Myself Dolly, Job – Family Pet!

Despite the title though, I have dreams that are very, very different!

Greetings everyone! It’s wonderful to get this opportunity to interact with you all and I wish you could see how fast my tail is wagging as I bark this out to Shweta. You see, I would type this out if I could, but someone’s yet to develop a keyboard that is user-friendly to users with paws or even a bark to text software. Sure there are dogs who try to type. Like my friend Betsy, you can see in this picture here. But she ends up on these ‘not-so-nice’ sites by mistake! But then knowing Betsy, that’s where she wanted to end up in the first place.

Anyway, coming back to me, I’m stuck dictating to Shweta till I get the technology issue ironed out. We have the communication thing sorted out you see, ‘cos I’ve been training her for the ten years I’ve known her. That’s how old I am, ten. Which in my terms is pretty old. Long enough to have had quite a number of experiences and wise enough to know that I need to be putting them down for future dogs that aspire to be family pets and writers.

You see the sense in that right? So does my family. My point is why don’t the publishers? Let me tell you what I mean.

My autobiography is pretty juicy, even though I say it myself. It’s got evil vets and jealous Alsatians, snooty Dobermans , mean kids and locations from across the world. Its got action, drama, romance, comedy and all those things my family harps about when they watch movies together. It’s got the makings of a best seller is what Betsy says. Well, she’s my best friend so I doubt she’d bark otherwise, but still, its good, nose smacking good.

Anyway, after months of slaving away on the first draft and then edit, revise and then revise some more, I send it out to the publishers that accept manuscripts by email. Why only email? First of all, I’m all for the environment. Where would my community relieve themselves if all the trees were gone? And second, paper brings back bad memories of being house-trained a long time ago! UGH! But I digress.

So coming back to the point, I mail it off to publishers who all say that they get back within eight weeks to six months. I’m ok with that. I can wait. Well, sure I expected an acknowledgement mail or two, because I’m thinking how many people get manuscripts from a dog right? But I soon realized that, that was wishful thinking.

So six months and no responses later, I dutifully send out “Hallo, did you get my manuscript letters?” Yes, I phrased them better! But still, no response!

At this point I start getting upset. I mean, I’m a dog, we’re used to reactions and responses! You show me affection, I do one of the following – Wag my tail, give you a lick, prance all over the room madly. If you are mean to me, I might snarl, growl, bark and in extreme cases bite. You try to leave me at home as you waltz off for movies and parties, I make puppy dog eyes and sulk, making you feel miserable. When you come back, even if you had just gone out to take the paper, we pounce on you like we haven’t seen you in years.

So you get what I mean? We’re all about the response! Indifference really gets me down. I’m sure it’s the same way for all those thousands of aspiring writers out there, struggling to get their book published, irrespective of their species. I feel for you and my tail droops as I think about you.

And that is why I wrote in asking to be a guest writer here. As during these months I’ve spent, eyes glued to my inbox not even caring for walks on some days or responding to the community howl that happens every Wednesday between 1 and 2 am, I’ve realized that I’m not alone. There is a huge community of us who believe in the manuscripts we have written and the stories we have to tell. A whole lot of us who are driving our loved ones to run behind their tails in frustration, as we walk around looking like that silly hound on TV with a long face that practically touches the ground, as we wait for that elusive letter of interest from our soon- to-be publishers.

And I thought what better a forum to connect with you all than on a blog that is made for book lovers. There is no other place where I can whine and be understood. Well, except at the Colony dogs welfare association meeting, but you get my drift.

So with expectations of responses, be it a snarl or a whistle, I end here, wishing that you don’t judge me by what I am, but by what I aspire to be.

With a wag for each one of you, till next week,

Yours truly,

Dolly

Image source: http://k9s4ever.com/

Shweta Ganesh Kumar is a journalist turned NGO activist turned Writer/Blogger/Author who finds bliss in traveling to places known and unknown! She blogs about life, travels and food here , here and here

And can be followed on twitter here