Why Alvin (My Dog) is Invaluable for My Writing

A writer's best friend

Alvin is a two-year-old Bichon Havanaise. He’s a happy dog when he’s not neurotic. Alvin’s favorite hobbies are lying in bed snoring, eating sausage and long walks outdoor, sniffing every bush, piles of earth, and lampposts he can find.

When I finally coped under years of pressure from my wife and daughter I expected a lot of work, barking, biting, peeing, sh*ting, and sleepless nights.

I was right.

But what I didn’t expect was how important Alvin became for my writing. And no, I don’t write about Bichon Havanese.

Health

This is the obvious one. I sit for eight(ish) hours each day at my day job. When I’m done working I sit down to write for two to four hours. At the weekends I write for 4–6 hours each day.

Alvin forces me to take breaks. I would never walk that 45-minute route (or 20-minute run) each day if it wasn’t for him. It’s so easy to just sit and write for hours on end, only focusing on the current project, not taking care of myself. My daily walks with Alvin makes me healthier.

My mental health also improves. Writing is often a soul-crushing experience. I think most writers walk a thin line when it comes to our mental health. I am constantly living in my head. And if I don’t visit the real world once in a while, I will eventually go insane.

When I walk Alvin I let Spotify, Audible, Podcast, and all my audiobooks rest. It’s only me, Alvin and the nature. I can’t tell you how wonderful 45 minutes of listening to nothing is.

My walks with Alvin is my mental restarts. A computer that is used hard all-day benefits of a restart once in a while. So is true for our minds.

Inspiration

I have two super hacks I use when I’m in a slump, whether it’s lack of ideas or if I am stuck on something.

The first is taking a shower, my best ideas have come to me in the shower. And yes, I use a lot of hot water.

The second is taking long walks with Alvin.

When I walk with Alvin my brain is still working. It’s actually craving some alone-time to think about whatever it wants to think about. The less I try to force thoughts the better. It has waited all day to finally get some me-time away from the massive amount of impressions I throw at it every day.

“Boredom” is heaven for the brain. Then it can dig deep down into the brainpit(Trademarked! If you want to use this awesome word, you can just pay me an astronomical amount of money) and come back up with great ideas.

The idea for this post came to me when I walked Alvin.

Comfort

Masochists. That’s what we are. Writers. No normal person will go through the internal purgatory there is writing a book. We are 90% miserable and 10% euphoric.

Alvin doesn’t care if I have a bad day. He doesn’t care if I go around sulking because I write the world's worst words.

He will always be ready to comfort me if I feel bad. He will always come running, wagging his tail, jumping into my lap. He never judges and is always happy (when he’s not neurotic)

Try being in a bad mood when this dude comes running:

Oh, and Alvin is also a great Alphareader (or listener)

Keep safe, keep healthy, and remember health is more than just what you can touch and see.

Ses! (Norwegian for seeing you later)