Imagination, Intuition, and the Hidden Power of Writing Less

From Hemingway to Not Your Mother's Mystic: Let Your Readers Do The Work

Most writing advice pushes you toward exhaustive detail. Editors want you to describe every setting, explain every emotion, leave nothing to chance. I've deliberately chosen the opposite path. And as a result, my only path to publication was to self-publish.

The readers have spoken: Less is more.

At my Not Your Mother's Mystic book launch on June 17th at the Mermaid Lounge in Wilmington, NC, I shared why sparse, minimalist writing creates more powerful reader experiences than the elaborate prose favored by most modern editors.

The Iceberg Principle in Practice

Hemingway's theory of omission operates on a simple premise: the deeper meaning of a story should shine through implicitly, not through heavy-handed explanation. Like an iceberg, only one-eighth of your story needs to be visible above the surface. The bulk of its power lies beneath.

This isn't about being lazy or vague. It's about recognizing that what you don't say can be more powerful than what you do. When you omit certain details, you force the reader to become an active participant in story creation.

Imagination as Activation

When readers fill in the blanks with their own imagination, something profound happens. They're not just consuming your story—they're co-creating it. Every house I describe becomes their house. Every emotion becomes filtered through their experience.

This imaginative engagement does more than improve comprehension. Imagination is the direct pathway to intuition, inspiration, and awakening. When we activate our imagination instead of passively scrolling, we're engaging parts of ourselves that rarely get used in our hyper-stimulated world.

The Synchronicity Effect

The results speak for themselves. Readers are reporting remarkable synchronicities while reading—the kind that make you stop and pay attention. They're manifesting connections, having insights, experiencing the world differently. This isn't coincidence. It's what happens when we engage our imaginative faculties instead of demanding that everything be spelled out for us.

The full conversation about this approach—including why our minds crave imaginative engagement and how this differs from passive consumption—is in the clip below.

Watch a clip here:

Trust the Reader, Trust the Process

You don't have to explain everything in your writing. Let the reader meet you halfway. That's where the magic happens—in the space between what you say and what they understand.

If you're a reader, trust what stirs in you while reading. What you're feeling might be more than emotion—it might be your own knowing, finally being heard.

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Kathryn is the author of the bestselling memoir “Not Your Mother’s Mystic.”

She is a professional Evidential Medium, Akashic Reader, and Reiki Master based in Wilmington, NC. She offers one-on-one readings in Wilmington, NC and Surf City, NC in person or online. She also facilitates platform demonstrations and soul-centered workshops that bridge the seen and unseen.

Known for her specificity, sensitivity, and down-to-earth presence, Kathryn helps others experience direct connection with their loved ones in spirit, connect with their higher wisdom in the Akasha and explore the business possibilities with an Energetic Business Readings.

For more information on events and readings, go to www.GoldenAgeMedium.com