Aphantasia and Writing: Maggie Giles on the Black Screen

In her head, it's a black screen—no pictures, no movies, no mental images of what characters look like or where scenes take place. For debut author Maggie Giles, this is aphantasia, and she had no idea it wasn't normal until a conversation with a graphic designer revealed that most people actually see things in their minds. The author of The Things We Lost (a women's fiction thriller about a woman sent back to her 20s to live an alternate past) shares how she writes vivid novels despite not visualizing anything, why dialogue is her superpower, and how she adds setting and description only in later drafts.

She also opens up about taking a leap of faith with a brand-new indie publisher, Rising Action Publishing, after a gut feeling told her to ignore everything she'd been taught about publishing. From social media authenticity to the ever-evolving definition of women's fiction, this conversation is a fascinating look at how our brains all work differently—and how that makes our stories richer.

0:00 - Intro and welcome
2:13 - Aphantasia: the black screen explained
3:33 - Writing without visualizing
4:29 - Dialogue as strength, description added later
6:41 - Different levels of aphantasia
9:51 - Indie publishing and rising action
13:32 - Women's fiction defined
15:20 - Women's fiction genre classification
18:43 - Finding an editor who loves your book
21:45 - Social media and authenticity
23:45 - Privacy and posting boundaries
25:34 - Taking social media breaks
27:23 - You get out what you put in
30:29 - Where to find Maggie and her book
31:13 - Final farewell

• https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/
• Website: daralevan.com3
https://maggiegiles.com/


QUOTES:
"I love authors that have this amazing gift for subtle description—it's something I envy so much.
– Maggie Giles

"If you don't have thick skin and you're not okay with being dynamic and flexible, this is probably not the field for you."
– Dara Levan