Amazing Animals and Where to Find Out About Them

The Earth has many amazing animals. I usually mention this during my "Human, Alien or Monster" sessions at young writer conferences when the 'Where do you come up with that?" question surfaces. Among the many books I bring to show as a resource is Prehistoric Life so I can display examples (via doc cam) of what lived on Earth billions of years ago.

When you know what once existed (or still exists), you have a point to start from when designing your own fantasy creature or alien lifeform.

In the days before computers I used to rely heavily on books to learn about various birds and animals. Magazines and journals like National Geographic, Science and Discover were also useful for information and photographs. I used to be able to count on nature programs on PBS and the Science Channel for additional inspiration, but now there's only the few shows like Nature and Earth (BBC).

The internet has provided quite a few new resources, ranging from formerly book-based guides like online encyclopedias and identification guides like The Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds to general science websites like IFL Science. But usually all those are good if you already know what you are looking for. Sometimes you are instead looking for that flash of inspiration, that moment of serendipity when you see something new and can say, "Oh! I can use that! Well, maybe not that, but something like that...."

I have several friends on Facebook who share marvelous videos such as Marching Dinosaurs (which, at five minutes long might be too long to share at a young writers session, but I really want to!) and the latest scientific discovery or dinosaur dig. (I love #13 of the "Top Thirteen Fossil Stories of 2016".)

There are Facebook pages as well, such as Earth Archives, The Raptor Center, and News From Science.

I'm not on Twitter, so I just discovered two Twitter sources that I wanted to share. I'll definitely be looking more at them for inspiration. Bird per Hour and Strange Animals.

What are some resources you use, either for inspiration or to learn more?

WHY?

Writers often are told to ask the magical question “What if?” What if a character does such and such? What if this or that happens in the story? What if….

Another question we might ask is “Why?” Why do I (you may disagree with me and have your own why questions, but these are mine) think butterflies, moths, and dragonflies are pretty, but flies, mosquitoes, and yellow jackets are yucky?

Why do I like walking sticks, praying mantis, and lady bugs, but wish grasshoppers, roaches, and ants would cease to exist?

Why do scorpions give me the creeps yet garden spiders, with their iridescent coloring, fascinate me?

Why do I love dandelions and wild verbena and don’t mow them down when most people call them weeds and get rid of them in a hurry?

Why do I think hummingbirds, orioles, bludjays, scissortails, hawks, and kites are pretty birds, but shoo crows and grackles away from my feeders?

Why are thunder storms exciting to me, but tornadoes send me running for shelter?

Why do the stars sparkle silver when they’re really red balls of fire?

Why? Why? Why?

Do I sound like a child wanting to know how things work? If so, great, because asking “Why?” can lead to all kinds of exciting possibilities for our stories.

So while you ask “What if?” also ask “Why?” and see where the answers take you.

I’m now off to discover “Why?” that stupid synopsis is so hard to write.

Oh, and thinking about the above it may be possible that some of the items I dislike are harmful. Does this influence my thinking? Probably.

What are your “Why?” questions?

Please Accept My Offering

A couple of days ago, Patches, my cat, was chasing something on the patio, so I went outside to rescue what I figured was a baby mouse. Before I could stop the cat she had the baby in her mouth and brought it to me, proud of her skills enabling her to catch the elusive critter. Only it wasn’t a mouse; it was a baby quail.

Of course, I got excited and started yelling at the cat as she attempted to bring her treasure into the house. I shook Patches until she finally dropped the baby that then raced off to escape the evil creature trying to eat him/her. I tried to grab the quail to see if it was okay and take it to the local bird sanctuary if it was injured, but the bird raced into the clumps of liriope and I lost it. In the meantime the stray cat that’s living on the patio (because I’m feeding him) took off after the baby. Moving faster than I’ve moved since I was a teenager, I shoved Patches into the house, chased the stray cat out of the yard, and hoped the quail was in a safer place by then.

Patches is now quarantined in the house as long as I hear the “Bob White, Bob White,” call of the quail in the pasture. She’s ignoring me for spoiling her fun. And I’m keeping a sharp eye on the stray cat.

Okay, if you’re still with me you’re probably wondering has Beverly totally flipped? What does a cat chasing a bird, the normal thing for a cat to do, have with reading and writing? Well, I’ll tell you. (You were afraid of that, right?)

Patches used her skills and talents to catch the bird. She had to work to accomplish her task. The bird was elusive and perhaps didn’t follow the path the cat expected it to follow. It wasn’t easy, but she never gave up. Then she offered me her masterpiece. What did I do? I rejected her offering. And she was crushed. No kidding. She sat at the door and looked outside, as if trying to figure out what she had done wrong. She wanted acceptance. A little praise would have been nice too. Why did I not like the offering she’d so happily given to me?

In much the same way, we writers use our skills and talents to put together our masterpieces. We search for the right characters. We set them in the plot that we think is right for them. For weeks, months, and even years we tag along with the characters as they go different directions. Finally, one day we type THE END, sigh with relief, and offer our masterpiece to the agent or editor that will surely love our story the way we love it. With fingers crossed we wait for our offering to be accepted and, yes, we’d like a little praise too.

Then one “No thanks” arrives. A second “Not right of us” follows. Another and another. We read the letters or emails and wonder what we did wrong. Why don’t they accept our offering? I rejected the cat’s offering because as a bird lover, I don’t want her to kill birds. Agents and editors have their reasons too, but that’s another post. The thing to remember is never give up. No, I’ll never accept a bird from Patches, but someone else might. One editor may not accept my manuscript; another one might. So I will continue sending my offerings. How about you?

Patches likes to read.