09 Apr 2013
No Giraffe at National Zoo; Should there be a Giraffe in Your Book?
By Diana Belchase
This weekend, spring arrived and my husband and I decided to ramble. The sun shone, the flowers were starting to bloom, and birds twittered like eager children.
First, we discovered a new Dim Sum restaurant. There is something wonderful about Dim Sum. Noisy carts roll around the restaurant floor. The treats are always the same, but you go back to old favorites because each bite is exquisite perfection.
We stumbled on the zoo while exploring the roads that led through Rock Creek Park. I love this time of year – the trees are no longer grimly forbidding; they begin to bud out, with limbs cloaked in a green or burgundy haze. Bikers, joggers, and families come out to bask in the warmth. When we saw the zoo entrance we thought, what a lovely day to spend with the animals.
(c) Diana Belchase 2013
The first exhibit contained a Lion, his regal ombre brown mane contrasted against the sinewy golden hues of his coat. He expressed his displeasure by emitting a loud, percussive grunt that clearly said, “Go away.”
Sea otters and seals played in separate man-made grottoes and a powerful gray wolf paced among boulders. A male elephant posed for photos and seemed to enjoy watching us as much as we did him.
When we stopped for directions, a worker told us, “In order to focus on elephants we have gotten rid of our hippos and giraffes.”
I stood there in shock.
How could my National Zoo have sent these animals away? To be honest, despite the great exhibits, not seeing the graceful neck of a giraffe, or the massively strong hippo, marred the rest of my visit.
(c) Diana Belchase 2013
It strikes me how much my day was a lot like writing. As in Dim Sum, each word needs to be crafted, perfected into delicious bites that keep the reader coming back for more. This, I feel, is the constant that binds a reader to an author. Yet, new concepts and ideas are equally important.
There is nothing like the serendipity of exploring new things, finding unknown twists in the road, and stopping to do something entirely different. Similarly, plots need to be fresh, or books seem formulaic and dull.
Authors also need be true to their stories. Readers expect certain elements and get upset when they disappear. It’s like a Star Trek movie without a Vulcan, or a zoo without a giraffe. When an author kills off a long-time favorite character, or a series goes too far afield, readers seldom give second chances.
Writing isn’t easy, and I hope when it’s my turn up at bat, I manage to get the equation right.
So, what do you think? Where does a book need to be faithful to elements and where does it get taken too far and become formulaic? I’d love your opinion
(If the message box isn’t open, please go up to the left margin and click on the word “comments” under the date.).
Apr 09, 2013 @ 08:57:45
That sounds like a fabulous day. An I too am bummed about the hippos. They were the highlight of our first trip to the zoo when we moved to the DC area. When it comes to writing and familiarity, I have to go with a Game of Thrones example. (The show’s back on so it’s on my brain.)
SPOILER!!!!
In the endish of book one, Ned Stark is declared traitor and beheaded. The death was shocking and breathtakingly surprising. It also completely hooked me because I knew that this was an author who wasn’t going to pull punches to soften the blow.
Apr 09, 2013 @ 09:37:25
Oh no! Makes me miss the San Diego zoo even more. I love feeding the giraffe and watching that long blue tongue stick out to swirl around the biscuit. And hippos always remind me of home and the water. 🙁
I have read every book in Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series to include the YA spin offs and the Manga.(40 books related to the same series!) Sometimes I do start to feel like I know the premise so well that I might be able to tell where things are going but then she introduces a new legend or a different twist on old mythology or folklore and I’m hooked all over again. And, no matter that the heroes generally follow the same archetype, they are all unique individuals with their own quirks (she does these so well!)
I once tried to make a comparison for hubby so he would understand why I keep going back for seemingly more of the same thing. So I told him that he watches the same basic game of football every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday during the season yet he keeps coming back every week, every year.
When something in a particular medium touches you, it’s only natural to seek it out.
Apr 09, 2013 @ 21:10:54
You make me smile fishy sister 🙂
Apr 09, 2013 @ 10:16:37
What a glorious day! Dim sum and the zoo! Sad to hear about the hippos and giraffes. I believe each animal is unique. We all have our favorites to focus on.
