Write a Rite!

Constructive imagination is a pedagogical method in which students generate structured mental experiences of course content—here, magic rituals—and use them for creative non-fiction writing. The chapter presents two writing prompts: “Write a Rite!,” where students create a magic ritual based on South Asian sources, and “Chaos Magick,” where students create a novel magic ritual invoking personally relevant or pop figures. The authors argue that constructive imagination improves with practice and that playful creativity fosters greater understanding of course content and more fluid engagement in writing practices.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Constructive imagination is a pedagogical method where students, in a structured manner, generate mental experiences by imagining course contents—magic rituals in the course I describe here—and these mental experiences are then used in creative non-fiction writing. Treated in this chapter are two writing prompts accompanied by summaries of and quotes from student writing and feedback: “Write a Rite!,” where students create a magic ritual based on South Asian sources, and “Chaos Magick,” where students create a novel magic ritual invoking personally relevant or pop figures. Constructive imagination improves with practice, and a spirit of playful creativity fosters greater understanding of course contents and more fluid engagement in writing practices.