Through metaphor and metaphoric thinking, we communicate new thoughts by linking the unknown with the known by means of the spatial intelligence. The spatial intelligence may play an important role in organizing writing. Through this kind of visual thinking, one can perceive how thoughts are related to one another, how realms of thought stack, overlap, or stand side by side. In a more vivid form of spacial organization, some writers describe seeing a scene like a 3-D movie, then writing about it. The ability to impart a non-logical wholeness to the form of a piece, Gardner suggests, may be a function of the spatial intelligence.
Sex differences are more pronounced in tests of spatial skills than for any other intelligence.
Males score more highly than females. Gardner speculates that genetic selection, dating to hunting-gathering days, may be the cause. To exercise the spatial intelligence in a writing class, one might examine alternate endings to see which give a sense of wholeness. One might examine the language of architects, sculptors, and other visual thinkers, to see how it differs from common usage. Look at slides of scenery, art works, advertisements, cultural artifacts, and people.