: Re: How to write from a cat's perspective? I want to write a short story from the perspective of a cat who wants to kill a bird that extremely annoys her. Just like Tom is trying every time
Adding to @MarkBaker 's and @Liquid 's answers.
I would start out with a kind of overview of the writing project.
The more questions you can answer about your story and its contents, the more sure of its purpose you'll be. The more likely you probably also are to finish it.
Story elements
What is the main story you want to tell - what goals and feelings do
you want to portray/activate?
What makes a cat's perspective interesting compared to a human's?
I find the idea interesting, but others might not.
What challenges does the character come across?
What advantages and disadvantages do cats have to obtaining the goal?
Species aside, we want to relate to the "personality" of any creature that we read a story about.
Then, assuming you still think the project makes sense, focus on how YOU want to portray the perspective of another animal, even though we understand everything in the story from a human perspective/perception of the world.
Are we supposed to hear it's "thoughts"?
if so, how does a cat think?
The bird (or what you think the cat would call it) "lives" here. I must see it soon.
The bird (or what you think the cat would call it) "lives" here. I must see it soon.
Is that too primitive? Is it too advanced?
Edit 1: Repetition was on purpose. If a mind is very focused, it's likely to repeat the goals and the logic surrounding that goal - does a cat do that?
Also, perhaps "We must see it soon" could be another depiction of how a cat "sees itself", if you want to portray it as elevated from other forms of life - like we refer to royals.
Play around with different forms of internal and external communication and see how they feel.
Cat vs human: Ideologies and ideals.
Cats, and the 'personalities' we assign them, are based on how we would classify a human, if that human acted the way the cat does. Perhaps study/research 'social' patterns of cats in general. Is there a hierarchy among cats? Is it clear what that hierarchy is based on?
Bonus: Make your story more unique
If you're up for the challenge and feel sufficiently creative; make up your own socials dilemmas that a cat could be facing:
Am I truly the great hunter I'm expected to be?
Is my territory attractive to potential partners/mates?
Making up your own in-world dilemmas can add to the immersion, and also make your story more unique and well-rounded. The more human you make the cat, the better we'll relate to it and its challenges. Giving your main character 'flaws' could make her the underdog of the (cat-)society she's placed in.
Trick:
Give the cat a name, and do not let it refer to itself as a cat - We rarely refer to ourselves as humans in our thoughts, and the cat is unlikely to speak. That way, we (the audience) will focus on how the story itself works. Some readers might even think "This character reminds me of my cat". Most probably won't, but this is about a story, not about a cat.
Perhaps have a few beta-readers who read part of it before being told that it's about a cat.
Regarding @Liquid 's comment on this answer: Naming could work differently in the cat-world. Perhaps she knows the name her owner has given her - if she has an owner.
You could also make your own system which cats use to identify themselves and others. It COULD be based on a hierarchy (or similar) that you create. Again; just an idea.
Warning:
Once you give your character a name, it will very quickly become difficult for you to change. That name will BE that character.
Note:
I find this sort of writing challenge very interesting and will edit this answer if/when I think of more question that could help guide you in portraying your character(s) the way you desire.
Good luck!
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