Includes bibliographical references.

In the artist's quiet there is loneliness, self-doubt, the possibility of collapsing too far inward. What an artist needs is a familiar, a creature perfectly suited to accompany them on this coveted, difficult journey. They need a companion with emotional intelligence, innate curiosity, passion and energy and an enthusiasm for the world beyond, but also the capacity to sleep contentedly for many hours. What an artist needs, Helen Humphreys would say, is a dog. AND A DOG CALLED FIG is a memoir of the writing life told through the dogs Helen has lived with and loved over a lifetime, culminating with the recent arrival and settling in of Fig, a Viszla puppy. Interspersed are stories of other writers and their irreplaceable companions: Virginia Woolf and Grizzle, Gertrude Stein and Basket, Thomas Hardy and Wessex, the dog who walked the dining table at dinner parties, taking whatever he liked; and many more. This is a book about companionship and loss and creativity that is filled with the beauty of a steadfast canine friend and the restorative powers of nature. It is also a book about craft, divided into sections that echo the working parts of a novel's Beginnings, Character, Pacing, Setting, Structure, Process, Endings. Just as every work of art is different, every dog is different, with distinctive needs and lessons to offer. And if we let them guide us, they, like art, will show us many worlds we would otherwise miss.