Every day I take our little dog for a walk, and we’re both a source of amusement to everyone who sees us. I have no idea why. I mean a writer and a dog going for a walk shouldn’t provoke smiles. Scotty is 14, almost 15 now. We used to go for a walk morning and night. These days we’re guided by her enthusiasm. I go out armed with my ipod, lead and doggie-do bags. We walk reeeeaaaly slow, but no matter how slowly I walk I end up with the extension lead at full stretch and Scotty dragging her paws. Some days are good ones and she surprises me with a brisk trot, but those days are few and far between. I try to jam my impatience away because she is old and she loves to check her pee-mail. The vets says a walk is good for her, and I agree, being of the use it or lose it school of thought. Once we hit the reserve I let her off the lead and walk ahead, pausing to wait for her while bopping to my ipod. It’s okay to look silly cause it’s during the middle of the day and most people are at work.
This week I lost Scotty.
She’s totally deaf and her vision seems to be going. Sometimes she has a senior moment and loses me. She panics and for an old dog has a real turn of speed. Anyway, when I couldn’t find her, I panicked. I imagined her running in front of a car, but I couldn’t see her.
When I told my husband, I said to him, “I ran here. I ran there. I couldn’t find her anywhere.”
It’s true. I channeled Dr. Suess with a lot of running here and there. I ripped off my ipod and luckily, I heard the tiny tinkle her dogbone name tag makes. I called in my high-toned shout of panic and she appeared from some bushes, wet to her belly and eating something. Jeesh! Color me relieved. Since then I’ve kept her in sight at all times. For an old dog she has pace when it suits her.
I’m working on my sci-fi romance at the moment, doing tweaks and polishing a partial and synopsis. I’ve had this story simmering in my head for years. I’m worried that I’m not going to do the idea justice. Does anyone else have this sort of worry? I’m forging ahead, trying not to second-guess myself too much. I figure I have to write it sometime. That time is now.
And finally, I have news of a ginormous freebie from mystery writer Joe Konrath. He’s put all his writing related notes into a pdf doc and is giving them away. It’s 700-odd pages of excellent advice for writers. Don’t meander. Sprint to his blog and get your free download. It really is that good.
Related posts:
July 14th, 2008 at 5:01 am · Link
Yep, I worry I won’t be able to do things justice. ALL THE TIME.
I use it as my drive to improve and push myself to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Although when I compare my day dreams to the real thing, invariably, it has.
July 14th, 2008 at 7:16 am · Link
OMG on my way there now.
I have a few like that. Heck, I stress out over my writing now more than ever.
Glad Scotty turned up okay.
My old dog Pepper did that once. She was a chihuahua, and at the time a puppy. We took her to PEI, and we were camping. She escaped out of her kennel. I searched everywhere, and I was worried a bird of prey got her. She was tiny.
She finally came out of the potato field behind us, covered in PEI’s red earth. So scared for that moment in my life.
July 14th, 2008 at 7:54 am · Link
Thanks so much for the tip!
We let our cat out to roam the neighbourhood, which is okay because we live out in the middle of nowhere with only a couple of other houses surrounding us. He doesn’t get into any trouble and he always comes back. Except one time we were on our way out camping for three days and our son let the cat out by accident and he wouldn’t come back before we had to leave. Now, I know cats are independent and able to take care of themselves for the most part, but I still almost had a fit. I couldn’t leave him out there when we wouldn’t be back for three days. Trouble is after an hour of calling and searching, he still stubbornly refused to come home, so I had to put out three big bowls of food on our back porch and hope he did okay.
He was perfectly fine. Sitting on the step when we got back. And there was even a little bit of food left in the bowls.
July 14th, 2008 at 8:26 am · Link
When my Boo dog was a puppy she followed an older dog under my back fence. At night. I panicked, because she was the stupidest dog I’d ever had, and I figured she was a goner.
Fortunately, she’d only gone down the street about 20 feet and was hiding under a parked car.
I don’t even want to think about what Scotty was eating.
July 14th, 2008 at 8:35 am · Link
That must have been a horrible moment until Scotty reappeared. I have a beagle mix, and beagles are notorious roamers, so my dog is never off-leash. Ever. Because I love my little captive!
July 14th, 2008 at 9:53 am · Link
Lol, what I write turns never out as great as it’s in my mind. I’ll either learn to live with it or give up writing, and I don’t think I can do the latter. I’m addicted.
July 14th, 2008 at 12:52 pm · Link
Susan – I’m glad I’m not alone. I think the only thing we can do is keep going and just do the best we’re capable of. Sometimes the challenge produces brilliant results, at least that’s what I’m hoping!
Amy – It was the worst fifteen minutes of my live. I didn’t know where to look for her and just the thought of having to tell hubby. I was so relieved when I found her!!
JK – the pdf from Joe Konrath is fantastic and full of good stuff.
I would have worried just like you. Pets are like family members.
Lisa – LOL – I don’t want to think about it either. Halfway home I noticed a bulge in her cheek and when I prodded it, the bulge turned out to be food.
She’s always been a bit of a scavenger.
I bet you were relieved to find your dog!
Julia – Some dogs are like that. Too independent for their own good!
Gabriele – No, that makes two of us. I couldn’t give up, so like you, I just keep coming. I think the Nike slogan applies to us – Just Do It!
July 14th, 2008 at 10:47 pm · Link
OMG her pee mail. that just cracked me up!! And the channelling of Dr Seuss!! Thank goodness Scotty turned up ok and it’s probably just as well you don’t know what she was eating!!!
July 14th, 2008 at 11:48 pm · Link
LOL – it’s amusing now, but I wasn’t laughing at the time! I’m just glad it was the middle of the day and there weren’t many people around to watch me when I ran here and there!!
July 15th, 2008 at 12:02 am · Link
Glad Scotty is okay! And yes I sure know the feeling of not doing a story justice. In fact I drive my cps crazy on a regular basis because what comes out is soooo bad compared to what’s sitting in my head. Very frustrating for all concerned!
July 15th, 2008 at 12:21 am · Link
Amanda – I live in the hope that even though what’s on the page isn’t quite what I visualized, it isn’t as bad as what I think either. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
July 15th, 2008 at 8:38 am · Link
Geez Shell, you gave me a heart attack with the line “I lost Scotty”. The tears were already welling up when I finally realized that you meant ‘lost’ literally.
I’m a pet lover (though with me it’s cats, though I DO like dogs too – I’m not a one-or-the-other gal) and they really are a member of the family. I hope Scotty has many more walks in him!
July 15th, 2008 at 1:04 pm · Link
Wylie – believe me – I was in heart attack territory. Scotty is getting old. My head knows we don’t have many years left, but I love that little dog. She’s such great company during the day, and I spoil her rotten. I come way down the pecking order at Munro House.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:29 pm · Link
LOL on pecking order. Here’s my house:
youngest kid
oldest kid
gray cat
black cat
hubby
the chipmunk under the front stairs
ME! Sad but true ;)
July 15th, 2008 at 9:46 pm · Link
Okay, you’ve convinced me. We’re in the same club. If we had chipmunks in NZ, I’d be in the same position as you.