From the Department of "NOW I've Seen Everything"

Okay, first off, I'm going to admit that this is a blatant 'filler post' that has nothing to do with writing. The fact is, once again I was unprepared this morning, then got home late, had a late dinner, so here we are, with me trying to maintain something of a schedule. Then again, maybe you'll find something inspiring.

On the way home from work this afternoon, I heard this story on the radio. My first thought was, "Are you effing kidding me?" And let me tell you, my inner voice was not saying this in that "Wow, how cool is that?" sort of tone, but in tones that were condescending, snide, and snarky.

But I'll also admit the "Are you effing kidding me?" was quickly followed by another thought: "I'm going to have to Youtube that." And so, I give you three words that have no business going together: Dog Surf Competition. Enjoy.



And, in a classic example of falling down the internet rabbit hole, here's Kama, the surfing pig.



Ever surfed? Ever surfed with a pig or a dog? Tell us about it!

Monday Musing: Save the Cat, Kill the Kid

On Friday, I stumbled across a thread on Absolute Write that was already three pages when I started reading. By the time I got to the end of page 1, the thread was five pages long, and still growing. As of this morning, it is 9 pages long, with more than 200 posts.

It wasn't another "Authors Behaving Badly" thread, though those always draw the crowds. No, this was on cruelty to animals in fiction. "How do you feel," asked the original poster, "about scenes or incidents where the antagonist harms an animal?"

Photo by Steve-h

I was surprised at the strength of the reaction. While some folks took the opportunity to complain about it as a cliche--"Look at me, I'm super evil, I'm going to harm this animal!"--others, many others, in fact, argued against it on a different level.

"I stop reading. And you go on my "never buy again" list.

Vivisection innocent girls. Decapitate babies. Blow up cities. Destroy civilizations. I'm OK. Hurt an animal, and I stop reading. It's just a line that I can't forgive being crossed by any storyteller (all media)."

The spirit of the above response (do anything you want to people, but don't you dare kill an animal) was echoed by a surprising number of people. There was much talk of book hurling and blacklisting, but not as much talk about why. Fortunately, there was also talk about ways the action could be altered so that it wouldn't be so...tropey, for lack of a better word. And, as often happens, the discussion veered off into discussions of culture and other things, though I've sort of lost track of it.

It reminded me more than a little of this post by E.L. Wagner, who also took the time to ponder the reasons for this reaction in a very rational way. I suggest you pop over there and take a read; it's worth it.

I don't have time to get into it today in any greater detail than this. I'm curious, however: how do you feel about animal deaths in fiction? Is it all a question of how it's done, or does it trigger an immediate, "Stop reading now" reaction?


Have a great week, see you on Friday!