Get the Name of the Dog. By William Van Zyl. Published in December 2022.

The Extravagant Podcast

Tool# 14: I share my dog's name - a brown-coloured dachshund named Jason (1997). It all happened at a hardware store in Alberton. Suddenly he was gone without a trace. Location: The Johannesburg area in South Africa. The introduction will whet your appetite to hear more.

Read the full blog post here: https://fivehousepublishing.com/2022/12/17/get-the-name-of-the-dog/

Excerpt 1:

“One moment, please tell me, what is the dog's name?” asked the reporter.

“His name is Jason. I’ve had him for 6 years. He is my most trusted friend.”

“What makes Jason special to you? Do you have any significant stories of Jason?” asked the reporter.

“He is very intelligent - a brown dachshund. Dachshunds are very clever dogs. They love touch. Throughout the day, he will snug up against me and nap. Sometimes, he jumps onto my lap and rests on my legs when I sit down. He is quite heavy, but I tolerate his weight. When he looks into my eyes, my heart just melts. He is so loving.”

“Aaahhh, so cute.”

“The most significant story of Jason probably is that he once disappeared. He is very friendly. If a stranger opens a car door, he will jump in. He is so trusting. And that is exactly what happened once. I was at a hardware store with a large open field next to it. He was running around enjoying himself. I wasn’t attentive for a while. My wife was in the car, and she was also distracted for a while. Then as I called him, he was gone, nowhere to be seen. Luckily, someone in a car in the carpark saw what had happened. She ran up to my wife and me and said someone saw the dog on the other side of the field. They stopped, opened the car door, and Jason jumped in. They took off. Did they think he was lost?”

“What happened? Did you get him back?”

“Yes, I did get him back about 2 days later.”

“How did you get him back?”

“He had a microchip in his neck. The people who stopped thought that he was lost. They took him to the nearest SPCA. We made several calls hoping they would take Jason to the nearest vet or SPCA. And lo and behold, we received a call from a local vet 2 days later. We were overjoyed! We identified him by pointing out the loose hanging dew claw on his right front leg - just above his foot.”

“Great story!”

Excerpt 2:

This rule applies not only to dog stories but to all stories. Writers and reporters need details. Make lots of notes. Ask many questions:

1. Notes: Take endless notes — story ideas, impressions of sources, unique insights — and mine them for future articles. Ask many questions. Think about your questions before you have your interview. Jot them down. Knowledge is the cornerstone of superior stories in journalism and content marketing.
2. Research: No matter the type of content you create, using data, statistics, and research will bolster the credibility of your articles.
3. Writing: Once you have quality information and a point to make, you must package it into a clear and compelling story. How will you present it? To write compelling non-fiction you have to be creative. Here are 5 things you could do: 1. Tell a memorable story. 2. Bait your audience. 3. Use emotional language. 4. Say it simply. 5. Surprise the reader.
4. Be creative and innovative: Think about how you will start your story. In this article, I started with a conversation between a journalist and a person (the person was me) on a true dog story. How will you start your story? A poem, a conversation, a compelling story, a photograph, a diagram, a sketch, or something else.
5. Always remember to get the name of the dog

More blog posts and eBooks:

https://fivehousepublishing.com/2022/12/17/get-the-name-of-the-dog/

About the Author:

http://williamvanzyl.com/