k2k9 Joins The Writing Process Tour

First, I'd like to give a big thank-you shout out to Christina Berry of The Lazy Pit Bull, who tagged me to participate in the Writing Process Blog Tour.  You can read about Christina's writing process, and see the blurb she posted about k2k9, here.  

Turns out I am one of the last pet bloggers (of our little, intimate group of which there are hundreds!) to participate in the Writing Process Blog Tour.  It's been a very challenging period of time in our household lately, for reasons I am not at liberty to write about, and I'm even surprised I offered to join in.  Nevertheless, here I am; so here goes!

I'm supposed to tag three other bloggers who would be next on the blog tour.  Unfortunately, just about everyone I know has already participated in the event, so, I'm tagging just ONE blogger, Jessica Louise Handley of Waggy Tales blog!  How cool that I get to tag someone from merry ol' England, a place I have visited so many times, I have lost count!  Jessica blogs about her joyful adventures with her beloved pup, Lottie, a West Highland White Terrier.  Ok, Jessica, I invite you to join the Writing Process Tour!

Jessica and Lottie of Waggy Tales!

Now comes the boring part!

What am I working on?

I've recently started contributing again to DoggyLoot's blog, DoggyWoof after they took a brief hiatus to re-organize.  They've got me writing mainly about traveling with dogs, which goes along with my long-term goal of getting my new lifestyle blog, The Traveling Dog Lady up and running.  It's a work in progress.  I'm also still contributing to the e-zine Cape Women Online, and have an article coming out in their fall "Harvesting Your Passion" issue on the same theme.   I've got two books of essays partially written, and am combining them into one book.  After I took the Camp NaNoWriMo challenge in July, I realized I should just combine the work I did there with the essays I've been wanting to publish for many years.  So, stay tuned for that.  And, of course, I'm still slogging away (and making absolutely no progress!) on the final volume of Dad's letters from WWII.

Why do I write what I write?

I've been blogging for nearly 10 years now.  Folks that I know have often come to me for pet advice on everything from pet health and behavior issues, to how to re-home a dog or cat using shelter and rescue networks and social media connections.  My partner, another friend, and one of my childhood friends kept telling me they really enjoyed my writing and that I needed to put it out there for others to read.  It was their encouragement, along with folks coming to me for advice about their pets, that got me started on the road to blogging.   My beloved dogs, Hobie and Hector, were my original inspiration, and continue to be today, despite the fact that Hector is now gone, and Hobie is very old.  They own my heart, those two hounds.

How does my writing process work?

My free time is in the morning, because I work at my regular (accounting) job on an odd shift that starts at noon and ends between 7 and 9 p.m., depending on the time of year.  After I've taken care of the dogs, cats and humans in the household, I grab a cup of coffee and head upstairs to the computer usually after 8 a.m.  I usually have to do a few things related to my regular job, even in the morning; and then I either write for my blog, or an outside assignment, or post relevant pet-related stuff to social media sites. I like taking pictures of my pets, and do so almost every day -- I like to share them on Twitter and Instagram.

On the beach in Gloucester, Mass. with Charlie Brown and Cooper on their birthday!

I don't pre-schedule or pre-write posts, and I've been criticized for that at least once. (I just don't deal with that person anymore!).  I write "by the seat of my pants" with the exception of assignments from outside organizations like DoggyLoot, Cape Women Online or CBS Local (for whom I'm currently not contributing).  But even under those circumstances, I work best under pressure, and will usually procrastinate until the very last minute before sending them the next article or blog post.  I write "in my head" while lying in bed, or driving in the car, or (best place!) in the shower.  Here's a good quote related to that process, and it's so true:

“You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.” 
― Saul Bellow
I don't take notes in a notebook or anything, I just remember what I wanted to write about, sit down, and write.  J.D. Salinger said he wrote for himself and for his own pleasure, or something like that.  I try to stick to that, too, because all the fame and fortune (especially surrounding the internet and social media) isn't all it's cracked up to be!  Just write!

Thanks for reading!