So you thought you’d read all you need to know about writing, did you? Today, RU rises to the challenge as author MELINDA LEIGH discusses how to give an animal a character arc. Since dogs are on the covers of half the books I’ve bought lately, I think Melinda has hit on a hot topic!
One of the most common comments I received on She Can Run was praise for my hero’s dog. Henry didn’t start out as a hero. The dog started out as a vehicle to show that my hero, Jack, wasn’t as irresponsible as he claimed. And to add some lightness to a plot that was very deep and dark. But partly by the magic of writing (luck) and party through by love of dogs, Henry evolved. Boy, did he evolve.
Here’s some background. Henry is a police dog reject adopted by my out-on-disability cop, Jack. Henry has been being passed around the police department and declared useless in every division. Henry is a goof. He’s lazy. He doesn’t obey a single one of Jack’s commands. In the beginning of She Can Run, his goals in life are to dig inconvenient holes, steal food, and sleep.
Here’s an excerpt of Henry in the beginning of the book when the dog first meets the heroine, Beth, and her children. The set up for this scene: Beth is on the run from an abusive and powerful husband. She is supposed to be starting a new job as caretaker on a secluded estate, but when she shows up, the old man who hired her has died. In fact, his nephew and heir, Jack, is in the middle of a private wake.
Behind Jack, nails scrambled on hardwood. He lunged for the door just as one hundred pounds of barking German Shepherd leaped over the threshold, knocking him backward. He grabbed a patio chair to recover his balance.
Shit! He’d forgotten he’d locked Henry in the den after he’d tried to jump into the casket. Henry had liked Uncle Danny. A lot.
“Henry, heel! Sit!” The enormous blur of tan and black fur streaked across the patio onto the back lawn and made a beeline for the trio walking up the path. “Get back here!”
Jack hobbled after the dog. Fifty feet ahead, Beth’s eyes widened with alarm when she saw Henry barreling toward her like a freight train. She stepped in front of the children.
“He’s friendly,” Jack yelled. “Really friendly. Brace yourself.”
Beth held her right hand in front of her body in a crossing guard stance and commanded, “Sit!” in a firm voice. Stunned, Jack watched Henry slide to a stop, haunches tucked under his body like a champion barrel racer. The huge dog’s butt bounced on the grass in barely contained excitement as she reached down and scratched him behind his enormous ears.
Son-of-a-bitch. Damned dog did know a command.
Panting, Jack hobbled over and stopped just short of them. “I’m sorry about that. Henry has no manners. I hope he didn’t frighten you.”
She stood maybe an inch over five-foot, somewhat elfish, with a slim body and long black hair that seemed unnaturally dark for her complexion. Even in her current travel-worn state, there was no denying her beauty: large eyes, smooth skin, delicate features. Still scratching the dog behind his ear, she straightened her shoulders and looked up at Jack. Her face softened with the hint of a smile, and Jack felt an unsettling pull deep in his loins. “I’m not afraid of dogs.”
No shit. Henry’s lips parted in a goofy smile as he listed to one side, his back paw twitching in circles.
“Henry’s a police dog reject. Officially, his file’s stamped retired, but he’s only four.” Jack grinned, remembering an embarrassing incident involving a high school drug raid, a locker, and a hoagie. His buddy, Mitch, in narcotics, hadn’t thought it was so funny. “I’m pretty sure he has ADD.”
It turned out that Henry, like every other character, needed motivation. Enter my heroine and her two children. Without human emotional baggage, Henry fell in love with the small family faster than Jack. Henry helped the children adjust and heal. And, just like Jack, love changed Henry.
I won’t give away the end of the book, but Henry was da bomb. He just needed the proper motivation.
I leave you with a short scene toward the end of the book in which Henry sensed something was terribly wrong and showed he’s not just a pretty, furry face. (Ben is the heroine’s son)
Hysterical barking woke Ben. He rose from his bed and padded barefoot into the hall to listen. Downstairs, Henry was going ballistic about something. He glanced in his mom’s room. Empty. After looking in Katie’s room and making sure she was still sleeping, Ben quickly trotted down the steps.
“Mom?” He ducked his head in the living room, then the study. His mother wasn’t in either room. Henry began to whine. Ben followed the noise to the kitchen where the big dog was digging frantically at the bottom of the French door.
His mom wasn’t in the kitchen either. Where was she?
The hackles on the back of the dog’s neck were raised. “What is it, Henry?”
At the sound of Ben’s voice, the dog grew more agitated, looking from Ben to the door. He began to growl and snarl at the closed door.
The note on the counter drew his attention. Mom was down at the barn. Ben was suddenly certain something bad was happening. The hair on his neck rose to mimic the dog’s.He called his mom one more time. No answer. He picked up the phone and dialed Jack’s cell, but Henry was making such a racket, he could hardly hear the ringing on the other end of the line. Scanning the yard quickly, he looked down at the insistent dog. After turning off the alarm the way Jack had showed him, Ben opened the door. Henry raced through the opening and headed across the back lawn toward the path that led to the barn.
