House Hippos, 4-legged land seals

Only dogs that ever bit me were little poofy, toaster-sized dogs. Only pittie that EVER came close to hurting me was the huge sweetheart who was SO happy to make a new friend that he damned near knocked me over trying to give me a kiss when he met me.

"... so why WOULD I get punchy with it"

Practice?

Maybe add some detail? It's dark. It's raining. The boy was trying to see through the rain.

I find that writing is hard, which sucks while you're doing it but is oh so rewarding when you've done it.

Just for kicks, write a few sentences (as far into the clip as you want to go) describing what you see and hear in this clip ...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc_i...

Sometimes I like to sit in a crowded coffee shop and listen to people talk. Not to be nosy, but to sharpen my dialogue. I will also occasionally write a chunk that describes someone's time in the coffee shop, as if they are my main character. It's fun practice.