Hearing voices

Monday, a friend and I were talking about what made Brays of Our Lives work. Brays was my former blog, written from the point of view of my late mule, Fenway. He had a clear voice—earnest, baleful, wise, and wry. Writing for Fenway felt more like channeling than authoring. It was often a state experience—effortless, exhilarating, and sweet.

My friend asked if the current animal family (three dogs, three rabbits, two cats) would contribute to this blog, and I said I didn't think so. They talk to me every day—with deep eyes, wagging tails, play bows and binkies. That said, they don't tell stories . . . not in the way Fenway did.

Maybe I'll discover an animal voice in my blogging process—maybe one day Russell will look at me and say, "hey, Ma? Scoot over. I have something to say." I don't think so, though. I think one of the great gifts my mule gave me was the ability to hone my own writer's voice. Like Fenway, I have some wisdom and some humor to impart. I hope that daily writing flows as well for me as it did for him.

These stories will feature the Ark crew, though. You'll meet Russell, a low-confidence, high-energy minpin mix . . . Brodie, a dignified labrador/greyhound cross . . . Clover (pictured), my chihuahua and copilot. Milo, a doggish cat, and his brother Tiger, a cattish cat. The rabbits—Mama, a retired breeding doe from a nearby homestead, and sisters Olive and Hazel.

Hazel has a t-rex spirit trapped in a mini-rex body, and I'll tell you this: if Hazel were authoring this blog, it would be NSFW.