Turns out that the cat video mentioned in the writing post is not showing the cat mourning his deceased owner. It is showing a cat watching another cat playing with a turtle.
My day is made! Yes!
ILONA ANDREWS
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author
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Now I think it is funny you were crying but when I read your original post I teared up too
That’s kinda messed up.
It is. I cried and cried.
Never watch the movie Hachi. I thought I would run out of tears.
I still cry just thinking about it. One of the most heartbreaking movies ever made ?
I forget the name of the dog. There was a story about a dog that went to it’s master’s grave in either Scotland or England daily, until the dog itself passed. I first heard or read the tale in the 1940s. That made me cry. Was that story true?
I wonder sometimes, because England’s supposed to fall if the legendary ravens of the Tower of London are gone. The Ravens were moved away from the Tower during WW II, and London did not fall. The number of ravens are monitored and kept to 7. And, they are a relatively modern addition to the tower.
Greyfriars Bobbie was the dog who went to his master’s grave in Edinburgh, Scotland. There’s a monument to him in the graveyard.
And there was another dog Hachiko in Japan waited at the train station in shibuya-ku for 9 years after his master died. There’s a monument to him too.
(I love dogs, but actually cats have more sense…just sayin.)
The British Empire certainly fell. They lost India, their last major holding, in 1947, and withdrew from the Middle East in 1948. Wikipedia has decided that the transfer of Hong Kong back to China in 1997, but Hong Kong was leased from China, not a conquered people. Anyway. Fun argument to have!
Lordy, now we can’t even believe in cat videos. I give up. The need to get you tube fame has gone ballistic. Very nice to know the cat owner is alive. Odd to let the cat use an iPad, as flashing lights can trigger epilepsy in humans. Not sure if it carries over. Hopefully that’s not a lie to pull our heart strings too. I no longer give to animal causes unless I can get a financial report. Been burnt and won’t be again. Sorry Ilona-I cry over stuff like this too.
Wow. I cried so hard. The cat looks like my sweet baby, Ike. Since I’m sick, the thought of him missing me was just too much. I am kind of mad that someone made up that story but glad the cat isn’t missing his owner.
I’ve been avoiding animal videos unless I know the person who made them,,, they really upset me. (Partly because I wonder what was done to the animals to get the specific reaction that is displayed in the video.)
Whew! That was going to work on me 🙂 thanks for sharing the update. Also, I loved the new writing tips 🙂
Thanks
That was going to weigh in me 🙂
Whether something is real or fiction, if it moves me, which isn’t that hard to do, I cry! There was a scene in a book that actually had me sobbing (not just tears, but hard prolonged crying) and animated movies which had tears running down my face. What is really bad is if someone engineers something to try to get sympathy or money from people using false information, etc. If something is labeled fact, versus fiction, I want it to be the truth, just like the news should be real, true facts, not opinions, things out of context or politically biased.
If it is fiction, that needs to be up front, though I have to say that there was a book that was written in such a way that it fooled not only me, but others, in thinking it was an actual account of someone’s life… Memoirs of a Geisha. It was very effective and didn’t hit till nearly the very end that it was just a story… I applaud the author for doing such a great job! I hope I didn’t spoil anything letting the cat out of the bag, so to speak!
I have heard some authors say that the characters have a life of their own and sometimes even surprise them. I’m sure that is also true with what happens, with the story itself. Does that happen with either of you?
Life is a series of decisions, responses, actions, etc., so to breath life into characters would require being immersed in them, get into their very heart, thoughts, motives, etc., along with their world, what’s happening, etc. I really appreciate those who are able to do so and are able to put it in writing. Good ideas, inspiration and imagination combined with good writing create a good story… Ilona Andrews definitely succeeds in this!
Never heard of a character bible, but a notebook with key facts and notes about each character that evolves as the story progresses, just to keep things straight, would be something I would need if I ever get my feet wet beyond the fanfiction I wrote many years ago. I tend to forget things so that would be a useful tool. I like to read the glossaries some authors have in their books to refresh my memory though I did get some great advice on how kindles have some very useful features on this site, on the reading end of the equation, so I know I would need it when writing, not as an outline, more as a reference written along the way. Maybe it would be helpful to do this as a reader, not just for writing, but with print or audio books.
Thanks for the interesting blog… really looking forward to what else you have to share! I am also curious about the dynamics of how you both write as a team, what and how you each contribute to the stories, how you are able to combine your efforts, etc.
Thank goodness! This is a useful thing to remember. There are a whole lot of videos online that are designed to jerk your chain, particularly in the political sphere. They’re not all authentic.
Off topic, but do any of you read Christine Warren? Amazon just sent me an email stating that the publish date has been changed. To 2099. Now THAT’S long-term planning.
LOL. Is the book on her secrets of longevity?
Whenever I need a good cry I look at animal videos. My daughter calls it “cry” porn.
What is the world coming to if you can’t even trust a cat video? The last bastion of warmth and joy?
On the other hand, I’m glad the cat in question is not in mourning. Whew!
Thank you for sharing the fraudulent nature of the cat mourning it’s dead owner video. That th8nk made me cry when I watched it and I shared it on my own timeline…. and cried again. Some people are such….donkeys! ?
There was a joke on a sitcom at least 20 years ago, because it was well before cell phones became the norm, and I had my first cell phone in 1999. So let’s say 25. Some character said “I cry at long distance phone call commercials!” And that became the catch phrase, at least at my university, for being excessively sappy (full disclosure: I cried at long distance phone call commercials). But I think my favorite crying story comes from the movie Beaches. My brother convinced my mom and me to watch it. We’re around 3/4 of the way through, and he walked into the living room, glanced at us, left, and came back with (a very welcome) box of tissues. My mom accused him of not warning us, he defended himself saying that he told us it was sad, I asked him if HE had cried, he drew himself up and in his manliest voice and posture said “Hell yeah!” We all cracked up.