Thursday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts

5 MOTIVES FOR ANIMALS IN FICTION

By: Diane Carlisle

I asked Tim to recall all the fictional novels he's read (or movies watched) where animals played a part. I did this because I was curious to know what other readers would come up with, not just me. He named the novels (movies) and I noticed there were, to me, different motivations for animals appearing as characters, even the walk-ons. These are the ones I found.

Please Like My Protagonist

At most conferences I've attended and online writing classes I've taken, the speakers have discussed this thing referred to as "pet the dog" which simply means get the reader to instantly like your protagonist. Whenever any character shows affection toward an animal, it will create this connection with your reader. How about an Orangutan? Remember Clyde in Every Which Way But Loose and its sequel? Best sidekick EVER!

Here's a quick example. When a cop picks up that cute puppy in an alley while searching for some bad guy, notice he gives it a quick snuggle before tucking it safely behind some dumpster? Now, back to the bad guy and doing the much needed deed, moving the plot along. It's not realistic, but it works. The cop has a soft spot, even while in the middle of a very dangerous chase. This cute scenario doesn't really belong in the story, but it serves one of two purposes for supplying elements which seem out of place. It adds to character development. The other would be to further the plot, which it does not.

Creating Conflicting Emotions

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Read the full article HERE!

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If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again:

1. 5 Motives For Animals in Fiction: http://ow.ly/xJdZf @pyrosama
2. 5 Desk Exercises for Your Busy Office Life http://ow.ly/xSrdm
3. Point of view shifts and head-hopping: always bad? | Nail Your Novel http://ow.ly/xSrou
4. Simple Ways to Increase Your Google+ Followers | SiteProNews http://ow.ly/xStmG
5. Anne R. Allen's Blog: How Book Launches Have Changed in the Digital Age http://ow.ly/xStIy
6. How to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile | Social Media Examiner http://ow.ly/xSyGR
7. How Often Should You Change an Advertising Message? (Way Less Than You Think) - Copyblogger http://ow.ly/xSyZJ
8. How to Hire an Ace Blogger for Your Company: A Blueprint : @ProBlogger http://ow.ly/xSz3K
9. 10 Ways to Test Market Your Nonfiction Book Idea Before You Publish by Nina Amir — The Book Designer http://ow.ly/xSzaB
10. How Can Your Characters Make Others Believe Them? [Part 1] | Writerology http://ow.ly/xSziQ
11. Meeting Goals with Health Challenges - The Fictorians http://ow.ly/xSzpt
12. There are exactly zero defensible reasons for authors to link to Amazon | The Passive Voice http://ow.ly/xSAS4
13. Why Mom was Right about Wordpress for Better Conversion http://ow.ly/xSBiS
14. 4 Ways to De-Stress While Getting Your Entrepreneur Hustle On | Entrepreneur.com http://ow.ly/xSDhA

Happy writing and running, Kathy

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