In his Write Minded radio
talks, Paddy Gormley explains his passion
for radio by showing how radio is the only truly hands-free medium
for imaginative communication.
He goes on to take listeners on a journey into their own imaginations,
giving a detailed, metaphorical explanation of the creative
process and providing a series of tools that listeners can
easily use to enhance their own creative thinking.
As the series progresses, Paddy Gormley good-humouredly
urges listeners to give up television in favour of more imaginative
pursuits.
Write Minded is engaging, entertaining,
informative and thought-provoking. Paddy Gormley's
style is very personal, making the listener feel that the talks
are for him or her alone.
Old-fashioned as it may seem, radio
is here to stay because, unlike television, it demands imagination.
We can begin to understand the imagination with the help of simple
metaphors.
Since imagined images are not perceived
through the senses, they must come from memory. Memories based
on the same pattern are linked together, with complex interlinkages
between patterns of memories.
Creative thinking begins when we call
up memories to take the place of missing information (This process
is known as inductive thinking). We use deductive thinking to refine
our ideas. Both processes, though controllable, are instinctive.
Inductive and deductive thinking are
as inseparable as breathing in and breathing out. Controlled use
of inductive and deductive thought processes makes creative writing
easy.
The degree of engagement with listeners'
or readers' imagination may be greatly increased through the use
of evocative words and metaphors and the deliberate creation of
subtext.
The intellect is moved by thought-provoking
arguments. Instinct, though illiterate, responds to patterns such
as ryhthm and assonance. Persuasion is not possible unless the
instincts are agreeable.
