Jenn McKinlay: Years ago, I was driving to my new part-time gig at the Desert Botanical Garden as their head research librarian. I was nervous. This was my first run at an academic library position and I desperately did not want to screw up. Driving my Jeep over the dusty back road that led into the research buildings, while the rising sun was just a sliver of peachy orange on the horizon, I spotted something on the road up ahead. I slammed on my brakes. As the dust settled, I saw two Gambel's quail, herding their babies across the dirt track into the desert. The way they ran back and forth, nudging their young with the doo-dads (yes, technical term) on their heads bobbing, I suddenly felt like they were there to tell me
that this job was a good move, that everything was going
to be okay, and I was going to be just fine. They were right.
I worked with some amazing scientists and educators over
the next two years in what became one of my most favorite
jobs.
The quail lived in the garden, so I got to visit them every day and when they ran amidst the cactus and creosote, they always made me smile. It was then that I decided they were my spirit animal. Frankly, as my people tell me, their rather frantic personality is a teeny bit like my own.
While raising my sons, I observed that they, too seemed to have spirit animals. Having just learned to ride, Hooligan One liked to pedal his bike FASTER on a downhill and then would spread his arms and legs wide, looking like an eagle in flight and making his mom scream (on the inside) in complete and total panic.
Hooligan Two found his spirit animal early on. I believe he was just a year old and on our annual trip to San Diego, he belly crawled toward the ocean like a sea turtle heading back out into the wild. I had to chase him before the big waves rolled him and he bellowed at me when I snatched him up, thwarting his escape. Hub recently had a moment while we were in Hawaii where he and an enormous sea turtle out in the wild bonded, so he shares the sea turtle affinity with our son, although up until then, he always reminded me of a big cat but that could just be because he has a fabulous head of hair. Truly, it's annoying.While writing my most recent series, the Bluff Point series, I incorporated dogs, cats, and birds (but mostly dogs) into each story -- thus the titles ABOUT A DOG, BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE, and EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY. (Sorry, I'm a punster. I can't help it.) -- and an interesting thing happened. As I researched the various dog breeds and studied their different personality types, I began to match my characters' personalities to that of their dog or cat or bird. Essentially, using the animal in the story as their spirit animal. It wasn't intentional at first but it became a new method for me to understand my characters, a lot like some authors use astrology charts or personality tests to develop their characters. I liked it so much, I think I'm going to keep using it.
So, tell me Reds, what is your spirt animal? What tricks do you use to flesh out your character's personality?
