April 6, 2012

Fantasy & Flights of Fancy = F: Blogging from A to Z

According to Wiktionary, flight of fancy: an idea, narrative, suggestions, etc. which is extremely imaginative and which appears to be entirely unrealistic, untrue, or impractical; thinking which is very speculative (synonym = daydream). Fantasy: that which comes from one's imagination & the literary genre generally dealing with themes of magic and fictive medieval technology.

Ever wonder why paranormal and fantasy books are all the rage, particularly among teenagers and young adults?


I think it's simple... we want to imagine past our realities. Some of us only need to stretch a bit, daydreaming about better bodies and well-behaved children (or maybe that's just me). My life is quite full, yet I still yearn for a story that takes me away and builds a world I can live in, even if it's just for a few minutes a day.

It's hard to step outside ourselves when a book too closely mirrors our own lives, so adding a vampire or witch makes the transition easier. But, it's not always necessary. We just need a story that so enraptures us that we buy the author's world and characters without the need for proof or plausibility.

Plus, one generation's flight of fancy can be another generation's reality. If we believe in something long enough, we search for the practical knowledge to make some form of it true. It wasn't that long ago that the idea of traveling into space was pure fantasy. Or traveling deep into the sea.

Young people more readily believe in flights of fancy, their daydreams become part of who they want to be. As we get older, we let logical and practicality drive us. We forget to dream big.

So embrace the flights of fancy and fantasy in your life. Find ways to bring the magical to your everyday. Take the time to daydream.

The gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.” Albert Einstein

As a child, what did you daydream about? Do you still daydream?

6 comments:

June said...

I day dream CONSTANTLY, but I'm a writer so I think that makes sense :) I still have the same "real life" daydreams that I had when I was in fourth grade-- conversations that could have gone differently, the things I wish I could tell to certain people (of celebrity status, usually :P)... things like that. For a while I tried to give it up because I was told daydreaming didn't get you anywhere, but I think it actually does. It gives you hope, and encourages change and improvement in your life.

Elise Fallson said...

I loved this post Tia! Flights of fancy should be a part of everyone's life imo. I still daydream and I hope I'll never stop. (:

sulekkha said...

I always wanted to be a writer, I am dreaming of becoming one someday soon. :)

http://sulekharawat.com/2012/04/06/eccentric/

Tia Bach said...

June - I'm a daydreamer, too (and quite the night dreamer!). I agree about hope, such a great point.

Elise, Thanks! I hope I'll never stop either.

Sulekkha, Keep dreaming -- it'll happen!

Jessica Salyer said...

I am constantly daydreaming about my characters or about some other story idea I have. Great post.

Tia Bach said...

Thanks, Jessica. My characters were infiltrate my day and night dreams. ;-)