Go Outside

Since moving back home in Wyoming, where I went to high school as one parent lives in Utah while other parent lives in Wyoming, I don't leave the house much. While this may seem useful for writing it can also create a mood that isn't very creative. My big bit of advice for today (thought of two other topics on the way to Utah for a visit) is this:

Go Outside

(Image by Natalie Dee @ nataliedee.com)

Isn't it cute? See, even outside misses us when we don't go there. ;-)

One reason I don't mind the drive from southeastern Wyoming to northern Utah is that I get to go outside (to my car) and then see all kinds of stuff on my way. It's only a 7-ish hour drive but across most of southern Wyoming and then a portion of northern Utah. There are bits of flat terrain (odd, I know, lol), plenty of fields, a few hills, some canyons and almost always wind. Antelope/deer and cows are common fair along the side of the road in the different fields and canyons though I've seen a fox or two before. There are a few things that made this trip enjoyable.

No snow yet. Last year, it snowed at the end of September. This year we haven't had any yet and it's getting close to Halloween. oooo  The trees were turning fall colors, and that's always nice to see when winding through a canyon.

I saw a beautiful display of birds in flight dealing with the wind.

There were close to 100 birds in flight over a field of dried corn stalks. Once upon a time they had been green, before harvest, but now they stood in golden formation as wind swept across the land. The flock was spread out, combing over the land. Like waves heading towards a distant shore, birds would dip down, almost grazing the tips of corn husks before drifting up again. Each bird got a turn to crash down toward the land before swooping up to reach a whitecap level peak and then the process could be repeated as the wing patterns demanded.


Okay. Probably could write that better and eliminate a few passive moments, but you get the idea. Really cool moment with birds flying over a dry corn field.  But writing natural elements into say, an epic fantasy novel, is a little easier to do if someone actually goes out in nature once in awhile. City elements feel more realistic after having dealt with a city, so forth and so on.

The other thing the trip did was give me time to think about writing. 7 hours to think about writing and now I have 3 blog posts to do and some thoughts for nanowrimo. So, once you've gone outside and gotten a little fresh air (or smog, depending location) then go back inside and Write!