered well with no way of any access to the water. As a result, the water becomes stagnant and still. For writing to be vibrant, powerful and colourful, you need to learn to tap into the well of imagination.

Trust Yourself

Sometimes we block the imagination by censuring what we write at the very start, while we're still writing it. We purposely hold back from writing some of our good ideas out of fear that we'll be laughed at or criticised. You might have a brainwave for a plot, then instantly decide, "I'd better not write that. Uncle Fred might think I'm basing this character on him and then I'd never hear the end of it." So that idea never gets a chance to see the light of day, the water in your well goes stagnant and part of your imagination withers.

You must be willing to write what might sometimes embarrass yourself. It's called being original and "real". It's breaking out of the herd mentality that so many of us unconsciously find ourselves in. I can remember some of the boring, trite and spark-less writing that came out of my High School English class twenty years ago simply because we were all too embarrassed to write about strong emotions when we knew the teacher often read our stories out loud to the whole class.

All our lives we're learned the "right" clothes to wear, the "right" words to say, the "right" attitudes to have. Western society doesn't encourage us to develop our uniqueness. (Just as an aside here, this is also something that can said in favour of homeschooling). Although we might conform to a group, look good and earn respect, it's often at the expense of something valuable. This, of course, is our imagination. We've made a choice to keep the cover on our wells. It's a voluntary sacrifice. When original thoughts do pop into our heads, we instantly judge them as not worthwhile and let them moulder. I encourage you to trust what you come up with and write it down anyway, especially in that first stage draft with the "creative brain" that I mentioned before.

Don't keep too busy

Another problem particular to the western world is that we tend to smother our imaginations and leave the lids on them simply because we crowd them out and leave no time for them. There are always 1000 "urgent" matters to take care of first before we allow ourselves time to settle down with pen & paper. It's vital to schedule time for your writing and then make sure you keep the appointment. Find a quiet place to sit and reflect. Let your thoughts and feelings well up so that you can examine them and jot them down. This may feel a bit strange and forced at first but this is just the creaky cover being forced off the well. Nothing kills the imagination as quickly as being busy all the time. It's more than merely letting the water in your well stagnate; it's actually filling it with stones. (I think those of us who are homeschool mothers can be very prone to having all sorts of extra-curricular, worthwhile outside events crop up to keep us busy. I used to, and still sometimes, have real problems knocking back invitations just because I've already done a few things that week and simply want to work on my current writing projects. It's a matter of continually reminding ourselves that our writing is as important as whatever we've knocked back and not merely self-indulgence. It's important because we've decided it will be)

I'll write Part 3 soon and to end Part 2, I'll finish with an anonymous quote I found that sums this up very nicely.  Why are you trying so hard to 'fit in' when you were made to 'stand out'?