Friday, November 22, 2024

Voice by Nancy L. Eady

Remember how I told you a while ago that I would be writing a short story from a golden retriever’s point of view? Alas, that will not happen. I can’t figure out how to explain that the golden retriever can converse with the cat and the parrot without the three making an ungodly amount of noise that would cause any normal pet owner to kick them out of the house. Nor can I decide how smart (or snarky) the animals will be. And if the animals understand each other, how realistic would it be for them also to understand humans when they are speaking? I’ve had several dogs over the years, and while I know each of them understood some things, each dog’s intelligence was different. Some were limited to words like “out”, “go”, “food” and “sit,” while there were others you could converse with. And how much would a cat or a parrot understand? 

A golden retriever wouldn’t be snarky? Would she? Most goldens I know of are simply dying to be told what good dogs they are. Unless chewing is involved – then they don’t care whether they’re good dogs or not. And potato chips. I’ve never yet known a dog that didn’t lose his or her mind over potato chips. Our first dog was a labrador retriever/cocker spaniel mix. She had snarky down pat. She used to gaze lovingly at my husband when he was eating a snack and looking at her. As soon as he looked away, her face would turn grumpy and you could hear her thinking, “Yeah, yeah, big man with the opposable thumb holding out on the little doggie.” You also would see her switch immediately back to “I love you!” as soon as he looked back at her. But, as I said, she was not a golden retriever.

Now a cat, I can see being snarky. Never having owned one, I am not comfortable even imagining the story from the cat’s point of view. African grey parrots, I understand, may come with a sense of humor, but I know less about them than I do about cats. 

So, alas, my story is now being told not from the point of view of the animals, but rather from the owner’s. At least the animals are still part of the story. Life without a pet or pets would be rather sad.  

What is the most complicated “voice” you have tried to use while writing?


13 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Debra, that is a very deep answer.

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  2. I'm sorry the animal POV thing didn't work out. My cat is very good at communicating and has trained me to understand her demands.

    I don't know about "complicated" voices, but I've had characters that I had a hard time "hearing" inside my head. Thankfully, I finally nailed them before the first draft was finished.

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    1. I'm glad I'm not the only one who hears her characters inside her head.

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  3. I've written stories from animal POV's. They're fun. One was a drug-sniffing dog who only "performed" when told to. He spent some time wondering about the targeted odors when he was not "on duty." Another was a cat who got her revenge on a grumpy old uncle who made everyone's life miserable.

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    Replies
    1. They shound like they would be fun stories to read, too. Are they published anywhere?

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  4. How about using animal telepathy like they do in the movies?

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    Replies
    1. That might work. Do you punctuate telepathy with italics?

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  5. Wonderful - the cat would definitely be snarky, and proud of it.

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  6. Nancy, read a Rita Mae Brown Sneaky Pie and Tee Tucker mystery. She does a great job incorporating cat and dog "dialogue" in the plot. SP is a cat and TT is a corgi.

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  7. Fun post. Lilian Braun Jackson, who wrote The Cat Who… series has the cats helping to solve the crimes—without the readers hearing their thoughts. The main character interprets their actions pointing to things that help him solve the crime. Check out this excellent series for inspiration.

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