Changing Horses

This is Cinnamon (L) and Fawn (R).

They aren't related.

Fawn is 20 years old. Cinnamon is 4.

Fawn is my baby, my girl. My trusty mount for trail rides, moving cows, anything. When I need a horse I can trust, I turn to her.

Cinnamon was meant to take the burden off Fawn. When I bought her, my dad was cowboss on a large cattle ranch. I helped him out a lot, and I rode Fawn every day, except the summer she got hurt, and then I rode Dad's sorrel gelding, Gary. But that was before I had Cin.

Two summers ago I got Cinnamon going, with my dad's help. She was started well, going good. I rode her on a three day packtrip, rode her all over the mountains on trail rides. She wasn't finished because I didn't finish her reining and we never loped.

Then this last summer I got sick and didn't ride at all. Neither mare. Not Fawn and not Cin. Not even once.

But this fall, I began to recover and I wanted to ride. Bad. So, reasonably, I would grab Cin, right? Pick up where I left off?

Nope.

Trusty old Fawn was the mount of choice.

I didn't even Catch Cinnamon.

How does all this relate to writing?

Because I have manuscripts kind of like my mares. Old and trusty, and new and fairly untried.

I'm in a quandary with them. Work with the old one (Mississippi Blues), or turn my energy to the new (Branded)?

I'm talking specifically about contests. I have a limited amount of money this year for contests, so I need to decide which ms to devote my energy to. The old one, or the new, untried one?

I put Ms. Blues in two contests last year, and it finaled both times.

But I have a new ms I'm dying to try out. But it doesn't have a finished rein. Or a lope. It's not finished. But it's new, shiny and has a whole bunch of potential, I think.

It's kind of like trying to decide which of my lovely mares to ride this upcoming year...Fawn, who I enjoy so much, or Cin, who might buck me off.

Shoeing a horse? Nah, Writing a Book

This is my husband, Wes. He shoes my horses. Saves me a ton of money. But this post isn't about that.

Writing is a lot like shoeing horses.

Huh? you say.

Well, think about it. You start with a bare surface. You bend and shape the hoof and shoes to fit just like your characters bend and shape to the story.With a horse, you rasp off the rough edges, sounds a lot like writing to me.

You sometimes have an unwilling victim (horse, characters) who don't want to do what you want them to do.

It can be backbreaking, holding up a 1,000 pound horse's leg. It can be backbreaking, sitting at a computer chair for hours.

Nails hold the shoes on; if you've done your job right, you've nailed together a bunch of words that equal a book.

When done, you have a horse that's ready to ride, you have a manuscript that's ready to show editors or agents.

To me, shoeing a horse and writing a book is alot alike.

Getting Back on the Horse

Welcome to Ridingwrite, a blog about my connection between riding and writing.

This summer, I didn't do much of either. I can blame illness, and it's true, I was very sick most of the season. But, truthfully, I didn't feel like doing much of either, and it didn't have anything to do with health issues.

I didn't want to ride, and I didn't want to write.

There, I said it.

Last summer, I rode a lot. This is Cinnamon, my filly, pictured. She was a three yr old last summer, and once I got her started, I rode her a lot. At least three times a week. I had to commute over 50 miles one way to do so, but it was worth it. Every time out, Cinnamon learned a little more, got a little gentler. It was exhilerating.

But since last summer, I haven't touched her, not even once.

My writing hasn't been quite that bad, but it hasn't been good. I just don't have the pressing desire to get a manuscript done. I have worked with a couple, but not with the usual summer rush I usually do.

For the first time in I don't know how long, I don't have a finished manuscript at summer's end.

I don't know what's wrong. I haven't lost my desire to write, and I haven't lost my desire to ride....but I don't feel that old push to get the saddle out, or the urge to cram every free minute with words on the screen either.

Hopefully next summer, I will get fired up again.