Which dog story would you rather read?

D.Owczarek · 08-09-2012, 02:24 AM

Now that my novel is finished and on sub, I'm having a hard time figuring out what to work on next. I wrote a memoir about one of my dogs, which needs a re-write, and I'm also considering writing a different memoir about one of my past rescues. I'm really having a hard time deciding, and I was hoping to get some insight on which might be the better way to spend my time, and I was trying to get some opinions on which story you would you rather read:

(1) A funny story about a woman who spends years taking her disobedient dog to a dozen trainers trying to make her dog into something he wasn't.

(2) A tearjerker about a couple who adopted an abused dog with behavioral and health issues because they thought they could give him a better life, but inadvertently made him worse.

Also, if neither one sounds interesting, I'd like to know that too. Thanks for any insight!

WillSauger · 08-09-2012, 02:31 AM

2

1 sounds like it'll annoy the living hell out of me. I can't stand people who can't raise their dogs/children and complain about their own mistakes, reflected on their "children". I apologize , but I had to say it.

D.Owczarek · 08-09-2012, 02:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillSauger

2

1 sounds like it'll annoy the living hell out of me. I can't stand people who can't raise their dogs/children and complain about their own mistakes, reflected on their "children". I apologize , but I had to say it.

Don't apologize. I'm looking for honesty and I got it. Thanks!

HarryHoskins · 08-09-2012, 02:48 AM

One all the way!

But then again ...

Your choices sound like two sides of a similar coin -- both interesting. So why not combine them and work some of that doggy-tragi-comee magic? By doing this you'd have plenty of laughs and plenty of tears meaning a much fuller and more engaging novel.

The only problem I can see is that the satirising human behaviour through the way people treat their dogs has already been done -- and done bloody well -- in the film Best In Show.

That said, if you combined the sad and the humorous you might be rocking a different formula.

Woof!

Niniva · 08-09-2012, 03:00 AM

I don't care for sad. So, I'd be more likely to read #1, particularly if it is something like someone trying to get obedience out of a Pyrenees...

D.Owczarek · 08-09-2012, 05:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryHoskins

One all the way!

But then again ...

Your choices sound like two sides of a similar coin -- both interesting. So why not combine them and work some of that doggy-tragi-comee magic? By doing this you'd have plenty of laughs and plenty of tears meaning a much fuller and more engaging novel.

The only problem I can see is that the satirising human behaviour through the way people treat their dogs has already been done -- and done bloody well -- in the film Best In Show.

That said, if you combined the sad and the humorous you might be rocking a different formula.

Woof!

Thanks. I actually tried that the first time round, and it just didn't work as well as I had hoped. (Two different dogs, two different time periods, not much to relate the two)

D.Owczarek · 08-09-2012, 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Niniva

I don't care for sad. So, I'd be more likely to read #1, particularly if it is something like someone trying to get obedience out of a Pyrenees...

Not a Pyrenees, although I could see why that would be interesting.

HarryHoskins · 08-09-2012, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D.Owczarek

Thanks. I actually tried that the first time round, and it just didn't work as well as I had hoped. (Two different dogs, two different time periods, not much to relate the two)

Ghost dogs at a haunted training centre? :eyebrowpopsmiley:

D.Owczarek · 08-09-2012, 06:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryHoskins

Ghost dogs at a haunted training centre? :eyebrowpopsmiley:

That's great. I know some deceased dogs who would love to wreak havoc on some really nasty trainers....

Roxxsmom · 08-20-2012, 12:41 PM

I'd say the first one sounds like a happier read

A bit like Marley and Me, actually, which was very popular.

heyjude · 08-20-2012, 12:48 PM

I'd vote for 1. Sounds like it could be fun!

taichiquan.panda · 08-20-2012, 02:00 PM

Definitely # 1.

