This weekend, I spent a little time out of state. Can you guess where?
No, this is not the Swiss Alps, so don’t start singing Edelweiss (like I did. They didn’t like that.) It’s Mt. Rainier, near Seattle, Washington!
Now, as some of you may have guessed, I’m not what you call ‘outdoorsy’. I like cities. I like noise and people, and being able to ignore that noise and those people in a superior way because I’ve been a city dweller so long they don’t phase me. I don’t hike. I power-walk avenue blocks like a supermodel Olympian in 4 inch heels. (Ok, the supermodel thing may be a stretch, and the four-inch heels may eerily resemble Converse All Stars, but still…) Little did I know just how much my quads would be burning after taking a mountain-side stroll. Oh what a beautiful place, but oh what pain!!!!
Seriously though, this got me thinking about fish out of water stories. What happens when you put a city girl in the middle of a ginormous national park? What happens when the country boy comes to the city? (Hopefully something less bleak than Midnight Cowboy. I write happy romances, after all.) Fish out of water stories are great because they provide instant, relatable conflict. Who among us hasn’t felt a little ill-at-ease when in a new situation? Great fodder for story telling. And relatable to my next project, which I was little bit stuck on, and now I know where to go next.
So, the next time you get stuck on your magnum opus, and it seems like climbing a mountain would be easier than working on it… try climbing the mountain! Or do something else that’s outside your normal. It worked for me…
Happy Reading (and Writing), everyone!
Tags: Mt. Rainier