Bradbury's Muse-Summoning List Trick

Ray Bradbury's masterwork

You, dearest readers, were promised Ray Bradbury and his way of list-making

that spurred his creativity and enabled him to write with cerebral, eye-popping imagery.

According to Brainpickings.org, Bradbury's book  Zen in the Art of Writing  claimed it also jogged his memory. When the Muse whispered her sweet sparks of inspiration to him, he would write a list of words which were evocative of that which would convey to the reader in the final work.

"These lists were the provocations, finally, that caused my better stuff to surface. I was feeling my way toward something honest, hidden under the trapdoor on the top of my skull."
-Bradbury

Before we begin our own lists, let's have a look at an example of one of his from Brainpickings.org:

THE LAKE. THE NIGHT. THE CRICKETS. THE RAVINE. THE ATTIC. 
THE BASEMENT. THE TRAPDOOR. THE BABY. THE CROWD. 
THE NIGHT TRAIN. THE FOG HORN. THE SCYTHE. THE CARNIVAL.
 THE CAROUSEL. THE DWARF. THE MIRROR MAZE. THE SKELETON.

Oooooh, creepy, eh? The list itself speaks volumes. Let's see another, shall we?

THE MEADOW. THE TOY CHEST. THE MONSTER.

 TYRANNOSAURUS REX. THE TOWN CLOCK. THE OLD MAN.

THE OLD WOMAN. THE TELEPHONE. THE SIDEWALKS. 

THE COFFIN. THE ELECTRIC CHAIR. THE MAGICIAN.

Now, suppose I am one of those super-smart fellows working at Nintendo. Suppose we're developing, oh... I don't know, a neat new game. My Bradbury-like list is scrawled in my notes. It reads:

Green Hat. Peril. Quest.
Power. Courage. Wisdom.
Green grass. Master sword.
Treasure chest. Labyrinth.
Puzzle. Lost woods.

If you think you know what game I'm referring to, post in the comments. You get major geek points if you're right.

Also, make some lists of your own for your poem/novel/song/artwork/interpretive dance. Try THE ARTIST'S TOOLBOX item #2: Lists. If you need a recap, Item #1 was a thinking cap. Get yourself one that suits you.

Happy New Year everybody!!! May your creativity floweth over all year long.

~Dr. (Ki)2