Immersion

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Today, I'd like to talk a bit about immersion and how I believe it can help with whatever project you're working on. Now, before I start my rant, I'm going to say that this is just what works for me. Remember, you are your own person, so for all I know, this might be a wasted breath to you. Still, though, I'd like to go on and, assuming you haven't clicked away from this article yet, explain to you some of my methods… as self-conscious as I can be about them. And, yes, the picture came from the Mac II page on Wikipedia, so I hope that's one question that's answered. Another thing before I start to go on is that, when I say “Immersion”, I'm not talking about fully living out some delusion for a crazy off-the-wall project, even if my bar for that is extraordinarily low.

When I talk about immersion into a project, I'm generally only talking about a mild-to-moderate degree, you know, have a model of what you want your end result to be close by, maybe set up a few visuals, depending on how far down a rabbit hole of accuracy you're willing to delve into, just things like that, so long as your main focus isn't taken from what your original project is. Maybe on the higher end (at least for me), set up an emulation of what you're trying to work with and imagine being where the project would take place. As a writer, I know that advice isn't necessarily universal, but it's the spirit of it that I'm hoping to convey to you. I'm known to have some crazy ideas by some of my friends and family, though figuring out how to put them into words and provide them execution is often times the hardest part of being an author (assuming I forget to proofread until after I've published), but is also the most rewarding. Sometimes, I'll have short stories that I want to write, but can't because I have either so many choices about how I can express those ideas, or there just won't be any way that works that comes to mind. Still, it's an interesting loophole to be thrown into, no matter how clunky the result turns out to be, and hopefully, there's a result.

Immersing yourself into a project, from the perspective of an author, gives you the chance to experience what your characters experience, feel what they feel, see what they see… the list goes on. For other professions, the formula might need to be changed a bit, but the important part is that everyone involved can get the same end result without wild variation and cohesiveness… unless that's the kind of thing you're going for, in which case: Good luck. As much as I'm known to go down any and all rabbit holes that I can possibly find, I do have to say that it's quite possibly a good thing, partially because of all of the perceptions that I can get, though it is a double-edged-sword for… obvious reasons.