The hamster got out again.

This is the fourth or fifth time he’s escaped his cage since we moved, but that’s not the interesting part. Every time he’s gone on his little jaunts, he’s managed to go further afield. His first two forays were into the laundry room right beside the bedroom where he lives. The next was into the kitchen. The one before this is a mystery, as my husband merely let him wander back into his room and into the cage set on the floor. This morning’s trek was to the living room; the other side of the house, for the most part. How he’s managed to drop to the floor and wander about without facing the enthusiastic reception (ie: pouncing and consumption) of two dogs and two cats is beyond my understanding.

You’d think he’d be happy to just eat and climb about in his deluxe cage, where every need is met. But is he content to stay within the confines of his plastic and metal world? No. Whether by purpose or accident, he is game to explore the far reaches of his existence. This is one courageous rodent, considering the pitfalls and dangers that reside near by.

It’s this kind of eagerness to see how far the world extends that inspires me. I could write a typical romance, or a typical fantasy. I trust my ability to do that. But what I really want to do, NEED to do, is push my work and myself to the limits. Playing it safe won’t get me more than a few nice comments on contest entries, or a line or so on a rejection letter saying my writing is decent but the story isn’t original enough. No writer wants to hear that. My current WIP is different, and hopefully different enough (But not TOO different. Even I understand the line between different and weird.) to someday find an audience wider than that of my crit partners.

So, with the heart of a certain hamster, I’ll break convention and push myself a little further with each story I write. It should be an interesting journey.

(Note: We have upped the security on the cage. Inspirational he may be, but we don’t want to find his little furry body in a cat’s jaws. Or not find him at all.)