At age seventeen, my Yorkie, Zoie, shows her age.  Her muzzle looks sugar dipped.  Occasionally, she loses her balance, gets confused, and forgets where she is.  She hears little and sees even less.  But she still loves chicken, good sniffs, attention from people, and did I mention chicken?

When she takes me on walks, people often ask, “How old is your puppy?”  She hides her age well through her cuteness and a spunky terrier walk, albeit slower and now and then wobbly. Bottom line, no matter what her infirmities, she adapts with no complaints.  Do we accept life’s changes so well?

Writing Prompts:

1. How does your protagonist adapt to change?  Show this through actions, thought, dialogue, and details. 

2.  Choose a scene and show your antagonist’s reaction to plot change. 

3.  Write an essay about how change has affected you throughout your life.  Which one has made most impact? 

4.  How are you changing as you get older?  Your friends and relatives?

5.  Have you ever had to let go of an elderly person or animal?  Write a poem, essay, or short story reflecting your emotions and actions with this experience.  Create a piece of art with this theme.