I have two cats.
The gray cat to the right is Ms. Bree. She's a slender, dainty little thing that sounds like a tiny goat when she meows. She takes 5 minutes to circle around in my lap as though she's never sat in it before and must consider all possible sitting scenarios before she finally curls up with a satisfied grunt (which is most unladylike).
The calico cat below Ms. Bree's pic is Linda Hamm. Linda is not slender nor is she dainty. She's hefty and plunders through the house just to flop at your feet for butt scratches.
In observing these two very opposite kitties, I realize that when I write, I have two very opposite approaches.
The Linda Hamm side encourages me to charge into a story and go for the butt scratches, that is, for the pay off, not caring about spelling or grammar and writing in the moment. It's passion and the need to get the storyline into the world.
The Ms. Bree side allows me to take a cautious step back, inspect what I've written, and consider it with less zeal and more logic. I circle around and around the storyline, the scene, the wording, etc. until it feels good and is where I want it to be.
I admit, I'm more Linda Hamm than Ms. Bree, but practicing my craft has given me myriad opportunities to "Bring the Bree," and my writing is better for it.
...Oh, and I've also learned that when you have cats around, you get a lot of fur stuck between your laptop keys.
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