At least once a year, hubs and I take a trip out west in winter to snowboard. We just returned from Breckenridge, CO. For this southern-dweller, crunching in real snow is always a treat.
The northern Atlanta suburbs rarely get a decent dump. By "decent," I mean more than an inch or so a year. Sometimes we get none at all or just a few stray flurries clinging to eyelashes. I still enjoy watching the flakes fall, but there's nothing quite like stepping in a drift and sinking to your knees. Even better—your thigh. I'll never forget the first time I had to dig myself out of deep snow, laughing and exuberant.
I found this trail near the ice rink while wandering around in my snow gear. Any excuse to don my furry winter boots is a good one. In this case, I was clomping through about five inches between the blanketed trees. When I looked back at this photo, I decided it would be an excellent example of unique plot creation.
One of the best ways I've learned to create plots is to keep digging through "what ifs" until a story building block emerges. For this picture, I'll come up with 10 reasons the "viewer" is in these snowy woods.
The viewer is taking a stroll to get away from their verbally abusive partner
The viewer is a child running away from home with nothing but cookies and hand-warmers
The viewer is a child who was playing hide-and-seek but got lost
The viewer is a stalker creeping up to a campsite
The viewer is a dog on the trail of a long lost companion (I like this one)
The viewer is a homeless person on the verge of freezing to death (this one could go anywhere!)
The viewer is a bird delivering a message to the mountaintop
The viewer is a woman determined to walk until she has some sort of life-revelation
The viewer is a man who hates the snow and is trying to get used to it for a new love interest
The viewer is a one-of-a-kind creature on a quest to find another like it (I really like this one)
Chances are, many of us could think of stories that already exist for some of these scenarios. I'm partial to the wandering/animal-based ones. Perhaps one of these will develop into a short story? It could even become a novel someday.
The next step is taking a favorite scenario and writing the next 10 steps. What if I used "The viewer is a homeless person on the verge of freezing to death" and went another level? What happens next?
They collapse in the snow just as they hear a voice ahead
They find a tree with fruit ripening out of season
They discover a cave, elated until they realize it's already occupied
They try to climb the mountain ahead, fall, and have a divine vision
They meet another homeless person dressed in shorts who is even colder than they are
They come upon a fire with two gruff men around it, unsure if it's safe to continue
A giant, fluffy dog with no collar finds them and cuddles
They find an occupied cabin and swallow their pride to knock
They tear off the branches of surrounding trees to make a cloak, forever being dubbed "Wooly Drifter" by the townspeople
They sit down in the snow, assuming the position of Jack from The Shining. A tourist passes by, befriending them over a love of old horror movies.
And then...then what?
From one picture, all this madness happened. This is one of the joys of imagination. No two people will come up with exactly the same scenarios, and any resulting idea could have salable potential. At the very least, my creativity got a hefty kick. I'll post more of these in the future.
Winter's coming to an end in GA. Soon, it'll be leggings and tank tops at the park. Until next year, snowy mountains! Thanks for the thrills and inspiration.
Keep on smilin'!
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