Mysteries on the Way to Work … and Elsewhere

As I drove to work this morning I saw several vignettes that stirred my story telling imagination.  The first was a young man striding down the sidewalk with his long, black coat flowing behind him.  I wondered where he was going and what he planned to do.

A little further down the street there were several police cars and a van parked on a side street.  A group of men with riot shields were gathered at the side of an abandoned house.  Since there was no indication of traffic control or any media trucks in evidence, I concluded that the Rogers S.T.A.R. team (Special Tactics and Response team) was in training.  That scene could generate all sorts of stories.

Out on the Interstate I saw a pair of men standing on a walkway at the edge of the golf course at an apartment complex.  They were staring at water bubbling up and running over the walk.  Those fellows had a problem, beginning with figuring out where that water was really coming from.  Did that mini-geyser make or break their day?

I like to keep my imagination engine tuned.  As well as all the stories I’ll never have more than a glimpse of, I spend a lot of time listening to audio-books or reading.  In fiction I usually find a beginning, a middle, and an ending.  This morning I listened to some of each of the following:  Metzger’s Dog on my MP3 player, Word Gets Around in my cassette player, and Playing for Pizza on my car CD player.  I also have a copy of The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging beside the chair where I was reading last night.  I like having several book projects going at the same time … it exercises my brain keeping up with all the different threads.

How are you keeping your imagination tuned up and your brain exercised?