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Have you ever featured an animal as a primary character in one of your stories?
On Monday, RU founders Tracey Devlyn Kelsey Browning and Adrienne Giordano tackle the delicate topic of critique partners. Don’t miss it!
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Bio:
Melinda Leigh is a fully recovered banker. She started writing when her youngest child entered first grade as a way to preserve her sanity. She Can Run, her debut romantic suspense novel with Montlake Romance, released in November 2011 and became a Kindle bestselling romantic suspense. A second romantic suspense, Midnight Exposure, is scheduled to release in April 2012. She is also the co-author of paranormal romance novella, Amazon Heat, just out from Carina Press.
Melinda is also an avid martial artist. She holds a 2nd degree belt in Kenpo Karate, studies Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and teaches women’s self-defense. She lives in a messy house in the suburbs with her husband, two teenagers, a couple of dogs and one neurotic cat with an inexplicable fear of ceiling fans. With such a pleasant life, she has no explanation for the sometimes dark and disturbing nature of her imagination.
You can find out more about Melinda and her books at her website, melindaleighauthor.com and at Attacking the Page: A Blog on Martial Arts & Writing Action.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/melindaleighauthorpage
Twitter: https://twitter.com//MelindaLeigh1
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Hi Melinda – Thank you so much for this great blog! It hit home with me, because one of my very first attempts at creative writing featured a scene written from a dog’s POV. The assignment was to write a short scene based on a minor character in Salinger’s CATCHER IN THE RYE.
I was underwhelmed by the whole book and *cough* basically skimmed it. I remembered Holden had a dog who featured very briefly, and wrote my scene from the dog’s POV.
My 7th grade English teacher thought it was brilliant – little did he know it was a panic-driven choice. The dog was one of the few characters I remembered!
I enjoyed your excerpts a lot. Thanks for sharing them with us!
Posted by Becke Martin Davis | January 27, 2012, 1:29 amWelcome, Melinda!
In my debut, I have a kitten (Scrapper) that’s a strong secondary character. He was great fun to write and helped my main characters capture their former friendship.
Posted by Tracey Devlyn | January 27, 2012, 5:27 amI was already looking forward to A LADY’S REVENGE but now I really want to read it! Scraper sounds like a fun character.
Posted by Becke Davis (Becke Martin) | January 27, 2012, 8:11 amHi Becke,
I’m so glad this hit home with you. While I don’t do any scenes in Henry’s POV, his presence is very strong in She Can Run. A few dog lovers have suggestions I came very close to allowing Henry to overshadow my hero.
Posted by Melinda Leigh | January 27, 2012, 6:05 amDogs and cats in stories are always fun! I wanted to give my heroine a pet but she’s part wolf and other animals can sense it.
I’m excited to read SHE CAN RUN – I’m hooked!
Posted by Becke Davis (Becke Martin) | January 27, 2012, 8:10 amBecke, that’s funny.
Posted by Melinda Leigh | January 27, 2012, 8:12 amTracey,
Books should mimic reality as closely as possible. IMO, Animals enrich the pages just like they enrich our lives. I’ll have to check out your debut. She Can Run was my debut is well.
Posted by Melinda Leigh | January 27, 2012, 6:09 amHi Melinda – great post! I’ve never written an animal into my books. I’ve been afraid to try – you know what they say about children and animals stealing the scene – but I love how you integrated Henry into the character arcs of the other people.
I have my own Henry – his name is Dutch and at 15 weeks he is 35 pounds of stubborn German Shepherd! : )
Posted by Robin Covington | January 27, 2012, 6:40 amRobin,
I grew up with a German Shepherd named Lady. Best. Dog. Ever.
Posted by Mary Jo Burke | January 27, 2012, 6:57 amRobin – My dog was part Lab and part Shepherd, a wonderful combination. After reading Melinda’s post, I want to run out and get another dog right now! It will have to wait, though. We’re traveling too much right now, it wouldn’t be fair. Post some pictures on Facebook so I can enjoy Dutch vicariously!
Posted by Becke Davis (Becke Martin) | January 27, 2012, 8:13 amBecke – he’s on my FB pages – look under the Wall photos. He is going to be ginormous. His dad was 110 lbs and his mom was 80 lbs. We got him from an Amish farmer who breeds Shepherds.
He is a mama’s boy and I just love him.
Posted by Robin Covington | January 27, 2012, 3:37 pmHi Melinda,
I haven’t seen The Artist, but I hear the dog steals the movie. Something to consider in a romance. Dogs could help weed out the duds.
Mary Jo
Posted by Mary Jo Burke | January 27, 2012, 6:56 amRobin,
Henry comes close. Dutch sounds great. GS are so such a smart breed!
Posted by Melinda Leigh | January 27, 2012, 6:59 amMary Jo,
Dogs and small children are great judges of character because they haven’t learned to ignore their instincts yet. I use this all the time in my writing.
Posted by Melinda Leigh | January 27, 2012, 7:02 amGreat post — I loved the excerpts.
