I'm thinking about Jack London this morning and how much he loved his dogs. In fact, the author of Call of the Wild and other literary classics had a strict agenda. He would rise in the morning at Beauty Ranch - "Jack London purchased the property when it was abandoned in 1905 with hopes of becoming a rancher. He named it Beauty Ranch. While London was there, he expanded the small cottage to 3,000 square feet and converted the stone house next to it into a study where London would write his works. Between 1909 and 1911, London bought more land to expand his ranch."
So Jack would write for three hours each day and then indulge himself by playing with his dogs - his greatest passion. I think of Jack London when I try to model my efforts. I can't imagine a better example to strive for.
Not any horror story...Stephen King not only known for his mastery of the craft, but also socially
famous for his Corgi, Molly. His Twitter account (now abandoned like an old haunted house due to creepy takeover by fat oligarchy) Stephen can be found discussing politics, his works and those of other authors and yes, anecdotes and memes of his very much loved sidekick he's nicknamed "the thing of evil." Who wouldn't want to be Stephen King's "thing of evil?"
Stephen King has written about the Corgi breed in several works. "Stephen King, the famous American writer of mystery stories is also a great lover of Corgis. A few of King's literary characters have even been corgis: Horace in Under the Dome and Daisy in The Regulators." Preamble to current Molly was King's first experience with the Queen's breed, he had fallen in love with his brother's "HUGE" Corgi named Jeremy. King's first Corgi was Bill, an epileptic dog. It became a family affair and over the years, the Kings had several adored Corgi dogs. Tabitha, his wife's Corgi, Vixie, "the thing of good" and a rescue dog.
Like most dog dads, King wanted his own dog, one that wanted to be with just him. His son whose Corgi (named McMurtry after you know who Larry McMurtry) helped him find Molly, (the dog at Reunion Rescue, we call "that dog.") All dog lovers who share their most treasured moments with a dog companion know the term well.
One of my favorite quotes on the craft of writing is Anton Chekhov's gun reference. "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired." Bingo! Chekhov was a devout lifelong dog lover. "The writer was very partial to his dachshunds. They followed him everywhere, were funny and punctilious. They were allowed to sleep in Anton Pavlovich’s
(Chekhov) room; he loved having long conversations with them and he staged hilarious homemade plays [with them]." As told by Mikhail Pavlovich, Chekhov's youngest brother.
Sculptures of Chekhov's Dachshunds can be enjoyed today at his Moscow home, Melikhovo. The great master of the short story wrote several short works featuring dogs. "The Lady With the Dog" (the best short story ever written according to Vladimir Nabokov) and "Kashtanka" about a dog with two masters. Lots of food for thought and inspiration here.
Many consider Chekhov to be the founder of the modern short story and his influence is observed in a diverse group of writers including Flannery O'Connor, Tennessee Williams, William Somerset Maugham, Raymond Carver and John Cheever. Like they say, less is certainly more sometimes.
Dorothy Parker spent hours churning out a word. In fact, her writing prowess involved sitting at her typewriter day in, day out, eeking out words that did not come easy to her. I often think of Ms. Parker when faced with that terrible monster, writer's block. I want, as do most writers, the words to spill forth in brilliant streams of Austin waterways like the great Colorado river. But, this happens rarely and more often, the painful deed of trying to grasp ahold of an old dream or idea and transmit into a short story or part of a novel is what you get. Those are the times I recall the works of Dorothy Parker to whom the writing did not flow like you see on the big screen.
I could cite various and many published Dorothy Parker efforts about dogs and animals. Or, I could quote from the many inspired pieces on her life and work. But, instead, I'm going to close this piece with a list of Parker's names she gave to the many cherished dog companions she shared her life with.
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