Photo by Chris Smith on Unsplash
Have you ever written about the aliens among us? Those non-humans allowed into our homes and lives, pets. Canines, felines, avians, reptiles, and fish. The work animals moved indoors like pigs and sheep. The exotics treated like domestics, for example, tigers and alligators. The geeking science aspects of how cats talk to us like they do their offspring instead of other adult felines amuses me (See A Cat Meows).
Writers often attribute human reasoning to them, but pets are as alien to adult thinking as children. Animals are used in allegories, and sidekicks, and comic relief, and comforting. All the ways pets fill our lives appearing in writing.
WRITING EXERCISE:
For your current work-in-progress, consider your characters and create a pet for one of them. Tell us below why this particular character would have this pet and how long they had it.
BONUS EXERCISE:
Create a scene or flash where a character gains a pet.
READING EXERCISE:
Think to your most recent read with an animal character. Was it a pet, working animal, monster, or “scenery”? What impact did it have on the story?
My attempt
Pet flashes I’ve created include – Hellhound Puppies (1/26/20) – character gains a pet, Chich-a-whoo Feathers (12/22/19) – a working animal, The secret of cats (7/28/19), and Crossing over through the Dog’s Eyes (4/24/16).