Listening to audiobooks allows me to travel to unknown worlds. Thinking of the storytelling idea, process, climax, and ending excite my logical mind. On the other hand, creating worlds with images, sounds, sensations, and smells uplifts my curiosity. The idea is to produce a visual collage, in my mind, with the cluster of words that I am hearing from the storyteller. At that moment, I take the role of the movie director, creating my own version of the story.

The kitchen: The Place to Discover
I started paying attention to stories in my mom’s kitchen as a child. We would listen together to the "radio telenovelas" (radio soap operas) during the preparation of a family meal. I recall that each episode would last about thirty minutes, discovering every time a new piece to resolve the plot of the story. At the end of the session, my curiosity had a lot of questions that demanded to be answered.

Imagining a Scene in the Plot
Exercising my mind through visual creation is a step further in developing my imagination! For instance, if the storyteller mentioned pots and pans in the kitchen, during the narration of the story, I would try to imagine another version of mom’s kitchen utensils. My mind refused to use the same visuals that I had in my memory, creating most of the time, something new. In addition, it developed a two-way conversation with my mom. After each episode, we discussed the events of that day, predicting the final outcome of the story. Sometimes, we would get disappointed because the result was not the ending that we expected.

My Love for Audiobooks
I have been listening to audiobooks for quite some time. I like when the storyteller engages with the drama throughout the tone of voice, words inflexions and personalities moods. When paying attention your mind retrieves images from your memory in order to build the narration scene. At this point, your visual canvas can add other elements into your own version of the tale. Be mindful and you will strengthen your creativity and imagination!

The Last Day of A Condemned Man by Victor Hugo
I listened to the Spanish version of this book through LibriVox (free public domain source). This is the story of a man who is going to die in prison and he reflects about his life in general during his final days. The narrator of the story transports you to a specific period of time, making you feel the emotions and thoughts of the prisoner.

The Free Library Audiobook Collection
You can enjoy a wide range of fiction and nonfiction audiobooks from the Free Library! The virtual library has a great selection that you can enjoy or, if you prefer, you can request a set of CDs through your neighborhood library. Creativity needs practice and continuity habits help explore your wild imagination!

Happy listening!