Cats

As a single lady with aspirations of Romance Novelling, I think it is only right to have a chat about cats. I don't mean the musical but if you want to read an interesting blog written by my lovely college mate Anika Chapin about "Cats" go here. I am going to chat about chats...haha, see how I did that? Chat is Frenchy stuff for "cat." It is pronounced like the past tense of the four letter poop word. This is relevant because a) bad puns are always relevant and b) my brother sang this stupid song about "Le chat angora" when he was learning French as a wee babe. Well, ok, he was 7. Oh, and c) my novel has a bunch of poop jokes that I can't seem to work out. I mean, who writes a Romance with poop jokes? Honestly Isabel...

Anyhoo, remember that really depressing part of "High Fidelity" when John Cusack is talking about how he totally could have banged Lili Taylor but then he would "be part of that whole single person culture?"* Well, in the book he goes on to talk about having to stop in medias res to kick the cats off the bed. I can't get this image out of my head, and how depressing it must be to have that perspective all the time. I can't imagine how horrible it must be to go about life with the mentality that instead of being honest with himself about just not being interested in the Sarah character anymore, he has to blame it on the kitties! Lame. That is, of course the raison d'etre (more French, lame) of the Rob character, he doesn't understand himself, and is completely dishonest with the audience, Laura, Marie de Sale, himself, and those poor displaced kitties.

I am probably only haunted by this because instead of turning to the movie "High Fidelity" for comfort after I was brutally dumped (is brutal a harsh word? hmmm...) I decided to read the book because it would take longer.** Really, the only two things I came away from that experience with were that the movie Rob is way more likable than the book Rob and that whole cat moment. So, when I finished the book I immediately watched the movie to at least feel better about older, wiser, jaded Lloyd Dobbler (Rob/John) if not my breakup.

So, how does this have anything to do with the writing process? Well, this is my first writing attempt I will make that does not have a significant cat presence. (Yes, I am a Crazy Cat Lady. My phone gallery is filled with pictures of cats and most of them are not even mine.) In addition to my own emotional reaction to what was probably a throw away to Nick Hornby, I have only ever had very strong reactions for or against my inclusion of kitties in other things I have written, such as all of my screenplays I wrote in college. I have finally learned that cats are either creepily appealing or completely off-putting to a readership, and the way the cats are presented or incorporated can create too many unpredictable reactions. Also, I have to deal with the whole poop joke thing.

I realize only a Crazy Cat Lady would think this warranted an entire blog post. At least I am not this girl. My heart totally bleeds for her brand of nutballs.

*High Fidelity dir. Stephen Frears. Starring John Cusack and Jack Black. 2000.

**Watching High Fidelity and Love and Basketball are my friend Kate's remedies for heartbreak. High Fidelity kinda works alone, but I should probably watch L&B too.