The Balance Between Emotion and Imagination

It's not an original statement, but the fact is that writers are driven, guided, and tempered by their emotions.  It's our thoughts that construct the ideas, yes, but it's our emotions that put the pen to page and bring the literature's statement to life.  Sometimes, however, it's possible and even preferable to have a moment of imagination.  To tap into the well of imagination to try and express emotions that as a writer one has not yet personally experienced is an essential skill to develop.  It takes courage, yes, because we have to be willing to risk showing your misunderstanding of the subject.  It takes humility, because we have to be prepared to face our misunderstandings and listen to constructive feedback from those with a greater understanding of and/or personal experience with the subject.  I am fortunate that while I have dealt with anger, pain, sorrow, I have never been hurt in such a way by a romantic interest that my anger is aimed at them.  Yes, I am grateful to say that I have been spared the kind of betrayal that would turn one's anger against a former love interest.  Therefore, when I look back at the three poems that are soon to be posted ("A Broken Heart, A Shattered Mind," "Temptress," "No More") I realize that at the time I wrote them, I was most definitely using my imagination.  I am especially certain of this because I wrote each of these while still in high school and as some of you may know, my heart was broken only weeks ago.  Furthermore, when the aforementioned heartbreak occurred I was left with no anger or resentment.  In fact, I was left with a deep respect for the person.  So, as much as I wanted to explain an essential part to the writing process, I also wanted to make it very clear that these poems are not aimed at any actual person.  The three poems mentioned in this post are indeed poems of the imagination, an expression through experimentation and analysis of unfamiliar emotions.