Back when I was a wee lad, I loved the Basic and Expert D&D (not AD&D) manuals. It was great- page after page of imaginative monsters, spells, magical items, illustrated with images of people in the D&D world having adventures. To a kid in Smalltown, USA it was great stuff!
Now I find that Borges’ Book of Imaginary Beings is a bit like a D&D rulebook for grownups. Unfortunately it’s only about creatures, not spells or magic items, but there’s always Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.
[list][li]A beautiful woman[/li][li]A tasty musical lick[/li][li]Scenic natural beauty[/li][li]A train ride[/li][li]Traveling to a foreign country[/li][li]A solar eclipse[/li][li]Making love[/li][li]Great art[/li][li]A fine meal cooked by someone else[/li][li]Standing in a grove of redwood trees[/li][li]A perfect spider web[/li][li]Butterflies[/li][li]Trees and flowers in bloom[/li][li]A spectacular sunset or sunrise[/li][li]The night sky[/li][li]A falling star[/li][li]Songbirds singing[/li][li]A campfire in the wilderness[/li][li]A majestic waterfall[/li][li]Snowcovered landscapes[/li][li]Great art[/li][li]Fine artwork[/li][li]Delicate lacework[/li]Tasteful jewelery
this packet on giant mammals in North America that went extinct 10,000 years ago is firing my imagination.
particularly, two -not one, but two- species of armadillo that weighed in at over a ton, and a beaver the size of a black bear. a *beaver[/] folks. the size of a black bear. if that doesnt fire the imagination, i dont know what would.
Listening to music while being a passenger in a car or bus. If it’s a car, the best music to get my imagination started is Oldies music, because that’s the music I grew up on (not sure why the two go together). I’ve come up with my best stories while riding in a car or bus or even while I’m driving.
The Twilight Zone also sparks my imagination because I come up with a ton of other little stories that are on the same line as TZ.
Being deliriously tired in the shower first thing in the morning works for me.
It’s that “conscious, but not totally awake” state that really frees up the creative mind for me. When you’re not alert enough to be worrying about what socks you’re going to wear or what you’re having for lunch, your mind can freely wander and think up some pretty crazy stuff.
I recommend it, whole-heartedly.
Comic Books. Preferably Marvel. I actually enjoy the “graphic novels” (Sandman, Preacher) more, but good old Marvel comics are what get my imagination going. For some reason they make me imagine all kinds of neat possibilities- just like being a kid again.