What do Katniss Everdeen, George Michael Bluth, Wonder Woman, and Sherlock Holmes have in common? Each is the product of the imagination of a writer or storyteller. And regardless of whether they were conceptualized as part of a novel, comic book, screenplay, or television series, each character and his or her story are primarily expressed through language.

Imagining is probably the most complex functional competency. It is the ability to think, play, and be creative in communication. Children imagine by pretending to be a superhero. Adults imagine, too. The way a song is worded, the way a play is scripted, and the way special effects coordinate with the message delivered in a film—these all stem from imagination. On the job, imagining is the ability to use language to convey a vision for a project to your coworkers (such as architects explaining blueprints and models). In a debate, imagining enables you to think ahead of your opponent, to put words to each side of an argument, and to use language in logical and convincing ways.