EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT WRITING I LEARNED FROM MY DOGS

I guess I am a slow learner. Some people claim to have learned everything they know in kindergarten. Here I am, 50+ years old, still learning important stuff…especially when it comes to writing. What’s even more distressing, I’m learning from my dogs. I know you don’t believe me. I can hardly believe it myself. But consider the following lessons and see if you don’t agree.

There is nothing more important than chewing a rawhide bone. When Tiller is given a Himalayan Dog Chew, he flops down wherever he happens to be and begins chewing. The neighbors’ dogs may set up the midnight bark, timer may go off signaling time for dinner, the roof may blow off the house in a hurricane, but nothing will stop him from chewing on that yak-milk bone until the last tasty morsel has been gnawed to a mushy tidbit too small for a mouse.

The same tenacious attitude should be applied to writing. The creative process is most effective when all other life distractions are blocked out, enabling the wordsmith to focus on one primary task; that of writing. That means no email, no scrolling through Facebook, no twitter tweet fests. Focus is the name of the game here…nothing but the writer and the bone.

Jump for joy whenever your owner walks in the door.  Having the owner come home after an absence of anywhere from ten minutes to ten hours must be the equivalent of winning the Canine Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes. At least the way my little Scout reacts. He jumps. He barks. He wags his tail. He spins in circles. He does back flips (Well, he would do back flips if he knew how.) His joy is obvious.

A writer will do well to remember that characters emotions (joy, sorrow, anger, love, etc…) must be presented in a similar over-the-top fashion. If the character is happy, don’t settle for writing “Carole was very happy.” Instead, have her jump up and kick her heels, or do cartwheels across the front yard, or spontaneously kiss that gorgeous sweaty many jogging by her mailbox. An abundance of emotion will make your characters sympathetic and believable. This will help your readers connect to your character. Connected readers keep reading.

Follow, don’t lead. My precious little Jubilee was very independent. When taking our morning walks, she led. I followed, exactly three feet (the length of her lavender leash) behind. Dare I stroll on ahead when she paused to sniff a patch of sweet, urine-scented clover, she immediately dropped back on her haunches and pulled away. Her ears flattened back and her nostrils flared. She refused to budge. If I stopped pulling and walked back so that she was once again in the lead, she stood up and pranced merrily on her way.

Writers, if you haven’t already figured it out, characters can be just as stubborn. For my first novel, I made the mistake of carefully outlining the entire plot. I sat down at the keyboard and started leading Baily, my heroine, on her journey. Bailey fought me from chapter one. The harder I pulled, the more obstinate she became. It took many days (months/years) before I learned to relax and let the character lead. We end up at the same place, just take a different (and more compelling) route.

The Secret of your Future is Hidden in your Daily Routine. We had a dog that had such a rigid routine you could set your watch by her. Up every morning at six. Watch us eat breakfast before taking her on her walk around the block. Breakfast for her. Nap all day. Playtime. Dinner. Out. Bed. Things didn’t always go so well during the Daylight Savings transitions (try explaining that concept to an almost deaf dog), but Jamaica’s routine served her well. She lived to almost 17 years old.

When it comes to writing, routine will serve you well. Figure out what time of day the muses are most likely to stop by, and then plan your day so that you are in your writing chair at that time.  Remove all distractions, and write. It won’t be long before you find your mind gearing up for the writing session, so when you settle in to your writing space your thoughts are already knocking on the door. A mindless task (like folding laundry or taking a walk) right before your dedicated time can also get the muses juiced and ready to flow! Same time, every day.

It’s okay to lick yourself in public . It doesn’t matter if we are home alone watching TV, or if the house is full of high-ranking Navy officials, if Commodore wanted to lick, he plopped down on the Turkish rug and licked. It might embarrass us, but it doesn’t faze him. He is lucky he has no societal standards which dictated his behavior.

When it comes to writing, characters that follow all the “rules” can be flat, predictable, and well, no fun to read. By applying the “it’s OK to lick yourself” philosophy, you add a new dimension to your characters. It makes them interesting. It makes them spunky. It makes the reader say to themselves, “I’ve got to keep reading to see what crazy thing this character does next.” And the secret to good writing is giving the reader a reason to keep reading.

Let your presence known!  There is no need for a doorbell in hour house. If any living creature comes within 500 yards of our property, Kimo barked. Not just yapping, but creating enough racket to wake the dead. He makes certain that the friend/intruder/stray leaf falling from a tree knows that he is inside.

The same should be done to promote yourself and your writings. Make enough noise so that editors and agents and fellow writers and neighbors and coworkers and social media peeps are aware of your goals and dreams. Distribute promotional items everywhere you go. Wear a t-shirt that proclaims “I AM A WRITER”. Let the world know there is a writer inside. And don’t wait until you are published to start getting your name out there. Start now. Today.

These are just some of the things my dogs have taught me. If you are interested in learning more about the fine art of creative writing but can’t afford tuition at the local university, you may want to check out the local Canine Academy. It’s amazing what young pups are teaching these days.