Write Fiction and Nonfiction using Animals to Symbolize Life



Gee whizz. What a wonderful day!

Why write about animals? Do they make a difference in whether readers like your books or articles? When I wrote my first novel Justice Forbidden a couple of years ago I pondered whether I should add that special cat I had once dearly loved and that had helped me through a difficult time.

Then I started wondering whether it would be too cliche to write a mystery about an old woman who had a cat and solved a crime. It sounded too much like Agatha Christie. But, I reasoned, my mystery was a psychological thriller, not a cozy, and my protagonist was a psychologist in her forties, not an old woman. Yes, I thought, for some reason I needed an extraordinary cat in Faythe's life to help her in the dark days after her husband died.

It wasn't until I added Mao to my novel that I took a closer look at what animals added to stories. Since very early on, books like Lassie Come home and Black Beauty won the hearts of so many children but also adults. And Sea Biscuit and The Black Stallion became favorite movies for many, as well as for me.

What makes these stories so popular with the majority of people? What do animals symbolize to us?
They obviously touch something deep inside of us.

 Lets do a short exercise. Write down three words that come to mind when you think about the animals listed. There are no correct answers and they may be different than other people's answers. Each of us is an individual and all of us have had different experiences in our lives.

1.  Dog
2.  Cat
3.  Deer
4.  Horse
5.  Dolphin
6.  Parrot
7.  Lion
8.  Bear
9. The cat in the picture

How would your words change if the animal was beaten, injured, blind, alone, lost, vulnerable?

Here are a few examples of how I personally see certain animals. Read them only after you write down your own answers.

A dog means loyalty to me and he loves me just the way I am. We have a deep emotional connection and bond. He is a good listener without judging me and is protective of me. He is my buddy and friend. He is loving and supportive to veterans with PTSD, coming home from war and can help, protect, and lead blind people.

A cat is independent and at times creatively mischievous, but when I feel sad she or he comes to lie on my lap and purr. Mao, the cat in my story, was very intuitive and hissed at the murderer. Although small, he stood his ground to protect Faythe.

A lion is dangerous but powerful and can at times care about other animals or people enough to protect them.

You get the idea.

Some time ago, when I took a writing class, the instructor warned the class to be careful not to kill an animal in a story. According to her, people respond to most animals the way they respond to young children. Readers empathize with them and see them as vulnerable, helpless, needing adult protection. People cheer for them when they succeed in overcoming great odds, show courage, or help the vulnerable. Sea Biscuit, a horse, was seen as one of America's greatest heroes during the Depression.

So what kind of animal can you add to your story to symbolize the character attributes you wish to portray? Is the animal supportive of your protagonist? Or can you add an animal to show a lesson in your story? Do you know an exceptional animal you love and wish to write about?

Write Poetry to Help you Relax and Fall Asleep

We would like to welcome Ana Parker Goodwin to Writing North Idaho as a regular contributor.  Ana is an accomplished author and writer with a delightful sense of humor.  Her voice will be a tremendous asset to our blog and we know you'll enjoy her insight and advice on the art of writing.  Educated as a psychotherapist, Ana is now retired and writing 'How To" books in her field as well as psychological mystery thrillers so she can finally write "happy endings."  Read Ana's full bio on our homepage and learn more about her writing at anaparkergoodwin.com.

by Ana Parker Goodwin

Hey, when I was a kid my teacher used to make us write poetry, and man it had better rhyme. If it didn't it was a sure D-. I was no good at it though it caught my fancy at times, especially when at the age of 11 one of the older boys in the neighborhood, who I thought was absolutely awesome, fell in love with my older sister instead of me. So I wrote poems like, "Life, oh life, is like a knife. It cuts you every day. Da, da, da, da, da, da, da. No matter what I say." And on and on using words with great dramatic effect. Then I found out he was really a mean kid. My depression vanished and I went on to the next guy down the block. More poetry.

Fortunately times have changed. I am no longer madly in love with the boy next door and poems no longer need to rhyme. Seeing as I write mostly nonfiction (e.g, 18 Steps to Cope with Post Trauma Stress (PTS)Before it Becomes a Disorder(PTSD): especially for veterans and families and Sand Play Therapy: A Step by Step Manual for Psychotherapists of Diverse Orientation), I need a break from that heavy stuff at times. So I started writing fiction as well (Justice Forbidden, a mystery about a psychologist who is sued for implanting memories in a client.) Now that was fun!

But the other day after spending hours of writing and researching PTSD, the grandpa clock striking midnight, and my thoughts in a negative rut, I needed a way to relax and to alter my thinking before I tried to go to sleep. And I remembered a woman coming from Seattle to conduct an Idaho Writers League meeting. She taught us how to write poetry. I call it the ABC method. No need to rhyme. The first sentence must start with an A and the next one with a B, etc. through the alphabet. The night of the meeting I was "in the zone" and I created a rather good poem, if I say so myself.

A Zillion Dollar Comics by Carolyn Hiler

So this night, to get my thoughts out of trauma thinking, I decided to have fun with poetry. I wrote three poems, though some of you might not consider them as such. I used the ABC method but each line consisted only of one word and I used only words that came to me instantaneously. "A Battered Cow Drove Effortlessly Forward Going Hundred Inches---." You get the idea. I had a great night with pleasant dreams, ready to get back to my PTSD writing the following day.

Next time you get stuck with what some people call "stinking thinking" or negative thoughts that weigh you down before going to bed, try having fun creating poetry. But don't become obsessive like I have a tendency to do.

Happy dreams to you.