The idea for Ranger originally came to me a few weeks ago, when Professor Heath asked us to set a silent film in New York City for Blog Assignment #7. I’m not entirely sure what made me want to write about a dog getting murdered – I will admit that’s peculiar and a bit dark – but I can say that my story incorporates a lot of personal experiences.
For instance, I chose a German Shepherd named Ranger to be my title character because that was the name and breed of the dog my dad had as a kid. I remember growing up, and hearing all these stories about how Ranger was the best friend he ever had and the little adventures they would go on. My dad is one of seven children. His household was hectic, to say the least. When things got rough, which they almost always did, he would take Ranger out and clear his head. They would go to the creek that bordered his grandparent’s house or run through the acres of sugar cane fields. They would play fetch and then get something to eat. Ranger meant everything to my dad. So when he left Trinidad to come to the United States, leaving Ranger behind, was one of the hardest things he had to do. The devastating loss he endured, mirrored that of the narrator’s when Henry took Ranger away.
Another big influence in my story was my next door neighbor. He is the “friendly, feeble man of 82” that is Old Man Jacobsen. My neighbor walks his old Labrador up and down my block at least six or seven times a day. He always waves at me, asks me about school, and lets me play with his dog, Lucy. He also, like my character, sits on his porch and smokes his pipe every night.
Other personal experiences that contributed to the development of Ranger, include using Forest Park as the scene of the first murder (I have lived two blocks away from there for the last ten years of my life), having the dead bodies of dogs piled up outside of Martha’s Country Bakery in Williamsburg (A close friend of mine lives in that area and when this location opened a while back, we went there and consumed excessive quantities of sugar), and using the name Old Man Jacobsen (while the inspiration for his character was based off of my neighbor, the name was inspired by a man who sold my dad and I a fishing boat once).
Clearly, my life influences my writing. And since writing is something that I’ve always enjoyed, I chose to deliver Ranger as a short story. On this website, is an overview of the big picture, a detailed scene about the narrator’s grief, a journal entry and a short playlist that supplement said scene. Writing and listening to music are two major components of my every day life. I thought it would be best to express my ideas in ways that I truly valued. I believe that when someone writes, speaks, or talks about things they love, their passion shines through. That makes the difference between an okay piece of work and a fantastic one.
