Writer's Best Friend

Writing can be a lonely process. I spend hours, days, weeks, months creating characters, adventures, worlds and love. Then spend even more time editing and re-writing. All the words live on the screen with only me to know. I think that a writer can only do this for so long without someone or something being his/her best friend.

As I type these words I am sitting on my couch with my legs outstretched. My black lab mix Cali is sprawled out across the back of my couch. Her nose is stretched toward me and her front paws hang lazily off the couch and rest on my left arm. Her belly slowly rise and falls. I thought about getting up to get my camera and take a picture, but that would disturb her slumber. Also, the picture could not capture this perfection.

Cali is my writing partner. When I write at a table, she is at my feet. When I write in the Lazy Boy, she curls on my legs. She stays with me and holds me captive. She grounds me.

Some authors have cats who are their writing partners. I have four cats but we don't have that connection. Growing up I had a cat named Bandit who was my writing opposition. I used an old typewriter and she used to try to catch the letters as they flew to the paper.