✨ Fur, Fins, and Feathers ✨
5 exercises to help you write about animals and make them real
There is a bird feeder directly outside my home office window. Its sole purpose is to feed the birds, but the squirrels have claimed it as their territory, along with the entire backyard, in fact.
The squirrels are aggressive little beings and can be very mean. They’re bullies. I’ve seen them chase and shove each other from the feeder and occasionally a battered squirrel will re-appear with a half-chewed ear. This saddens me.
Much of the time they appear to be bickering. Like humans, they seem intent on beating out the other guy. As I write this, I am watching three squirrels shimmying up the outer wall, one dangling upside down with his mouth dribbling seeds like a fountain.
First step: study the animals
Even if you are writing science fiction or fantasy, you want your animal characters to be real because readers can sense when a writer has no clue. For the sake of credibility, I’ve found that studying animals is an all-important step to writing about them.
Get in the habit of observing and taking notes. For example, what texture is the dog’s fur? How many colors are in the sparrow’s feathers? How do the animals interact with other species? What are their habits? How do they move when they are scavenging? How do they react when they are frightened?
One of my favorite books about animals is All Creatures Great and Small by veterinarian James Herriot. He studied a variety of animals, respected them, and loved them, which shows in his writing observations.
Have you heard of xenofiction? These are books written from an animal’s perspective, like The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. We are fascinated by our pets. We wonder what they’re really thinking about their lives and particularly what they think about us.
One of our cats, Holly, is quite the talker. She talks when she sees us, when we serve her meals, and each time she uses her litter box. And whenever we ask her a question, she replies with a one word answer that sounds a lot like “Meh!” Holly thinks she’s the queen of everything and so I’ve “honored” Her Majesty with a cameo appearance in my forthcoming book, Moonwater Beach. I doubt she’ll be impressed, though.
Use your horse sense
When I was a young girl I was crazy about horses. Like my other horse-obsessed friends, I collected horse books and figurines, read Black Beauty a hundred times, and watched Fury and My Friend Flicka on television. When I wasn’t Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet, I was pretending to be a wild stallion, pawing the earth and shaking my head in defiance.
Not living in one place very long, I figured I would never own a horse while I lived with my parents, but I still took every opportunity I could to be around horses, hanging out at riding stables and traveling carnivals.
From the moment I began reading The Red Pony, John Steinbeck easily became one of my favorite authors. I thought his descriptions of the pony were amazing, even when they were unpleasant. I was struck by how realistic Steinbeck’s writing was, transporting me right into the scene as if I had joined the background. I hoped to write like that someday.
When I was in my horse-crazy phase, I had no desire to be a writer. I’m glad I paid attention, though, because I’m writing a book now where a horse just happens to be a prominent character.
It’s good to know how to whinny.
Write about an animal — either wild or domesticated — that made an impression on you.
Interview a wild animal. Is it a squirrel? A deer? A bear? You choose!
Write about the world as if you were your pet dog or cat.
Watch an animal for 30 minutes and write your impressions. What did the animal do? Did it know you were watching it?
Write about your favorite animal from literature. What features helped make this character enjoyable?
Blessings,
Eleyne-Mari
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You're so welcome, Jo. I hope they're helpful!
Thank you for this, Eleyne-Mari. Those are some fun exercises, i might try at least one this week!