I love writing pets into my stories. Not only is a great way to show a killer’s soft side, but they become important family members for the main characters.
In my stories, I’ve used a Rottweiler, mastiff, and St. Bernard (MARRED and CLEAVED), a calico, tabby, and all-black cat (Wings of Mayhem), pet crows (Blessed Mayhem), and a black bear (A Sultry Abyss in SCREAM).
I’ve even borrowed a friend’s Bulldog for Black Out (RUN), but I felt so responsible for him, I couldn’t include him like I’d originally planned. God forbid I returned him emotionally scarred from the experience. It’s much safer to use fictional pets.
Need a way to show your character’s quirky side? Include a bearded dragon, snapping turtle, boa, tarantula, or exotic bird.
Is your character adventurous? Give him a pet moose, lion, leopard, or tiger to love. How ‘bout a pet elephant? When writing about pets let your imagination soar.
Fit the pet to a specific character to cue readers about their personality.
By using well-thought-out animals, it can say a lot about who they are, where they live, or even, their state of mind. It’s also fun to juxtapose.
Give a tattooed biker a Chihuahua or toy poodle. Readers will love it!
A few things to keep in mind when writing pets into fiction…
Reblogged this on Viv Drewa – The Owl Lady.
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Lol, I used a horse. I know – or knew, I should say (I had to research fairly thoroughly to be convincing) – very little about them but it seems to have passed muster as some of my readers are ‘horsey people’ and they enjoyed it. Talking about jumping in feet first. But my MC was a knight, so a horse seemed like a sensible option. It gave him a gentler, more human side.
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Thank you, my furry friend!
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Very welcome Sue 👍😃❤
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