Winter is the perfect time to get comfy with your favorite hot beverage and write. For both fiction and nonfiction writers, it may be hard to get started. Here are some winter and holiday season writing prompts to warm your writing brain up!

Fiction/Character Writing

Christmas Tree Farm 

Write your characters traveling to a Christmas tree farm to pick out a tree. 

Snowman

Write your characters building a snowman. How do they make it? Do they cooperate well? What does the snowman look like?

Gifts

Describe the process a character goes through picking out a gift for their friend or significant other.

Scenery

Use sensory language to describe a snowy winter weather scene. Think about the five senses – sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. 

Grinch

Relay a short story that explains why a character doesn’t enjoy the holiday season.

Nonfiction/Personal Writing

Preserve a memory

Describe your favorite holiday of the past in detail.

Christmas in the Snow… or Sun?

What does the holiday season look like where you live? Write a paragraph about what weather you associate with the holidays.

Food

Describe your favorite holiday food.

Meaning

What do the holidays mean to you?

Pets

Describe holiday memories with your pets.

The post Holiday and Winter Writing Prompts appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Four of the authors had the opportunity to have a book signing event at a Barnes & Noble in Greensburg, PA, southeast of Pittsburgh. All four are natives to the Western Pennsylvania area. 

Bob Fulton (left) and Dan Rose (right) are the authors of Burial at Home Plate: An Oddball History of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Little Boy Blue, respectively. Burial at Home Plate tells the story of Pittsburgh Pirates baseball over the decades through fun, quirky anecdotes. Little Boy Blue is a crime novel, detailing how a young boy grows up to become a deranged killer. Fulton has decades of experience in sportswriting, while Rose drew on his past experiences as a cop for his debut novel.

Readers also got to know Carol Kieda and Catherine A. Roser Rybak at the event. Both ladies are authors of children’s books with Dorrance. Kieda, pictured right, is the author of The Sock Thief, and Rybak (left) is the author of Pooch In A Pound. Both of these children’s books feature dogs. The Sock Thief is the tale of a pup who steals their owners socks, while Pooch in a Pound is told from the point of view of a dog waiting to be adopted by a loving home. “I met other Dorrance Publishing Authors with their talented books. I feel like I have acquired some special friendships!” Rybak said of the event.

The event was not far from Dorrance’s home base – which meant that one of our staff members got to visit the authors! The authors were excited to see Brittany, who works in the promotion department, in attendance. 

But this wasn’t the only author event close to home recently. Marc Stevens, author of Zombie Apocalypse: Day 91, had an event in the Pittsburgh area a couple days earlier! 

Zombie Apocalypse is a guide to Stevens’ tabletop roleplaying game, in which the player has to survive the zombie apocalypse. At the event, Dorrance staff members Alessandra and Amber played the game with Marc. All had a great time, sticking around for hours to play the game.

The face to face interaction between these authors and Dorrance staff members at both of these events is something everyone will remember for years to come.

Several of these books have received local media attention in recent months. The authors have also had previous book events, both in Western PA and elsewhere. 

We are excited to see where they go next!

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Listen to on screen dialogue

Watch a TV show or movie, and pay attention to how the characters speak to each other. Use what you observed to help you write dialogue in the future. While writing for the screen and writing for a novel are different, paying attention to how people talk can help get a feel for how you want your own characters to speak.

Study plays

Plays are almost all dialogue, and they can be read on their own for literary merit. Read a play that could be similar in genre to the novel you are writing in order to pick up on rhythm and flow of dialogue. 

Establish characters’ personality

If you have a good handle on how your characters are, it will be easier to write how they talk. Pre-establish your characters’ traits before you write your book or before you write a scene. Use character charts like this one here to figure out who’s who in your story. 

Don’t overthink it

The nature of the novel means that most of the story is not told in dialogue. Therefore, dialogue is an added bonus, an extra spice. Don’t overthink it, and go with what feels most natural to you and your characters. Additionally, don’t force dialogue into a scene where it doesn’t need to be. 

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Learn where to put sensory details

“Imagery” and “sensory details” are phrases you will come across when searching for ways to add more descriptive language to your writing. But where and when should you use these? And what are they?

Using imagery and sensory details basically means to appeal to a reader’s five senses – sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing. Through adjectives and literary devices, you can use these words to put a more vivid picture in the reader’s mind. Not every detail needs to be explained – reading is all about the imagination, after all – but the reader should have occasional details to grab onto. 

