Award-winning author Kathleen Donnelly is a retired K-9 handler and the creator of the National Forest K-9 and Colorado K-9 series. Her books blend suspense, heart, and four-legged heroes. When she’s not writing, Kathleen hosts the podcast Sit. Stay. Read. on Authors on the Air, celebrating books for every wag, whinny, and whisker. She lives near the Colorado foothills with her husband and their four-legged friends.
Fifty years ago, Universal studios released an iconic movie. Jaws hit the big screen in the summer of 1975. When I was about six years old, I flipped on the television and sat mesmerized by the opening scene. My mom realized what I was watching and changed the channel. Not wanting to deal with her daughter insisting that a Great White Shark might somehow be in a Colorado reservoir or the local pool, my Mom made sure I never saw anything beyond the first Jaws attack.
Fast forward to this summer. When I saw Jaws was released on Netflix to celebrate the anniversary, I told my husband we had to watch it. Part of the fun was that I knew from my good friend, fellow author, and retired Hollywood costumer, Marjorie McCown, that “Bruce,” the mechanical shark that played Jaws, was never tested in salt water. When Bruce arrived on set and was deployed, the salt water gummed up all the mechanical gears and Jaws went from fierce to dead in the water—just one of many troubles for a young director named Steven Spielberg. But perhaps Bruce’s failure became the film’s triumph.
As I watched the movie, it hit me that not seeing Jaws not only increased the tension, but the ripples beneath the water, floating barrels and air bubbles triggered my imagination courtesy of Bruce not working. I was also struck by the fact fifty years ago there weren’t digital enhancements. Instead, Spielberg used his ingenuity to create great shots and tension.
I love stories in all formats but after watching Jaws and having these epiphanies, I understood that using my imagination is why I prefer books. When I read, I “see” everything. Allowing the film to run in my mind and create the “movie” gives me the freedom to visualize the world, setting and characters.
Writing is much the same for me. When I outline or first start the premise of my next book, the film in my head is blurry. By the final outline, my visualizations are short snippets, not a complete movie. Once I write the first draft, the picture is clearer. Then come the edits. By the time I do the final read, I see the movie in my head. I hope that readers see their own movies in their minds with the tension similar to seeing water ripple knowing that a man-eating shark lurks beneath the surface.
And yes, I think scenes that don’t go as planned, much like poor Bruce, sometimes turn out to be what makes the story better. That is the beauty of dreaming up a story. The joy of creating. The fun of imagination. The power of the unseen.
COLORADO K-9 RESCUE Releasing September 30th:
A kidnapper’s twisted game is on. And a trusty K-9 won’t let him succeed. Years after surviving her own abduction, FBI victim specialist Mckenna Parker faces her nightmare—her kidnapper is free and hunting her again. Partnered with agent Evan Knox and her loyal K-9, Mocha, Mckenna must rescue two missing girls. But when she vanishes into the mountains, only Evan and Mocha can save her.
Contact Info:
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Goodreads– https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22280955.Kathleen_Donnelly
Hi Kathleen,
I’m a huge fan of Malinois’s, having lived with one for years. I look forward to exploring your books that include two of my favorite things, dogs and national forests! Can’t wait!
Dave
Hello David,
Thanks so much for reading my post! I love that you had a Malinois. They are such great dogs. I hope you enjoy the books! Thanks again!
Kathleen 🙂
George,
Thank you so much for having me as a guest blogger today!
Cheers,
Kathleen 🙂
I found your story fascinating. Thanks for sharing and you are always welcome here.
Kathleen, I love this post! You are so spot on. And I loved imagining your mom making sure that you as a child, with what I would guess was an extremely lively and vivid imagination, didn’t get a chance to watch the bloody scenes in that movie. LOL I love your books and look forward to the release of this next one! Thank you, George, for hosting this blog post by one of my favorite K9 writers.
Thanks so much, Margaret! My poor mom always had her hands full with my imagination. LOL! And thank you for all your support! You’re my favorite K-9 writer! 😉
Kathleen 🙂
Interesting blog. I didn’t know the mechanical Jaws was a bit of a dud. It illustrates careful writing and directing, not technical effects , make a great movie. Your blog emphasizes the importance of timing in writing. Thanks.
Thank you so much for stopping by today, J L! I didn’t know that about Bruce either until recently. Makes sense though with the salt water. Also shows the whether it’s movies or writing, it’s good to be flexible when things don’t go right.
Kathleen 🙂
So wonderful to know a Hollywood expert like Marjorie McGown, who is a wealth of information about the movies. And you’re so right about writers needing to be able to improvise like a young Steven Spielburg!
Thanks for reading, GP! I agree, Marjorie is a wealth of information about Hollywood. She had a fascinating career. I love her Friday Fun Facts on her social media. Always something interesting and thought provoking.
Kathleen 🙂
I agree about imagination and reading. I love picking up the author’s paintbrush and getting to fill in the blank spots!
Thanks so much, Marie! I love your description of the “author’s paintbrush.” I both love and fear writing that first page to a book. The canvas seems so big.
Kathleen 🙂
Hi Kathleen. Good post! You nailed the process! Congrats on the new book.
Ana
Thanks so much, Ana! I appreciate you reading the post and the congrats. I hope you’re doing well.
Kathleen 🙂
Hi, Kathleen. Good post although I was never very impressed with the Jaws movie or Bruce when I saw him up close and personal at Universal. Your books sound much more interesting. Best of luck to you in your writing.
Thank you for reading the post! I agree, I saw Bruce at Universal Studios and he wasn’t that scary. 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Kathleen. I agree that imagination is so important when reading! Thanks, George!
Thanks so much for reading the post, Peg!
Kathleen 🙂
Great topic, Kathleen. Well done to both you and George. I, too, watched the Netflix Anniversary playing of Jaws. I’d seen it as a girl, but I forgot about those barrels floating up to the surface. Amazing how much scarier that was than if the shark itself were there. I get it now, the why of that ( ; The barrels tell us the shark IS THERE BUT WE CAN’T SEE HIM. That is fiction magic. This post has stuck that in my brain with a vengeance, and I so very much hope my mystery writing picks it up and captures it on the page. BRIL-LIANT!
Hi Pamela,
Thank you so much for reading the post and I’m so happy it resonated with you! It was pretty fun to see those barrels going under water and popping back up. I agree that it’s much better than if we’d actually seen Bruce/Jaws himself. Here’s to fiction and imagination magic!
Kathleen 🙂