In one of my stories I have a cat, Serena, who has a definite character arc. She and the heroine are rivals who eventually become fast friends. It was a lot of fun to write. I don’t have pets, but it made me wish I had a Serena of my own. LOL
Posted by Donna Cummings | January 27, 2012, 7:35 amDonna, a cat as a rival sounds like great fun. I love it.
Posted by Melinda Leigh | January 27, 2012, 7:46 amHi Donna – I hope I’ll get to read that one day!
Posted by Becke Davis (Becke Martin) | January 27, 2012, 8:15 amDonna..I have a spare cat I can loan you…..=)
Posted by Carrie Spencer | January 27, 2012, 8:17 amHi Melinda. Henry sounds an awful lot like my Wheaten Terrier. LOL.
I have your book in my TBR pile and now I have to bump it up in the order.
I have used two of my friend’s dogs in a book and I had a ball with it. My one friend loves to dress her Shih-Tzu’s up in costumes so I put them in the book and made them divas. The other dog I used is an 80 pound Olde English Bull Dog and I made him “the big cheese.” So much fun!
Thanks for being here!
Posted by Adrienne Giordano | January 27, 2012, 7:35 amthanks for having my Adrienne. I love visiting RU.
And I love all the different ways people have included animals in their books. There’s no limit to the possibilities.
I have Risking Trust in my TBR list, too. But I’m not allowed to read until my current WIP is done. It’s driving me crazy. Good motivation to finish.
Posted by Melinda Leigh | January 27, 2012, 7:50 amHi Melinda – Does your new book feature a pet, too?
Have you read Linda Howard’s PREY? I read that earlier this year. One of her main characters in that book is an extremely large and dangerous black bear. He has his own POV scenes, which I thought was really cool! (And scary as all get-out!)
Posted by Becke Davis (Becke Martin) | January 27, 2012, 8:19 amAmazon Heat doesn’t have any major animal players, but the sequel will. And it’s very cool.
In my April release, Midnight Exposure, my hero has a husky mix. In my WIP, She Can Tell, a small, scraggly but adorable mutt has a major role. She Can Tell is the next book in the She Can Run series.
Posted by Melinda Leigh | January 27, 2012, 8:31 amThank you!
Posted by Adrienne Giordano | January 27, 2012, 10:07 amAdrienne – I just Googled Wheaten Terrier. Oh my gosh – cutest breed ever!!!
Posted by Becke Davis (Becke Martin) | January 27, 2012, 8:16 amMorning Melinda!
I wouldn’t think of writing a book without some animal in it! =) I’ve had one (or 2 or 6) my entire life, so I would expect at least one of my characters to have a pet of some sort. In my last ms, the heroine adopts a cat, the hero adopts a dog and well….the fur flies. =)
Gotta love it!
carrie
Posted by Carrie Spencer | January 27, 2012, 8:19 amCarrie, I foresee a post on conflict through pets. LOL.
Posted by Melinda Leigh | January 27, 2012, 8:21 amMelinda –
Thanks for a fun and informative Friday post! I’ve only written a dog into one of my books, a currently unfinished manuscript, but you’ve given me a new way to look at her.
By the way, the dog into today’s header picture is actually my dog Jacob. He’s a lab/saluki mix we rescued overseas. I’d like to say he’s changed a lot in five years, but he’s still very much motivated by food, sleep and walks!
Kelsey
Posted by Kelsey Browning | January 27, 2012, 9:12 amKelsey, he’s gorgeous! Good luck with that WIP.
Posted by Melinda Leigh | January 27, 2012, 9:28 amHi Melinda,
I’ve read many story structure books and many describe how the main character often has a “buddy” –think Sherlock Holmes & Watson. Dogs are great to use as the “buddy” because the main character can talk to his pet and reveal much of his character while doing so.
Janice
Posted by Janice Lane Palko | January 27, 2012, 4:33 pmJanice,
Lots of writers do this. I think it’s also revealing to show how the characters acts toward his pet. He doesn’t necessarily need to use words.
And nothing is sexier to me than a big tough guy who is kind to children and animals.
Posted by Melinda Leigh | January 27, 2012, 4:51 pmMelinda – Thank you so much for your thought-provoking blog. It’s been fun hanging out with you today!
Posted by Becke Martin/Davis | January 27, 2012, 6:54 pmThanks, Becke. I enjoyed being here today.
Posted by Melinda Leigh | January 27, 2012, 6:56 pmHi Melinda. Thanks for this fun post. I love movies, stories, anything that has dogs in them! I cried buckets after reading Marley & Me. Always wanted to write scripts featuring dogs and have even outlined a couple but not actually written them. BTW, Henry sounds exactly like my Irish Setter Baloo who refused to obey commands! I will definitely check out your book.
Posted by Adite Banerjie | January 29, 2012, 12:24 amAdite,
When I watched Marley & Me, I totally wimped out and shut off the movie before the sad end. I love dogs, too, and Henry is awesome. I hope you love him!
Posted by Melinda Leigh | January 29, 2012, 6:23 am