Writing ideas piece together from a fun variety of places, like our everyday encounters with beloved animals, for example.
Horses are a lot like people. As my daughter advances in her love of all things equestrian, I’ve become fascinated by the many horse personalities we’ve encountered. From our experiences, we’ve found horses to be:
- Stubborn, especially when asked to do work they don’t want to do
- Sweet, most of the time, considering what’s asked of them
- Easily bribed with treats; Horses love peppermints! Who knew?
- Tantrum-prone
- Intelligent and sensitive to their environments. They notice everything.
- Scared, often way too easily. Anything out of place, say a rope draped over a fence, can spook the hell out of a horse.
- Anxious, especially around crowds or unfamiliar places
- Social, sometimes breaking out of their pens to be with their significant others
- Vocal, especially with each other. Wish I knew what they were saying.
- Mischievous—the first thing they do after a bath is roll around in the mud.
- Oh, and they’re funny, too.
Here’s a great article on interesting horse personalities… I’m not the only one who enjoys a little animal/people psychology. *smirk
If you’re struggling to capture your character’s vibe, try assigning him a spirit animal, like a horse. And ask other quirky character questions.
Stories featuring animals are popular, but usually, dogs and cats make the page and screen the most, sometimes driving the stories themselves.
Have horses been left behind?
What about birds? Hamsters? Bunnies? Goldfish? Turtles?
It’s something to think about when creating characters and formulating writing ideas. Pets reveal a lot about their owners. We all have predetermined expectations in regard to cat or dog people. What about horse people?
A horse owner doesn’t mind mud on her boots. There’s no quick walk around the block for her—no. Cleaning, brushing, tacking up, it all takes time. Horse owners love to ride; it’s like having fun with a friend. Horse owners muck out stalls, shovel manure, and go home dirty. Strangely happy, too.
Besides, horses are just damn cool. They’re huge and beautiful; fast and powerful; they can jump over fences and transport, well, anything, and go to war and do tricks and grow wings and horns and… you get the idea.
Lately, I’ve wanted to pen a horse story. I imagine a middle-aged woman who’s spent the last few years caring for her ailing mother full-time. When the mother passes, she doesn’t know what to do with her life anymore. She remembers her mother’s love for horses and decides to learn how to ride.
** UPDATE: Rough Draft done. Working on the rewrite. The first of many, I’m sure. A writer’s work is never done. *Smirk*
*** Newer UPDATE: That story became One Thing Better, currently seeking agent representation. I LOVE this novel! More about it here.
Here are more writing ideas on characters & horses:
- A coming of age story. A teen gets into trouble and is sentenced to community service on a horse farm. Angry and overwhelmed at first, the teen comes to change his or her perspective on life along with learning new skills.
- A story about the adventures of a mounted policeman and his horse—told from either POV. A mystery? A comedy? Both?
- A widowed owner of a horse farm can’t handle the upkeep anymore–she must sell. But with a large family and a community counting on the popular spot for tourists, she’s pressured to leave her legacy to the right person. But who?
- Two millennials get in over their heads when they spend all their savings on a dumpy horse farm, thinking they can transform it into an eco-tourism spot. Soon, their social media buzz features their failures more than their successes. How will they turn their business and reputation around?
- A quiet, single librarian has one passion–her horse Cody. She rides every weekend, sometimes spending whole days at the barn where she boards him. When Cody gets sick and she reaches out to a surly vet to help, her quiet life gets hijacked. Will Cody survive? Will she survive putting her hopes in a guy she doesn’t like?
Midsomer Murders—one of my favorite British crime shows—has a murder-by-horse. The killer knocks the victim out, puts him in a stall with a horse, and then shoots a gun, spooking the horse into rearing up on his hind legs and crushing the unconscious victim. Elaborate, but creative.
More sinister writing ideas *cue villainous cackling:
- Crimes are often solved by cat and dog hair. Horsehair could be a new twist on an old standard.
- A bridle or lead rope could be used as a choking device.
- Spur markings on a body could make for an intriguing clue.
- A horse could be instigated to kick someone walking behind it; such a kick could easily be deadly. In competitions, red ribbons are tied to the tail to indicate kicking danger. If the red ribbon is missing…
- A horse could be used as unconventional transportation through the woods to and from a crime scene, especially in the country. Can hoof marks be traced to a specific horse?
Your turn for horseplay. What’re your thoughts on animals as props, characters, and POVs? Share your awesome animal ideas below!
For more writing ideas (often with a sinister twist) visit my blog.