Consider the following sentence: 

He picked up the seashell. 

One can imagine the character doing this action. Maybe it doesn’t matter what the seashell looks like. If it does matter, a description like the following might better serve the story:

He picked up the small white seashell.

A few adjectives is all you need to better establish details for the reader.

Don’t be afraid of adverbs

It is a common refrain in creative writing circles to avoid adverbs at all cost. This comes from the reality that overuse of adverbs (words to describe verbs) can cause stilted and repetitive writing. Most adverbs end with -ly, but not all of them. Adverbs that don’t end in -ly are sometimes called flat adverbs. 

The truth is that sometimes, adverbs are valuable and necessary. There is nothing wrong with saying a character spoke softly or stomped thunderously from time to time. Likewise, a well-placed adverb that doesn’t end in -ly can elevate a scene. Time order words (ex. first, ever, before, always) are often adverbs and are important descriptors. Many adverbs to describe location are also adverbs (ex.  above, about, upstairs, up).

Use descriptive dialogue tags

 A dialogue tag encloses dialogue and signals to the reader who is speaking. Typically, these are used simply as “she said” or “said Daniel.” But you also have the option to use dialogue tags to create description and movement in a scene. 

Example:

Daniel stood up from his chair. “We have to go now.”

By putting this description at the beginning in a new line, the reader now knows what the character is doing as they’re speaking. 

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Did you know that November is National Novel Writing Month? 

National Novel Writing Month, known as NaNoWriMo, is actually a nonprofit organization encouraging people to write that book they’ve always wanted to. According to the official NaNoWriMo website, National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 as a challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days. Now, each year on November 1, hundreds of thousands of people around the world begin to write, determined to end the month with a first draft. The idea is to hold yourself accountable to writing by completing certain challenges, tracking milestones along the way, and more. 

As NaNoWriMo has grown, many people use the month of November as a time to dedicate themselves to writing. With people or alone, tracking your progress or not, November is the time to just write!

At Dorrance, we support writers in their journey to writing and publishing their books. Over the years, this blog has produced many guides and resources to help with your writing. Here are some of them: 

How To Name Your Characters

How To Build Your Fictional World

Productivity Hacks for Writers

What’s a Metaphor?

Character vs Plot Driven Writing

Lesser Known Literary Devices to Spice Up Your Writing

5 Ways to Get Your Manuscript Over the Finish Line

Tips For a Great Mystery and Crime Novel

How to Write Action Scenes

Stay tuned for more throughout November to help to you reach your writing goals!

If you need more help, Dorrance offers Writing Coach services. Get connected with a personal Writing Coach!

The post Intro to National Novel Writing Month – NaNoWriMo appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Burial at Home Plate: An Oddball History of the Pittsburgh Pirates

By: Bob Fulton

About the Book

Burial at Home Plate offers a colorful look at the Pittsburgh Pirates, with an emphasis on offbeat moments in team history. Read about the doubleheader completed underwater; the Pittsburgh outfielders whose pursuit of a batted ball was halted by a gun-wielding Cincinnati fan; the pitcher who earned a victory while taking a nap; the dead man who tied a franchise record for games played; the sparrow that flew from beneath batter Casey Stengel’s cap; and the rookie who struck out while seated on the bench.

Burial at Home Plate touches on the indoor game that was rained out; the throng of 50,000 that turned out in Pittsburgh for a game played more than 400 miles away; the tipsy pitcher who fell asleep inside the tarp during a game; the future MVPs who delivered their first major league hits while still in the minors; the FBI agent who “pinch hit” for Ralph Kiner; and the Pirates manager who disproved the notion that you can’t steal first base.

Burial at Home Plate also shines the spotlight on the Green Weenie, the alabaster plaster, Aunt Minnie, the Rickey Dinks, Destiny’s Darlings, Dr. Strangeglove, eephus pitches and—the inspiration for the book’s title—a strange pre-game interment that took place at home plate.