We have 2 dachshunds, a female who's 8 and a male who's almost 7. Our female is a rescue we've had for 6 years, and she is the sweetest, most lovable dog. Our male we've had since he was a pup, and he's the most stubborn dog I've ever seen. After training, medications, aromatherapy, and exercise till we both fall down, the best behavioral modification tool we found is a squirt gun. Seriously.

D.Owczarek · 08-24-2012, 03:17 AM

Thanks everyone. Number 1 is actually the one I originally trunked, and it still not coming out the way I had hoped, so I trunked it again. Maybe one day I will re-write it again from scratch and see if that helps, rather than constantly fiddling with what I have already written.

taichiquan.panda - your 7 yr old daschund sounds a lot like my Lab - the one the book is about. My girls are both SO much easier. :-) Maybe it's a male thing?!

StephanieFox · 12-13-2012, 10:33 AM

I stopped reading dog fiction when I was 10 years old. My mom asked why and I told her that the dog always died in the end. My mom was trying to teach me about life, I guess, and said to me, "Honey, dogs do die."

"Yeah," I said. "People die, too. My the main human character in every novel doesn't die in the end."

So, I'd read either if the dog didn't die in the end. (I'd like to see a happy ending, either way.)

Myrealana · 12-13-2012, 06:03 PM

I'd vote for 1 - especially if it were told from the dog's POV.

I always imagine my dog is mocking me behind my back when I'm trying to train her.

veinglory · 12-13-2012, 07:26 PM

1, but it would still annoy me. 2 would be too much of a downer.

Liralen · 12-15-2012, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Myrealana

I'd vote for 1 - especially if it were told from the dog's POV.

I always imagine my dog is mocking me behind my back when I'm trying to train her.

From the dog's point of view is a great idea!

As far as your dog mocking you . . . I have a Fila. I've had three -- all bitches. Believe it, they're mocking you, lol.

No true, self-respecting Fila will EVER win an obedience title -- and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Raspberry · 01-23-2013, 03:57 AM

No idea whether the originator of this thread is still around, but there is book about (1) published in Germany. Just saying.

D.Owczarek · 01-26-2013, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raspberry

No idea whether the originator of this thread is still around.

I haven't been to the forum in some time, but happened to pop by and see that this thread is still active. Thanks everyone for the thoughts...

In the end, I decided to keep the original dog memoir in the trunk, forget about writing a new one, and I moved on to a second novel. I just couldn't wrap my head around an idea that I was one hundred percent on board with, so I figured it'd be better to - not to be too corny - just let sleeping dogs lie.

08-09-2012, 02:31 AM	#2
WillSauger The Beast I Worship. Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada Posts: 3,697	2 1 sounds like it'll annoy the living hell out of me. I can't stand people who can't raise their dogs/children and complain about their own mistakes, reflected on their "children". I apologize , but I had to say it. __________________ Don't Fear Failure. "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn" -- Alvin Toffler.

08-09-2012, 02:48 AM	#4
HarryHoskins Straw-fed Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: On the nickel. Posts: 5,279	One all the way! But then again ... Your choices sound like two sides of a similar coin -- both interesting. So why not combine them and work some of that doggy-tragi-comee magic? By doing this you'd have plenty of laughs and plenty of tears meaning a much fuller and more engaging novel. The only problem I can see is that the satirising human behaviour through the way people treat their dogs has already been done -- and done bloody well -- in the film Best In Show. That said, if you combined the sad and the humorous you might be rocking a different formula. Woof! __________________ You need not mean what you say, but you must say what you mean - Afrit

08-09-2012, 03:00 AM	#5
Niniva Life is just a bowl of cherries... Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Athens, GA Posts: 445	I don't care for sad. So, I'd be more likely to read #1, particularly if it is something like someone trying to get obedience out of a Pyrenees... __________________ "Don't ever give up hope; there's something out there, and all you have to do is hold on and believe." -Axl Rose, 1992

