Can You Write Short?

Writing About Writing

 

 

Gotham Writers Workshop offers two free writing contests. The prize for both is a free class, which I am assuming one can take online.

Contest 1: “Create the first line of a frightening story. Just the first line. But we want that first line to be so intriguing or chilling or scary that it makes our skin tingle and our nerves twitch.” Frightening First Line Contest—2019 Deadline 12/1/19

Contest 2: “Post a story on Twitter … no longer than 25 words.” #GWstorieseverywhere. Monthly contest.

It’s hard to find free contests. Most ask for a hefty fee, and therefore strike me as fundraisers more than artistic venues, for example the GW short story contest charges $25. Prize is $1000 & a 10-week course. Prize money is covered after 40 entries. Perhaps I am being overly cynical.

“Money flows toward the writer.” Making Light: Yog’s Law

To participate in the Stories Everywhere contest, I need to be on Twitter. Once more into the breach. New Twitter handle @willwrite4feed.

Previous Twitter Efforts
@box_brush [New Title, New Twitter], last active in 2018 [There & Back Again, Show Tweets].
@RodneysSaga [Another Aborted Twitter Adventure, Pondering Twitter], last active in 2017 [NACHS17, A Horse Show in 6 Tweets].

I will be sending in/tweeting my entries at the end of the month. Will you?

