Ally Broadfield | How My Pets Make Me a Better Writer

From as early as I can remember, animals have been a part of my life. We always
had a dog while I was growing up, as well as fish, guinea pigs, rabbits, and
later on, horses. Though having animals as a part of my family is natural to me,
I never realized just how many ways they enhanced my life. I love being a
full-time writer, and am often asked if I find it lonely to be home alone all
day, with only my characters to keep me company. But with four dogs, a cat, and
a rabbit, as well as several reptiles and fish, I’m never alone, and they give
me so much more than companionship. The following are just a few of the things
my pets have taught me.

1. The Importance of Exercise

Writing for a living naturally requires you to spend a great deal of time in
front of a computer, whether at a desk, in a comfortable chair, or for few a
lucky writers, at a standing desk or treadmill desk. Since I don’t have either
of those last two, I usually spend my mornings sitting on an exercise ball at
the dining room table, and if I meet my word count goals for the morning, I
treat myself to an afternoon writing session in a comfortable chair in the
family room. But that’s still quite a lot of sitting. Luckily, my dogs not only
pester me relentlessly until I take them on their morning walk, they also remind
me to let them out in the backyard at least every two hours, thus forcing me to
get up and move around.

2. Don’t be Afraid to Take Chances

My dogs spend quite a lot of time and effort chasing squirrels they never catch,
digging holes that don’t lead anywhere, and barking at things that no one else
can see or hear. They’ve taught me that it’s okay to try something and fail, and
that it’s important to have the perseverance to keep trying until you do succeed
or discover another way to accomplish your goal. So when a certain scene,
chapter, or plotline just isn’t working, it’s okay to delete it and write
something better, and when a strange, seemingly out of place idea comes to me,
it’s okay to add it to the story. If it doesn’t work out, I can always delete
it, but it just might turn out to be brilliant. You’ll never know unless you try.

3. Don’t Take Things Too Seriously

Many animals, and especially dogs, have the ability to live in the moment and
enjoy every bit of it. Whether I’m stressing out about a deadline or feeling
overwhelmed promoting a new release, a wagging tail, a paw on my knee or a lick
to the face always reminds me that there are so many more things happening in
the world than my small drama and helps me put things in perspective.

4. Commitment

Aside from the two years I lived on campus during college, I’ve always had a
dog. I learned early on what a huge responsibility that was. While my friends
we’re heading off to happy hour after work or taking off for a weekend getaway,
I had to go home and take care of my animals (or make arrangements for someone
else to take care of them). It was a responsibility I gladly accepted, and it
helped me develop the stick-to-itiveness needed to accomplish many things,
including finishing a manuscript.

5. Unconditional Love

Loving unconditionally is second nature to dogs, but very difficult for many
humans. More than anything else, that selfless love they’ve shown me helps me
shape the heroes and heroines of my books.

What life lessons have you learned from your pets?

About HOW TO BEGUILE A DUKE

The spirited Catherine Malboeuf has just arrived in England to reclaim her
ancestral home, Walsley Manor, and a valuable missing heirloom. Nicholas Adair,
the attractive and frustratingly inflexible Duke of Boulstridge, however, is
quite unwilling to sell the estate back to Catherine. Unless, of course, she
accepts a small wager...

Nick will sell Walsley Manor if--and only if--Catherine secures an offer of
marriage from an eligible member of the ton before the end of the London season.

Of course, Nick is certain he'll win. After all, no proper gentleman would ever
marry a woman who conceals a cutlass in her skirts. Yet something about
Catherine's unconventional disposition seems to ignite a need deep inside him. A
need that won't just cost him the wager, but the very heart he swore to never
give away...

About Ally Broadfield

Ally has worked as a horse trainer, director of marketing and development,
freelance proofreader, and a children’s librarian, among other things. None of
them were as awesome as writing romance novels (though the librarian gig came
closest). She lives in Texas and is convinced her house is shrinking, possibly
because she shares it with three kids, five dogs, a cat, a rabbit, and assorted
reptiles. Oh, and her husband.

Ally likes to curse in Russian because very few people know what she’s saying,
and spends most of what would be her spare time letting dogs in and out of the
house and shuttling kids around. She has many stories in her head looking for an
opportunity to escape onto paper. She writes historical romance set in Regency
England and Imperial Russia.

You can find Ally on her website, Facebook, and Twitter, though she makes no
claims of using any of them properly.