This same method can also be used no matter what genre your favorite MMO happens to be. If you play sci fi MMORPG's, like Star Wars Galaxies (for which there is also a huge mass of books written to peruse) or Anarchy Online, then stick with sci fi books. Many classic authors, like Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury, are themselves the inspiration for many of today's top game makers, so why not get it straight from the source? Of course, that's not to forget about some of today's top sci fi authors, for which Orson Scott Card comes first to my mind.
In traditional fantasy gaming, of course one of the first names to come to mind should be J.R.R. Tolkien. If you don't know what world famous books he wrote, then you are in need of more help than I can provide. I dare say roleplayers would consider it an atrocity to meet someone calling themselves a roleplayer who has never read The Hobbit or any of The Lord of the Rings books.
To pay homage to a couple more very notable authors here, I ask you to not forget Madeleine L'Engle, who wrote the brilliant book A Wrinkle in Time, and Robert Jordan, author of the fantastic Wheel of Time series. Both authors passed away this year, but thankfully gave us some excellent and profound worlds and characters to mentally experience. I highly suggest you go read any and every book from these two you can find.
Now, to be sure, there are hundreds of other authors I could mention here, more than a few for every MMORPG setting and style that exists today. If you have such a question or need help with this, by all means, feel free to email me, I'm happy to help. Though my focus in this article is about reading, don't of course forget about other imagination building media, like music (Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd), movies (The Matrix, Lord of the Rings), TV (Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who), and even other games, from traditional RPG's (Dungeons & Dragons, World of Warcraft the Roleplaying Game), to CRPG's games of yesteryear and today (the Ultima series, Baldur's Gate, Knights of the Old Republic, and Oblivion).
Imagination is certainly a key element in our RP, but more than that, it is a vital instrument in our daily lives, as long as it isn't taken to the extreme. So, when you think you may have 'hit a wall' in RP'ing in your favorite MMORPG, take some time out to feed your imagination, expand your mind with a good book, and just pay attention and enjoy a good story through the vision of your minds' eye. I don't believe you'll regret it. Role on!
