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What My Dog Taught Me About Writing

March 8, 2019 By MFC Feeley

What My Dog Taught Me About Writing

Dogs Make Excellent Writing Partners

Writing can be lonely, but friends are distracting. Dogs are companionable, without being conversational. You can type quietly, suddenly talk, then stop mid-sentence without repercussion. You can test a phrase nineteen different ways. Twenty. Hit delete. Start over; your dog’s happy.

Skip the Purina

Garvey will eat anything but commercial dog food. In a world of unexplored flavor, he’s had enough kibble. Readers feel the same way about exposition. Get to the good stuff.

Don’t Be Too Careful in Your First Draft

Write with enthusiasm; the worst that can happen is you hit delete. Garvey deletes an entire lasagna and looks for more. Write like that; you won’t run out of words.

Walks Rock

Head spinning at your computer? Whenever I get lost in a celebrity slideshow, Garvey demands a walk. I don’t know how he can tell I’m wasting time, but dogs are traditionally associated with magic. So are walks. Think about how many great stories—Red Riding Hood, Exodus, The Odyssey—are about taking a walk (or a really long boat ride). Walks are even better with a dog. Hounds remind you to dig around and incorporate your senses, especially smell, into everything you write.

When There’s No Time for a Walk, Running Around in Circles Will Do

Garvey uses the front lawn. I don’t want to embarrass my kids, so I dance in the kitchen. You know the song. Dance hard. Repeat. Get back to work.

People Will Read Anything About Dogs

In fact, this post began as a feast of clickbaity sarcasm. My dog is illiterate, you fool! But—

Sarcasm is a Sign That You Should Dig Deeper

As a kid, I didn’t understand why I got grounded for sarcasm; now I get it. Although I make fun of dog lovers (I identify as a cat person), I’d never direct sarcasm at my dog. I love my dog. Sarcasm is cruelty disguised as humor. Sarcasm is the lazy imposter of wit. Sarcasm is a defense mechanism. What are you defensive about? Readers want your secrets. Here’s one of mine…

I learn from my dog all the time. Unconditional canine love is both comforting and encouraging. No matter how awful something I may write is, my dog just wants me to be real. Plus, he lets me pull his ears.

So, here’s maybe the most important thing I’ve learned…

Moods Don’t Matter

I don’t always feel like writing, but Garvey is a creature of routine. He whimpers for me to hit the keyboard. Although it’s fun to be in the mood, the quality of my work has little (if anything) to do with how inspired I feel at the time. If that seems unmagical and blasphemous, it’s OK.

My dog still loves me.

Filed Under: Words From The Other Side Tagged With: dogs, essay, MFC Feeley, nonfiction, teaching, Writing

About MFC Feeley

MFC Feeley lives in Tuxedo, NY and attended UC Berkeley and NYU. She wrote a series of ten stories inspired by the Bill of Rights for Ghost Parachute and has published in SmokeLong, Jellyfish Review, Brevity Blog, Liar’s League, and others. She was a Fellow at the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing and twice received scholarships to the Wesleyan Writers Conference. Winner of the 2018 Northern New England Review Raven Prize for Creative Non-Fiction, she was a 2019 runner-up for Pulp Literature's Raven Short Story Contest, has been nominated for Best Small Fictions, The Pushcart Prize, and was an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Quarterfinalist. She has judged for Mash Stories and Scholastic. More at MFC Feeley/Facebook and on Twitter MFC Feeley @FeeleyMfc.

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