Crossposted on [Will Write For Feed].
~~~
#2800
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Bubbling Over With Excitement

Celebrating Art

Rodney is a pillow … and a cup, and a mug, and a phone case, and a t-shirt, and … and … Redbubble: MaGree offers 29+ items bearing Rodney’s portrait. Proceeds go to the artist, as they should. If you get lost on the site, use Dr Whooves, not MaGree. Search is by product, not by artist. Go figure.

How did this happen?
A while back, Martine posted that she was taking commissions, A New Beginning?. I waved my hand & said, “Me! Me! Me!” Martine painted Rodney’s portrait [The Reveal]. A few weeks ago, she announced that her artworks were available on Redbubble, Taking Art out of the Frame. She would upload the images & the site would put them on items as they were ordered. I hopped up and down & said, “Rodney! Rodney! Rodney!” Et voilà.

I am waiting, typing fingers twitching, for possible Black Friday discounts.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Measurements

Training Journal

 

Speaking of onward & upwards [Sitting Out], I’m just gonna leave these here and go about my day.

Jumpers
.65m Jumper = 2’2″
.75m Jumper = 2’6″
.85m Jumper = 2’9″
.95m Jumper = 3’1″
1.0m Jumper = 3’3″
1.05m Jumper = 3’5″
1.10m Jumper = 3’7″
1.15m Jumper = 3’9″

Low Adult Amateur Jumper -1.00m to 1.05m (3’3″ to 3’5″), better be jumping 3’6″ at home.
High Adult Amateur Jumper -1.10m to 1.15 (3’7″ to 3’9), better be jumping 4′ at home.

Hunters
Adult Hunter – 3′ & 3’3″

Eventing
Pre-Amoeba – 12″
Amoeba – 18″
Tadpole – 2′
Beginner Novice – 2’7″
Novice – 2’11”
Training – 3’3″

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Sitting Out Winter Tournament

Adventures in Saddle Seat

 

Winter Tournament information went out last week. I said no. People are concerned. I am not.

Specifically, my astounding and awesome groundperson is worried about living with me without a horse show on the horizon until March. His concern is not without merit. “Then that fell through. No horse show. No lesson. Dramatic sniffle. I advised those in my house capable of leaving to go elsewhere for the day.” [Steady On]

Do I want to show? Of course. I always want to horse show.

However. The opportunity cost is too high; Saturdays are too valuable. Currently, both horses are a group project. With winter and daylight savings time, we either work in the morning when it is cold, in the evening when it is dark, or on the weekends. Every show is a day we don’t work with the home team.

For your amusement, the joy of time change in comic form, Idea of Order: Hello Darkness.

On one hand, Winter Tournament is only three Saturdays. On the other hand, one Saturday is 25% (or 20%) of available the Saturdays each month.

It would take a seriously intriguing saddle seat opportunity for me to change my mind. Sam is awesome, but we’ve been there, done that [Lootapalooza]. Since I am too much of a weenie to ride any ASB other than Sam [Lessons, Theory Vs. Reality], I’ll let other people ride in silly temperatures.

Wait. That was overly negative. Let me try again.

Since I am currently using my saddle seat lessons as an chance to enjoy Sam’s company and saving my big girl britches for my own horses [Further Considerations, option 2], I am not likely to be saddling up a new dance partner at Winter Tournament.

So, I said no.

I think there will be plenty to do. Rodney & I need to trot – and canter – miles and miles and miles of poles before we introduce the idea of leaving the ground. Milton needs to get back to driving. Milton & I need to come to terms. Both horses are still at the stage where new ideas are best tested within the confines of a ring. Therefore there will be – cross fingers – lots of riding and driving and shipping and working and horsing. Just no horse shows.

Time to take it to the next level.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Now It Can Be Said, Nine In A Row

Training Journal

Show season has ended, with a whimper rather than a bang [Woe, Noshow]. That’s okay because what an Autumn season. Multiple horses! Multiple disciplines! One stretch of nine weekends in a row!!

Aside. It’s not all about the shows. I know that. I really do. Shows are exciting diversions. This makes them interesting to write about, the same reason we take pictures of our hotel rooms but not of our living rooms. Shows are narratively discrete events. This makes them easy to write about, unlike the imperceptible changes that accumulate from day to day. Both reasons raise the visibility of shows on the blog [Meanwhile Back at the Ranch. Or Not]. End aside.

Let’s check the stats.

September
ASB show with Whiskey & Sam on Saturday [Spontaneous Showing, Show Report, Alabama Fun Show, ERA Stables, 2019], lesson with Rodney on Sunday [Steady On, Lesson Recap].

Driving demo with Milton [Milton Does Demo Duty].

Obstacle Challenge show with Rodney [Pink Is His Color, Show Report, Alabama Obstacle Challenge Series, King’s Ranch, September 2019].

Lesson with Rodney [Where Are We Now? Lesson Recap].

October
Obstacle Challenge show with Rodney [In The Pink, Show Report, Alabama Obstacle Challenge Series, L&C Horsemanship Ranch, October 2019, Part 1].

ASB show with Joe & Sam [Taking The Reins, Show Report, Alabama Charity 2019, Driving].

Lesson with Rodney. Plans never solidified.

ASB Hunter show & costume class with Rodney [Getting Our Hunter On, Show Report, SSF Home Show 2019 & Neither Sound Nor Light, Halloween 2019].

November
Dressage show with Rodney [Woe Is I, Noshow Report, Full Circle Horse Park, Dressage, November 2019].

10 activities, 9 weekends in a row. Two did not happen. For horse scheduling, 80% is a darn good average. Plus shows two weeks before & two weeks after the 9-streak [ Words, Show Report, Dressage, Full Circle Horse Park, August 2019, Noshow Number Two].

It was fantastic to be in a position to make so many plans. To clarify, be in position to make so many plans with a reasonable expectation of them coming to pass. Making hopeless plans is easy.

I almost mention this streak several times, but decided to wait until we were done for the show year. Superstitious, moi?

Despite all this activity, there was not a jump in sight. But I waive that point. I do not press it. I look over it.

Onwards!

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Noshow Number Two

Training Journal

 

Looks as if Rodney did not want to do bad dressage any more than I did [Finishing The Season]. Once again, I had to cancel a dressage show [Woe is I].

Same class: Intro A. Making the class as easy as possible in order to concentrate on the psycho-social issues rather than on the technical requirements.

Different show. Dressage at Falcon Hill Farm .

Different foot. Left front this time. Last time was right front.

Same sh*t. After a brief but exciting period wherein he waved his foot around and I feared the worst, Rodney quickly revert to his standard, barely discernible lameness. We’ve been in drought this fall. The ground is hard and very dry. Both times he has been off after it finally rained. Slick? Brain fade on how to walk in mud? Who knows.

Horses!
~~~
Later. I wrote this during the week, as I do [Monday posts]. Rodney was mildly off Wednesday, Thursday & Friday. At breakfast on Saturday morning, he was hopping lame. The change was sufficiently dramatic that a diagnosis of abscess was obvious. Soak & poultice with Epsom salts. By Sunday afternoon, Rodney was sound at trot & canter. His choice, not ours. He did not appreciate being kept up for 24 hours.

I repeat, Horses!

Yes, I’m happy he is sound & that it was a brief/simple problem. Happy enough that I feel free to stomp & snarl a bit.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott