After a lazy weekend dog-sitting two of my favorite canines, my return home reminded me of all the things that didn’t get done in my absence.
Like watering my starving plants and giving expected attention to my cats, Matt and Cinders.
The plants didn’t chastise me–they just looked droopy and sad.
The cats? Well that was another matter.
When I called out greetings, they ignored me. Even when I yelled, “Treats!”, they played it cool, kind of disinterested.
But when I prepared to sit down at my computer and get some necessary work done, they took a more active stance.
Eventually, they let me sit down but they still insisted on supervising and critiquing my work.
Needless to say, I had trouble focusing. Finally, I decided to do a little brainstorming before I resumed work on my current novel, “Whatever Goes Around”. The current chapter involves Claire (the protagonist) reluctantly adopting a puppy.
Of course, as all pet lovers know, the human only thinks they’re the one doing the adopting. The pet is always the one in control. At least that’s my experience.
So, I played the “what if” game. What if a young woman who prides herself on maintaining an elegant facade (in her own appearance and in the style of her home) finds herself with a four-legged room-mate who disregards all her boundaries and seems determined to disrupt her tidy, fastidious life.
Based on my own experience, I have no doubt who will win the battle. But I had fun watching (writing?) Claire’s attempts to prove she was the alpha in the situation.
Does anyone else play this game when they’re starting a new chapter? scene? book?
I’d love to hear about it.