About the Author

Bob Fulton has written extensively about the Pittsburgh Pirates for regional and national publications such as Sports History, Pittsburgh Magazine, The National Pastime, Pittsburgh Sports Now, Pennsylvania, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game program and On Deck, formerly the official magazine of the Pirates. His work has also appeared in American Heritage, Football Digest, The NCAA News, NFL Exclusive, Delta Sky, Marathon and Beyond, Basketball Weekly, Referee, The Elks Magazine, Collegiate Baseball and Sports Heritage, among others. Fulton is the author of The Summer Olympics: A Treasury of Legend and Lore; Never Lost a Game (Time Just Ran Out); Top Ten Baseball Stats: Interesting Rankings of Players, Managers, Umpires and Teams; and Pirates Treasures: Facts, Feats, Firsts in Pittsburgh Pirates History. In addition, his story on the major league debut of 15-year-old pitcher Joe Nuxhall was included in an anthology, The Ol’ Ball Game. Fulton, a member of the Society for American Baseball Research, resides in Indiana, Pa.(2023, paperback, 336 pages)

Upon This Ground I Trod: The Immigrant Journey Continues

By: Patrick A. Morrison, MSW

About the Book

is the continuation of Patrick A. Morrison’s first book, Before Common Ground: Journey of an Immigrant Football Player, and gives a behind-the-scenes look of the life of an NFL rookie and the challenges Morrison faced during his life transitions.

As an NFL rookie, Pat attempts to navigate the politics of professional football with the hopes of providing the quality of life that he yearns for, not just for himself but for his mother and newborn daughter. Endurance, perseverance, and resilience push Pat to strive for success in the face of setbacks and never give up on his dream.

“Having recruited Pat to Southern Connecticut back in 1982, I have had the pleasure of watching Pat grow and develop exponentially as a football player and more importantly as a man.

He fulfills his responsibilities as a husband and father with the same ferocity he exhibited with his tackles on the football field.

I could not be prouder of the example Pat has set for all young men who wish to make a positive difference in our country.”

Kevin Gilbride: 2X Superbowl Champion Coach
About the Author

Patrick A. Morrison, MSW works in telecommunications and has a master’s in clinical social work. He volunteers doing food distribution with the Bethesda Baptist Church of New Rochelle, NY. He resides in Connecticut, and he is married with three children. In his free time, Patrick enjoys playing golf, reading, and practicing Jujitsu, in which he is a black belt. (2021, paperback, 196 pages)

The Scout Quarterback
By: Al Hooker

About the Book

The Scout Quarterback is a standout sports novel sure to satisfy the desire for a good book from fans.

Matt Mallory is a young collegiate quarterback whose solid situation at Western Nebraska is overthrown when a new coach arrives. This coach is bent on winning at any cost, integrity of the game be lost! This is not the way Matt learned to do the game and his struggle to maintain his ethics, while also succeeding in football and in life, makes for a most action-filled adventure.

Full of excitement and lessons learned, both on and off the field, this readable novel even adds an extra point: an outline of some of the strategy, formations, and points of execution of America’s fall pastime. No doubt about it, Al Hooker has put this new gridiron tale through the uprights!

About the Author

Al Hooker has BA and MA degrees in Physical Education from California State University. He has been an educator and an administrator in schools for many years, and has fifty-eight years of experience as a football and a track coach at various levels. He has also served as an Athletic Director. His teams have a lopsided winning percentage and have garnered many conference championships. He is in the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame, the La Salle Club Hall of Fame, and the Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame. He is currently the commissioner of a high school athletic league. (2018, Paperback, 202 pages)

How to Build a Sport or Life Dynasty

By: Norbert A. Baschnagel

About the Book

“In this his fourth sports themed book Norbert Baschnagel tells the story of how he took a struggling, non-winning women’s tennis program at Clarion University of Pennsylvania and turned it into the conference leader with an astounding string of wins during his stint as head coach. The achievement led to many honors including his being named the conference’s “Coach of the Year” and being inducted into the Clarion University Sports Hall of Fame.” Baschnagel then provides a detailed blueprint of how he achieved his success and how others can achieve similar results. Baschnagel eventually left coaching to become a member of the Clarion University faculty, teaching in the university’s Department of Health and Physical Education for many years before retiring recently. A few years before his retirement Professor Baschnagel received one of academia’s highest honors when he was named a full professor. Though Coach/Professor Baschnagel is now retired he is not resting on his laurels as he remains active in the community and the sports world. And as this book ably demonstrates while he may be retired he is still very much in the game.” (2021, hardback, 166 pages)

Professional Basketball in 1939-40: On the Cusp of Depression and War

By: John Hogrogian

About the Book

Professional basketball began its modern history in 1946, when the postwar economy put money in the hands of working people. Basketball promoters were invested in the professional game as a new winter spectator sport. Only after 1960 did the sport begin to achieve the big-time status that it now enjoys.

The postwar sport was built on an ill-funded, unglamorous industry that survived through the hard times of the Great Depression. There is little historical treatment of that earlier game. Pro Basketball in 1939-40 takes a detailed view of one season, as the Depression ground on. World War II, however, had started in Europe and would soon change everything about pro basketball in the United States.

About the Author

John Hogrogian is an attorney living in Brooklyn, NY. He is retired from a career as a lawyer for the New York City government. For most of his life, he has played baseball, football, and basketball for fun, if not very well. For most of his adult life, John has done historical research into those three sports in their pre-World War II days. He finds it a great thrill, a kind of time travel. (2020, Paperback, 180 Pages)

See You at the Top
By: Michael R. Willson
About the Book

This is a true story about Dr. Jack Rodgers, Michael R. Willson, and their alliance at the Odessa College to create the Odessa College Men’s Gymnastics program.

As the president of Odessa College, Dr. Rodgers decided to drop the men’s college football from the sports program at the college. To put Dr. Rodgers’ decision in perspective, the city of Odessa is the city where the movie Friday Night Lights was filmed. Friday Night Lights is all about Texas high school football—how intense it is; how many Texas state high school championships have come from the city of Odessa, Texas; how many top college recruits have come from the area. Dr. Rodgers’ decision to replace the Odessa college football programs, and to replace it with men’s college gymnastics, was a bold and significant move in the middle of Texas high school football country. And with Willson as head coach, the gambit paid off—with Odessa ranking among the best in their class in college gymnastics from the team’s beginning in 1966.

About the Author

Michael R. Willson is a retired gymnastics coach and college professor from Ohio State, Odessa College, and University of Buffalo, as well as a retired elementary school principal. Willson earned 11 Coach of the Year awards, 1 NCAA Coach of the Year award, and 3 Big Ten Coach of the Year awards. He served on the Olympics Committee, as Vice President of the United States Gymnastics Federation, and as a USA Coach on foreign tours to Russia, Bulgarian, Riga, Toronto, Cuba, Poland, and the Czech Republic. He received the Ohio Governor’s Commendation for Coaching in 1985 and The State of Ohio Senatorial Commendation for Teaching Excellence. While teaching and coaching at Odessa College, he received an Outstanding Achievement award from the Board of Trustees and a Teacher of the Year award from the faculty and students. As a teacher, his favorite courses were anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology.

Willson and his wife, Helen, enjoy traveling, finding themselves in Florida every winter. He also enjoys playing golf. (2018, Hardcover, 106 pages)

An Ultra Marathoner’s Journey

by Jack Andrish

About the Book

LACE UP YOUR RUNNING SHOES and get ready for an outdoor biographical adventure like no other. Jack Andrish has been running ultra marathons since his son introduced him to trail running in the 1990’s. Running alongside his supportive family, Jack has enjoyed one surreal experience after another while attempting the hundred-mile feat. But above all, he’s learned that no matter how far you get into a one-hundred mile event, each run is a unique and mystical experience worth cherishing.

About the Author

JACK ANDRISH is a recently retired orthopaedic surgeon from the Cleveland Clinic. After fifty years spent as an orthopaedic surgeon as well as tending to his small farm, he now enjoys exploring personal hobbies such as downhill and backcountry skiing, hiking and of course, running. Andrish first began running marathons in his forties, but that late start didn’t stop him from pushing his limits in his fifties with trail running and ultra marathons. He has completed ultra marathons on mountain trails with distances from 50 K to 100 miles, often times accompanied by his wife, son, daughter, son-in-law, and grandkids, all of whom have embraced these lifelong passions and are his support and cheer squad. (2021, paperback, 146 pages)

The post Sports Books For Fall appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Did you know you can now listen to audiobooks on Spotify?

That’s right – the same place you listen to your favorite music and podcasts can also be the place you discover your next favorite book. 

According to a Publisher’s Weekly report, Spotify will be dedicating resources to building authors visibility on the platform alongside users’ favorite musicians and podcasters, via the same recommendation structure that allows discovery of new music and podcasts.

While the feature is still in its early stages, you can find many audiobooks on Spotify. Dorrance Publishing currently has several books available for purchase on Spotify!

*Note: Audiobooks must be purchased on Spotify Web through links provided here before enjoyment on the mobile app. 

