Wednesday 2 March 2016

IWSG for March - In which we discuss squirrels



First Wed of Every Month


I was reading through some of my old stories recently and something leapt out at me as a little strange! I thought I'd share it here today as I wondered if anyone else had noticed a similar thing happening in their writing . . . 


  SQUIRRELS



Time and time again, mention of one of these little creatures pops itself into the story. It doesn't seem to matter if it is a short story for the adult reader or a longer piece for an emerging reader, one of these fellows seems to burrow his way into the prose. Sometimes it may just be a passing comment, other times a sentence . . . once even a whole paragraph!

Are squirrels hiding in my sub-conscious for any particular reason?

And why squirrels? Why not rabbits or mice or even elephants? (OK maybe I can see why not elephants!)

I took a little stroll around the internet to sniff out some possible meanings for my abundance of squirrels. Apparently, they could be a sign that I need to take life less seriously and have more fun. Or, maybe it is to do with seeking balance or about communication. Interesting stuff .  . .  

Maybe I'll write a story about the fellow in the photo above. I took this picture last year while staying with relatives who have a giant ornamental walnut in the garden. I guess this little guy found it a bit of a tough nut to crack!

Excuse my ramblings, but the squirrels have made me feel a tiny bit insecure today. 

Has anybody else noticed such things happening? Should I try and stop them sneaking in? Hmm, actually I think I'll leave them be. I kind of like them and it's fun to see where one might pop up next.


Thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh for hosting our monthly insecurities and this month's fabulous 
co-hosts: 


Don't forget to check out the new IWSG Newlstetter if you haven't already seen it. It's well worth a read, congratulations to all involved in producing this great new resource.








42 comments:

  1. Hi Suzanne - gosh you found out a lot about squirrels - they look cute, but are a problem. However the magpies - even worse - are thugs and chase the squirrels through the trees. Seagulls too aren't much fun ... and those are the ones that feature in my head .. again we get all three here regularly dashing around - good luck with those stories though - love the walnut! Cheers Hilary

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    1. We have a lot of magpies too and of course seagulls can be very pesky!

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  2. lol I never knew squirrels were such a big deal. But they beat skunks or woodticks haha

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  3. As long as it doesn't mean you're squirrelly, I'd run with it.

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  4. Ha! I laughed reading your post today. Funny that squirrels pop up in your stories. Is that a photo of your lawn ornament with the squirrel? I only have the word "so" popping up and, well now... speaking of "so" I am the "voice" of a squirrel puppet called Myth Mary in a children's TV show called Babesworld (well only in reruns nowadays) and this character's lines always started with, "So, so, so" Eeek! Guess I've got a squirrel connection too!

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    1. Those squirrels get all over! You're a squirrels' voice that's amazing! The giant walnut belongs to a relative - fun though, I'd like one for my garden.

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  5. Every other winter we see dozens of whales off the coast of Mexico. Not this winter. Am I whaleless? Are you squirrelly? I dunno.

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    1. I hope the whales are OK, such beautiful creatures.

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  6. Squirrels haven't made it into any of my stories. I have mentioned birds though. But it's kind of funny because I see squirrels a lot when I look out my writing window.

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    1. I have the odd squirrel visiting the garden. I see them run along the fence, maybe that's how they creep into my brain!

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  7. Squirrels? How fun! I like the idea of leaving 'em in your writing. Could end up becoming a cute little thing for readers to try and spot! :)

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  8. That's really interesting - I can't say I've noticed any particular animals that have popped up in my writing, but I'll definitely be on the look-out now!

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  9. Interesting ... makes me think of Beatrix Potter sitting in her garden looking at the cute rabbits. Perhaps you should wear a wide brimmed hat and sit and watch them. A story might just be waiting to be told. It's nice to see a grey squirrel. We only have red ones over here in Germany. Have a lovely week and thanks for the great post!

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  10. That is cool and interesting. Manifestation of your muse maybe? Raven's show up in my stories a lot and Pegasus. My muse often manifest in my mind's eye as Pegasus or winged creature,too, not just on paper/computer @@ to get my attention. It is a HEY pay attention to this kind of thing with me, or in story just my muse showing off.

    Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

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    1. That's interesting, Juneta. Maybe it is my muse stepping in.

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  11. They are fun to watching and very distracting. When one scampers up the tree outside my office window, I stop everything to watch.

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    1. I find it surprising how quickly they can move!

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  12. They are fun to watching and very distracting. When one scampers up the tree outside my office window, I stop everything to watch.

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  13. Squirrels might be you "spirit animal." ;-) They do have concentrated abilities to focus on a future goal--nuts for the winter.

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    1. Ooh interesting . . . future goals, I like that.

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  14. Most enjoyable post Suzanne, I love squirrels,had a couple in my old apartment garden. I called them Cyril and sybil.
    Yvonne..

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    1. I recall reading about your squirrels, Yvonne. Glad you enjoyed this post.

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  15. I know they can cause problems for some people.

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  16. Hi Suzanne,

    Thought it was about time I actually got here and left a comment.

    I think you thinking about squirrels is a good, positive situation. Your writing, much like a squirrel, can be flexible and adaptable to the environment around you. Penny likes squirrels :)

    Gary

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    1. If Penny likes squirrels that's got to be a good sign. Thanks for stopping by, Gary.

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  17. Funny. "Squirrel!" is what we say when we get distracted by something. It comes from the movie "Up." Maybe they are there for comic relief, distraction, or maybe you just have an abundance of the little critters in your backyard! Enjoy the antics. Now, I'm thinking of Chip and Dale, who are chipmunks, not squirrels, but they sure are cute.
    Thanks for stopping by my blog. Mary at Play off the Page

    IWSG co-host

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  18. Maybe you can look up "squirrels in dreams" and see what comes up. I don't know if I am using animals much in my present project but that you noticed this pattern makes me wonder if there are other things I frequently put in my story without thinking about it.

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  19. I think you should leave them be. This is so interesting and also fun! Squirrels never fail to make me smile so I feel like it has to be a good thing.

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  20. Hey girl, thanks for visiting me back. You said you were interested in my comments, so I thought you might be interested in this post I wrote about
    my muse and right brain vs left brain,

    Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

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  21. Hey girl, thanks for visiting me back. You said you were interested in my comments, so I thought you might be interested in this post I wrote about
    my muse and right brain vs left brain,

    Juneta @ Writer's Gambit

    ReplyDelete
  22. I adore squirrels! I think if any creep into your prose, so much the better. And it's very funny about the squirrel sitting on the stone nut. He must be such a disappointed little guy - like that fabulous squirrel from Ice Age and his constantly escaping nut! Have a lovely weekend!

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  23. If they're there, leave them there :-) Definitely don't worry about the meaning - they mean you like them!

    I have reoccurring images in my writing too - old cars are always little yellow Metros, because that's Hubby's first car.

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  24. I have something similar with characters called Stephen (and some variation of it.)

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