I’ve often been asked, “Where did you get the idea for this story” or “How do you come up with these crazy names”. I’m sure all writers or perhaps all creatives are asked similar questions.  Inspiration … where does it come from, and how do I get it?  When you have it, you’re in writing heaven.  When you don’t, writing purgatory.  I wish I had some set formula that allowed me to pull out amazing ideas at will, any time, any place.  But, sadly, I don’t.

I will say that a lot of my inspiration has come from my dogs, Bryce and Charlie. I have a little confession.  I talk to my dogs.  I call them silly names. I’ve made up a silly song about Charlie and I sing it to him sometimes when we’re out for a walk.  The silly names I call them have been used as character or object names in my stories.  But, up until now, I haven’t written anything explicit about either one of them.

In my last blog, I introduced you to a story I entered in Susanna Leonard Hill’s Valentine’s Day contest.  Not only did I submit an entry, but so did most of my critique group.  We helped each other strengthen our manuscripts, marveled at the uniqueness of our respective creativity and when it was all done, one of them (Jill Richards Proctor) suggested another contest … 50 precious words by Vivian Kirkfield. The challenge, create a story that is 50 words or less with a full story arc: beginning, middle and end.  I don’t know whether I should thank Jill or throttle her for putting that in my purview.

The inspiration for my story is my dog, Charlie.  Charlie is an Australian Terrier. This breed is bred to hunt and kill snakes and rodents.  Charlie isn’t discerning at all.  Pretty much if it moves, it’s fair game … cats, rats, rabbits, birds but not dogs.  He likes dogs. 

Before I reveal my entry for the 50 precious words contest, let me show you a few videos of Charlie which demonstrate where I got my inspiration.

Now, you can pretty much see where this is going, right? I hope you enjoy my 50 word story.  I’d love to hear your honest feedback. 

Hunter & Prey by Cheri Wong

Stealthy hunter, deadly quick,
stalks his prey through brush grown thick.
Hiding under fallen leaves,
scaly underdog believes
he can outwit cunning foe
but not if they go toe-to-toe.
Cagey lizard has one ploy:
drops his tail – a twitching toy,
distracting hound … mark gets away.
Canine hunter duped by prey.

Lastly, I shall leave you with this picture as I don’t want you to think that Charlie doesn’t do his breed proud.  My canine hunter isn’t always bamboozled by the twitching toy left by his tail-less prey.