08-20-2012, 12:41 PM	#10
Roxxsmom practical experience, FTW Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Lost in space. And meaning. Posts: 1,331	I'd say the first one sounds like a happier read A bit like Marley and Me, actually, which was very popular. __________________ Please excuse me, I was raised by wolves. My twitter - My FB - My blog

08-20-2012, 02:00 PM	#12
taichiquan.panda not the popular one and ok with it Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: 918 Posts: 112	Definitely # 1. We have 2 dachshunds, a female who's 8 and a male who's almost 7. Our female is a rescue we've had for 6 years, and she is the sweetest, most lovable dog. Our male we've had since he was a pup, and he's the most stubborn dog I've ever seen. After training, medications, aromatherapy, and exercise till we both fall down, the best behavioral modification tool we found is a squirt gun. Seriously. __________________ queen of the mad space monkeys http://paradachs.blogspot.com Last edited by taichiquan.panda; 08-20-2012 at 02:22 PM.

08-09-2012, 02:24 AM	#1
D.Owczarek practical experience, FTW Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 131	Which dog story would you rather read? Now that my novel is finished and on sub, I'm having a hard time figuring out what to work on next. I wrote a memoir about one of my dogs, which needs a re-write, and I'm also considering writing a different memoir about one of my past rescues. I'm really having a hard time deciding, and I was hoping to get some insight on which might be the better way to spend my time, and I was trying to get some opinions on which story you would you rather read: (1) A funny story about a woman who spends years taking her disobedient dog to a dozen trainers trying to make her dog into something he wasn't. (2) A tearjerker about a couple who adopted an abused dog with behavioral and health issues because they thought they could give him a better life, but inadvertently made him worse. Also, if neither one sounds interesting, I'd like to know that too. Thanks for any insight! __________________ Love dogs too? Visit my blog at: Donna and the Dogs

08-24-2012, 03:17 AM	#13
D.Owczarek practical experience, FTW Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 131	Thanks everyone. Number 1 is actually the one I originally trunked, and it still not coming out the way I had hoped, so I trunked it again. Maybe one day I will re-write it again from scratch and see if that helps, rather than constantly fiddling with what I have already written. taichiquan.panda - your 7 yr old daschund sounds a lot like my Lab - the one the book is about. My girls are both SO much easier. :-) Maybe it's a male thing?! __________________ Love dogs too? Visit my blog at: Donna and the Dogs

12-13-2012, 10:33 AM	#14
StephanieFox Maybull the Bulldog Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: MPLS Posts: 4,104	I stopped reading dog fiction when I was 10 years old. My mom asked why and I told her that the dog always died in the end. My mom was trying to teach me about life, I guess, and said to me, "Honey, dogs do die." "Yeah," I said. "People die, too. My the main human character in every novel doesn't die in the end." So, I'd read either if the dog didn't die in the end. (I'd like to see a happy ending, either way.) __________________ Two months ago I couldn't even spell freelance writer and now I are one.

12-13-2012, 06:03 PM	#15
Myrealana I aim to misbehave Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 755	I'd vote for 1 - especially if it were told from the dog's POV. I always imagine my dog is mocking me behind my back when I'm trying to train her. __________________ -- Myrea "You don't fix faith. Faith fixes you." - Shepherd Book "It's not enough to bash in heads, You've got to bash in minds" - Captain Hammer

12-13-2012, 07:26 PM	#16
veinglory volitare nequeo AW Moderator Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: right here Posts: 23,296	1, but it would still annoy me. 2 would be too much of a downer. __________________ Coming Soon: Taniwha in the Cleis Press anthology 'Beach Bums' *[pre order now!]* New Release: Broken Sword via Amazon Kindle

01-23-2013, 03:57 AM	#18
Raspberry Germlish Speaker Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: over the moon Posts: 98	No idea whether the originator of this thread is still around, but there is book about (1) published in Germany. Just saying. __________________ If you find a typo or grammar error, you can keep it. I have plenty.

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