Sometimes the craziest things happen when you least expect them . . . aka, when you're sleeping. For those of you who were following me on Twitter a few days ago, you might have found something entertaining in your early morning feed. For those of you that missed it, a quick rundown:
Yes, my cat was dive-bombing headfirst into furniture while playing with a mouse, which was screaming for its life as she flung it into the air. I love cats, but the next time you want to write a good villain, go watch a cat play with a mouse for a while--they're sadistic little fuzzballs.
In fact, animals in general are great to observe when you need help developing a character. Kinda sounds ridiculous, huh? Why not just watch a movie or read a book and observe on those characterizations?
Well, the emotions of animals are often expressed in the extreme.
When your dog is afraid of being left alone and accidentally locks himself in a room, he'll freak out and dig through the sheetrock (the dog was fine, btw). When your prissy cat refuses to drink water out of her bowl, she'll show up every time you go to the bathroom in hopes that you run the tapwater for her (this is a different cat).
They may be a little melodramatic, but these kinds of behaviors are fantastic. They're raw and primal and sometimes that's what a writer needs when trying to flesh out a character. Like animals, people don't always act according to logic, they act according to how they feel.
So next time your characters feel a little flat, channel your pets. Go visit a friend with a dog and watch how he reacts to things. Remember my cat as a super villain: she tortures the hero until he thinks all is lost, but somehow, in the end, he survived to fight another day.
What about you guys--any interesting pet stories? Have cats left you fleshy goodies on your front porch? Have you ever transported a dead llama? Tell me in the comments!
Oh, and if you haven't done so already, go enter my giveaway!
16 comments:
That's too funny! Kitties make my heart melt. They're so cute!
Right before it got cold, my cat chased a chipmunk into the house right into an air vent. I live in the basement, so for the rest of the day, I heard the chipmunk running back and forth in the air duct above me. I felt so bad for the critter! I have to assume it got out because the furnace guy couldn't find it when he pretty much dismantled the air duct to search for it.
My cat sips water from the sink too! He also sleeps in the sink. That's kind of weird...
So Boromir is a good villain role model. Maybe you should be watching National Geographic animals videos for inspiration.
Obviously kitties are adorable so for the sole reason of seducing us before taking over the world.
But I feel sorry for that poor chipmunk! Hopefully he really did escape and the cat didn't get to him in the end. *crosses fingers*
I had a cat that used to sleep in the sink. It was a nice, rounded bathroom sink, so I always assumed it had something to do with the size and shape. Perfect for a cat!
Exactly. Her neurosis about being touched would also be a good characteristic to observe. She's cranky and fussy just like some evil Disney villain. :P
My god you are hilarious. And, I don't really like your new comment system. :(
You make a fantastic point, though. I will have to channel your pets. As I don't have any. :( Also sad.
That's hilarious, and it's a really funny but good idea. I wish I had a pet... I used to have a cat, and she was plain brutal with every other animal. One time she chased a dog for an entire block, jumped on his back and clawed him to shreds. We felt so guilty, because the owner then picked up the dog and afterwards his shirt was full of blood.... kind of morbid, but maybe it can give some sort of inspiration...? xD
This is only one of many crazy animal tales, actually. I had to tone it down!
I'm sorry you don't like Disqus. It's been pissy for the last two days for some reason. Tell me why and maybe I can help you.
Haha, my cats totally beat up on our dog, though it isn't quite as brutal! Actually it's kind of a weird relationship, since he lets them bat at his nose and such if they don't use claws, but if they go too far he gets snippy and they back off.
I have to post as something stupid and I hate it. :( I have to like sign in from Twitter or something.
That sentence is a little strange. And no you don't. You can just put your name in. Or do twitter. Or facebook. Or openID. Or disqus. There are a lot of options. you don't have to sign in as anything though.
I don't like that. I like just being able to already be connected by GFC. What's the freaking use.
Well I apologize. I may change it in the future, I may not. If it's that obnoxious, you are welcome to not comment.
This is such a funny post and comment thread. We live out in the middle of 90 acres full of field mice and voles. We also have a house full of cats. They are continually presenting us with furry prezzies that sneak in where it's warm.
The worst though was when our little dog got mad at me and left a dead mouse on my pillow next to my face when I was sleeping. Hubby had already left for work and she was mad that I wouldn't play with her. She's a better mouser than most of the cats.
But can you imagine opening your eyes and seeing a tiny furry corpse about 6 inches from your nose? I freaked, BTW. Lovely horror movie :)
Haha, I grew up in a farming community with a bunch of cats, so I completely understand porch presents.
My worst mouse story is probably when one of the other cats brought a live mouse into my bed while I was sleeping. The only reason I woke up was that she decided to play with it on top of me. >_> I'm pretty sure that your story is worse though, since the mouse was off my bed by the time I realize what was actually happening! I don't know if I could handle waking up next to a dead mouse. But either way, what is it with pets and mice while people are sleeping anyway?
Aww. I wouldn't do that to you!
Yay! :D
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