if we lack imagination, how come so many of us write books?

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i read aspies lack imagination, but then i hear so many of us have written books. how can you explain that?

It's "social imagination".

What are some of these books?

Define "imagination."

Anyway, "lack of imagination" doesn't appear in any of the most commonly used sets of diagnostic criteria, so, apparently, it's not that important.

Interesting question, I had always wondered that and I was surprised how many members on WP are writers. Not sure if most of those aspie writers are male or female though ; it could be something to do with the way AS affects male/females differently, although I don't usually like to generalise on genders.

Personally, imagination has always been one of my weak points.

In terms of a diagnosis of an ASD a lack of "social imagination" is one third of what is referred to as the "triad of impairment". The other two areas are social interaction and social communication. These were the three areas on which my son was assessed under ICD-10 for a diagnosis of Asperger's.

I just googled "social imagination" and the first relevant result was from this website: http://aeiou.org.au/social-imagination.

Maybe this definition and description of "social imagination" will be helpful.

"Social imagination allows us to understand and predict other people's behaviour, make sense of abstract ideas, and to imagine situations outside our immediate daily routine. People with autism follow routines rigidly and favour predictability.

Those who experience challenges with social imagination may find it difficult to:

determine and interpret other people's thoughts, feelings and actions;
foresee what will or might occur next;
identify hazards;
engage in imaginative play and activities. Children with autism may enjoy some imaginative play but have a strong preference to act out familiar scenes;
prepare for change and plan for the future;
cope in new or unfamiliar situations which may result in the person becoming stressed;
appreciate other people may not be interested in their topic of interest which they talk obsessively about; and
attempt work if they feel they are unable to do it perfectly.
Difficulties with social imagination should not be mistaken with a lack of imagination. Many people with autism are very creative and go on to become accomplished artists, musicians or writers."

i read in this forum lots of members have written books. i did myself.

I am very imaginative...?

I wrote books because they gave me money.

Plus, the topic was my special interest.

what is your special interest?

At that time, vampires.

Wait? Have I missed something? WHO SAID ASPIES LACK IMAGINATION? Some of the most imaginative writers have Asperger's/Autism or something similar. In many ways Aspies can have OVER-ACTIVE imagination, but I'd say this was more of a good than a bad thing.

But what is social imagination?

It depends very much on the genre and your preferred way of writing.

For instance, the Agatha Christie detective stories are through and through logical stuff and require more planning/plotting than imagination. In an interview A.C. responded to the question why she didn't indulge in lengthy descriptions, emotions, or sex scenes with "because it's all about the plot, and these things would distract the reader from the plot." Another example are Sherlock Holmes and some other detective stories. One of the best contemporary writers of this old school is Elizabeth George.

There are also techniques like mind mapping a plot which can be used advantageously. I bet nobody would imagine a whole novel without plotting it.

Only speaking for myself, but i have lots of imagination and live in imaginary realms most of the time.

I actually have an over active imagination.

It is the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes so to speak. Not just the theory, but also in practice. For example, I myself theoretically know other people can like pink cars, but practically I just can not imagine someone liking pink cars.

I hope this makes some sense, maybe someone can explain it better.