As with writing/reading, we have certain characters we are attracted to mire than others. The ones that stick out in our heads. But it doesn’t mean we can’t associate with others.
I think drawing the line would be if there was no character growth from a return character in a series. Or a plot that loses the true essence of a series by making it depend on the same cliche issues…just my opinion. Great topic for discussion though. 🙂
Apr 09, 2013 @ 10:45:43
I’ve read books where it’s obvious the author needed a bad guy and one appears. The third 50 Shades book seems hurried. I prefer a story to set a pace. if it needs to speed up it should be because the characters are moving toward the solution not the other way around. My zoo has giraffes and hippos, would love a panda. But I swear the same alligator sits in the exact same spot as when I was a child. It must be fake, but I’ll let someone else poke at it.
Apr 09, 2013 @ 14:15:13
Great post, Diana! If you really miss the giraffes, you can check them out at the Baltimore zoo. For $2, you can even feed them leaves. And my fav dim sum in the area is Oriental East. What’s yours?
Sounds like a really wonderful day, Diana! Those are the ones to savor and keep in our memories.
Apr 09, 2013 @ 21:12:57
Oh cool! I’m telling you, everyone should feed a giraffe at least once in their lifetime!
Apr 16, 2013 @ 17:57:57
Diana,
I hate the zoo. HATE. IT. 🙂 I always feel so horrible for the animals.
Regarding books and characters…I have favorite authors who write a series, and I always come back for more. Every once in a while I’ll quit reading someone if they keep dragging the characters through the same problems again and again, but my favorite authors must be very talented because that rarely happens. I think if you start to get tired of a character, then it’s time to move on to another book/series. Same thing for the author. If you get tired of writing about a character, you shouldn’t.
I’ve never had dim sum, so we’ll definitely have to find a restaurant near us.
Apr 18, 2013 @ 08:12:23
That sounds like a wonderful day! We get to the zoo maybe once or twice a year and I wasn’t aware the giraffes and hippos were gone. That makes me sad. I love the book analogy though.
I agree with Kim, if you are tired of reading or writing a particular character or series… it’s time to move on. I won’t name names, but there is one very popular author that I used to read that I don’t anymore. I would be poised and waiting, chomping at the bit for the next book to release, even making a special trip to the bookstore on release day to get my copy. And then, after the first ten or twelve books, the plot seemed much more formulaic and not nearly as spontaneous or fresh. In this case I feel like this is a result of cranking out MORE books instead of focusing on writing GOOD stories. Although I have read a few more of the author’s books over the past few years I’m no longer excited about the releases, and instead of buying them I now choose to borrow them from my local library when I have time. I hate that I’m no longer excited about that series, but I definitely don’t dwell on it because there are SO many talented authors out there that I enjoy like my fishy sisters! 😉
Feb 09, 2014 @ 20:22:18
Very sad the zoo decided to send the giraffes and hippos away. The children miss them more.
Apr 09, 2014 @ 07:43:49
only got to he National Zoo this year after numerous years away…several states away, so it is not a quick trip. Missed the hippos and giraffes and the zoo seemed really crowded… lots of construction underway for bison, but sad to have no hippos and giraffes…hope they come back. My tax dollars are worth it and people enjoy the National Zoo. People who hate zoos- well, the world is crowded, so while everything should get to roam free on endless abundant habitat, better in a zoo than in a sandwich or poached for ill gotten gain.
Jul 09, 2017 @ 17:30:59
I am disappointed that no giraff or hippo can be seen at the National Zoo. The last time I was there, I saw a pretty good collection of panda bears (no polar bear either). Personally, I believe too much money has gone to China to rent the Pandas. Because of too much money spent for them results in not getting more”would love to see” animals. I did see plants labeled, “Native plants to the area”. Come on, I don’t go to the zoo to see plants I see out my back door. I will never be able to travel to Africa to see a giraff or a hippo in its natural environment. Just my two cents”