The Doctor’s In: Treating America’s Greatest Cybersecurity Threat

By Alan D. Weinberger, CJ Arlotta

Narrated By Roy Stinson

About the Book

Many have compared the “Roaring Twenties” from the last century, to the 2020s of the 21st century. The new freedoms of this era (similar to 100 years ago) have caused disruptions, mainly as the Internet ‘flattens’ our world and accelerates outcomes that can be felt around the globe. One certainty, no matter how the new economic, political, and social structures will evolve, is the appearance of bad actors that will continue to use cyber warfare and cyber insecurity to their benefit. This book details in an easy-to-read format how we can best protect our “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness” in our new digital age.

From the Beginning to Almost to the End: A Tale of Both Hardship and Success: The Life Story of Orbie L. Mays, ENCM (E-9) S/W USN RET.

By Orbie Lee Mays USN Retired

Narrated By Edward Hermann

About the Book

Orbie Lee Mays USN Retired was born and raised on a farm in the northwest corner of Alabama. His life is one of many hardships and setbacks, and the success he achieved in overcoming them. From the Beginning to Almost to the End shares his journey, from beginning his military career at seventeen to his final rank of E-9 master chief petty officer and his personal life after his thirty-year military career ended. With harrowing tales from his time during the Vietnam War and moments of levity and joy in his life at home and adventures traveling the world with his wife.

As a disabled Vietnam veteran, licensed private investigator, and general contractor, Mays has had a life filled with many roles and experiences. His memoir is a testament to anyone who may be struggling that you can overcome even the most challenging of obstacles.

e-Patients Live Longer: Managing Healthcare Using Technology

By Nancy B. Finn M. Ed

Narrated By Edward Herrmann

About the Book

Best practices for the Empowered, Engaged, Educated e-Patient

The digital tools available to every patient today enable you to better monitor and manage your health and improve your outcomes. From better medical adherence and effective communication with your providers, to how to use wearables; from clear detail about how your smartphone can check your vitals and sound advice on which websites offer reliable health information, this book provides the reader with a vital resource when interacting with our confusing healthcare system.  Author Nancy B. Finn M. Ed uses anecdotal stories from real-life situations, along with hard data, and interviews from experts, to make this a comprehensive guide to deploying digital technology in health, essential to 21st century patients.

Want to turn your book into an audiobook available on multiple platforms? Contact us!

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A literary device is a technique in writing to help enhance the writing or otherwise help authors get their message across in creative ways. Many literary devices are widely known, such as the simile. But there are many you might not know about! Here are some lesser known literary devices to spice up your writing.

Metaphor

Metaphor is commonly thought of in the same vein as the simile. While a simile is a comparison using “like” or “as” (ex. Her eyes were blue like the sea), a metaphor is a comparison that does not use “like” or “as.” (ex. Her eyes were a blue sea.) A metaphor might be an ideal device for comparison if you wish to be more abstract and establish a recurring theme over the course of your story. 

Anaphora

Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of sentences/independent clauses. This kind of repetition is typical in oration and poetry, in order to emphasize ideas, provoke emotion in the audience. An example: The repetition of “I have a dream” in Martin Luther King’s 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech – so effective, it is how people know that speech all these years later!

Metonymy

Metonymy is symbolism, but phrased a certain way – a metonym is where a single object is used to represent a larger thing that is more complex. It comes to serve as a synonym for that thing or things. Examples: “The crown” representing the British Monarchy; In the phrase “the pen is mightier than the sword”, “pen” means written words, while “sword” means violence. 

Consonance

You probably have heard of alliteration before – the repetition of sounds at the beginning of words. But did you know that alliteration is actually a form of consonance, the repetition of non-vowel sounds in a series of words? Consonance can also happen in other places in a word, not just at the beginning. Example: “Hickory dickory dock,” “He struck a streak of bad luck.”

Parallelism 

Parallelism is a type of sentence structure. It is arranging similar words or phrases in a way that reflects their similarity or relationship. Typically, it creates a harmonious, poetic sound. It is more common in oratory, but can be effective in your book as well. Examples: “No pain, no gain,” “Where there is smoke, there is fire.”

Polysyndeton

Polysyndeton is a fancy sounding word for a device that is fairly simple. Polysyndeton is when a writer combines long clauses with conjunctions, rather than commas or starting a new sentence. It is usually for dramatic effect, such as to represent a train of thought or perhaps a worried tone. Example: In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 5: ““Your love says, like an honest gentleman, and a courteous, and a kind, and a handsome, and, I warrant, a virtuous — where is your mother?””

In Medias Res

In medias res translated from Latin means “in the middle of things.” To use In medias res means to start a scene right in the middle of action. It is effective to use when you want to catch a reader’s attention right away. 

Allusion

Allusion is a term that simply means a reference to another work. Well placed references wont take away from your story but will enhance it. They can pay homage to works that inspired your work. 

Hypophora

Hypophora is similar to a rhetorical question. It is when someone asks a question for dramatic effect, and answers it themselves right away. It is typically used when a character is talking to themselves, making a dramatic point, or talking to an audience. Example: In The Great Gatsby, when Daisy Buchanan says, “Do you always watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss it.”

Zoomorphism 

Zoomorphism is the opposite of personification – taking animal traits and assigning them to something that isn’t an animal. These traits can be metaphorical, or literal, such as the mythological creature of a centaur. Example: Saying someone is “barking up the wrong tree” to express bad behavior. 

(Source)

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Character centered or plot centered story?

It is one of the first questions one should ask as they embark on the journey of writing a fiction novel – will your story be character centered or plot centered? Are the characters just means of exploring a world and a society, or will you be following one character the whole time? Deciding on this charts a course for your main character.  If you will be in the head of one main character who is your narrator the entire time, it is important to make them memorable.

Unique name

We remember characters with unique names. Choose a name that is completely unique, reflects your character’s personality or is otherwise meaningful. (This blog has some tips.)

Backstory

Every memorable main character has an interesting backstory. Through flashback scenes, authors show how the main character got to where they are once the reader meets them. Think about your main character’s story and how their life story intersects  with your plot. Explore your character’s past accordingly. 

Old and new 

Mix classic tropes with new ones to get a unique character. Classic story arcs are classic for a reason. One such device is The Hero’s Journey, which might be a helpful template for the story you’d like to tell. Done right, it will leave your character as the memorable hero in readers’ minds. 

Authenticity 

Stay true to your vision for the character. Readers will pick up on authenticity in the story and your main character. Even if it seems silly, go with your gut! 

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Ernest Hemingway

It is well known that Ernest Hemingway loved cats. This love affair began with one six-toed kitten named Snow White which he received as a gift from a sea captain. More cats followed – many with six-toes. Hemingway may have passed, but the descendants of Snow White live on at his house-turned-museum in Florida.

Bambino the cat.

Mark Twain

Mark Twain was especially fond of the cat that belonged to his daughter Clara, especially during her extended illness. Writing in My Father, Mark Twain, Clara remembers: “Father wrote that Bambino was homesick for me and refused all meat and milk, but contradicted his statement a couple of days later saying: “It has been discovered that the reason your cat declines milk and meat and lets on to live by miraculous intervention is, that he catches mice privately.”

One day, however, Bambino disappeared, and Twain took out an ad in the New York American, offering $5 for Bambino’s return. The author had many other cats in his lifetime as well. 

Lord Byron

The effervescent Lord Byron loved his pets, so much so he wanted to bring his dog with him to college. Upon arrival he was informed that Trinity College did not allow dogs. So, he got an idea –  he brought a bear instead. “I have got a new friend, the finest in the world, a tame bear. When I brought him here, they asked me what to do with him, and my reply was, ‘he should sit for a fellowship,’” the poet wrote his friend about his new pet.

Grip the raven.

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens loved animals. He kept many pets, but none more notable than his ravens, each with the name Grip. The first grip learned how to mimic speech, as though he were a parrot. Dickens had him stuffed when he died. A young Edgar Allan Poe met Dickens’ beloved strangely named ravens, and many say they were the inspiration for his tale “The Raven.”

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Speaking of author pets with unique names – did you know Elizabeth Barrett Browning had a dog named Flush?  Flush was a cocker spaniel gifted to the poet by Mary Russell Mitford, a puppy of her dog also named Flush. The dog is memorialized in a sweet poem by Browning titled ‘To Flush, My Dog’. 

E.B. White and Minnie the dog.

E.B. White

Famed children’s author E.B. White loved his dog Minnie. When White was accused of not paying his dog tax by the New York ASPCA in 1951, he took special offense to it. He wrote a strongly worded letter to the organization outlining how he was actually a perfect dog dad – in the witty charm one would expect of the mind behind Winnie the Pooh. 

Sources:

LitHub

Bustle

The Marginalian 

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