Step One, Think Of Myself As A Writer

Writing About Writing

Crossposted on Will Write For Feed Blog: Step One, my new blog.

Fiction is different.

When I wrote for the newspaper or as a freelancer, every word was promised before it was written. Twenty inches of school board meeting? Sure. Two thousand words on the History of Dressage? No problem. I had a buyer before I started typing.

In a fiction career, so I gather, one writes the short story or novel or ground-breaking synthesis of text and etext and then looks around to see who might be interested in giving a home to one’s precious creation. Stephen King could sell a book based on a proposal, probably based on a text message. Us unproven writers need to prove that we can reach the finish line.

Fiction requires faith.

As a journalist, I never questioned what I was doing with a particular article. I might have questioned what I was doing up at 2 am transcribing an interview. That was tactics, not strategy.

Fiction is going to require believing in myself. Belief that I can get to the aforementioned finish line. Belief that I will have something usable once I get there. Belief that my plot makes sense. Belief that my characters will sparkle with life rather than lie on the page as lifeless lumps of text.

The fiction label.

I’m a writer. I know that. At what point can I call myself a fiction writer? When I start? When I finish? When I get published? How about now? I am a fiction writer.

I am a blogger. What better way to announce this than with a blog post? So this is me. Thinking of myself as a writer. A fiction writer.

Your turn. Who is a writer? Who is not? Who gets to decide?
~~~
Crosspost Explanation
Yes, I started a new blog. Again. This one should be easy to maintain. It will be the repository of writing posts from here. A blog for people who want to read about about writing but don’t want to plow through clouds of horsehair.

So I started a writer’s blog. We’ll see how it goes.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Low Key Photo Challenge, Back To School

Photography

 


 
The barn aisles are quiet.
The painted ponies have been cleaned.
The ice pop wrappers have been picked up.

Summer camp ends.
School starts.
~~~
Process Notes
Phone. Haven’t had the big camera out in ages. Couldn’t face trying to recall what all the buttons do.

Procedure for the Low Key Photo Challenge
1) I post a photo on a given theme.
2) You comment below with a link to your photo(s) on that theme.
3) We all click over to see what you have.
That’s it. No prizes. No rules. No submissions. Just pretty pictures to enjoy. For more explanation, [Inaugural Edition]. Photo Challenge [Archives]

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Milton’s Most Recent Adventure, Getting Lunch

Training Journal

 

Milton definitely has his trailer legs. I stopped counting how often we go off the property with him. He’s been to highway rest stops [not a post]. He’s been to roadside convenience stores for ice before shows. He’s even stopped for gas, although I try to have the truck’s gas tank filled beforehand. Last weekend, he had a new experience. We stopped in the middle of town to pick up food.

Went to Stepping Stone Farm. Long-lined. Walked around outside of the ring.

Headed home. Nothing in the house for lunch. Stopped at local BBQ joint for sandwich. Milton thought this was weird.

His attention may have been caught by the construction of the new, massive Arts Center across the street.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Nationals I Have Known, List of Links

Blogging About Blogging
Adventures in Saddle Seat

The invitation has been sent to qualified students. Boot camp season has begun. It’s that time of year. Nationals is in the air.

National Academy Championship Horse Show

Before my first trip to Murfreesboro back in 2013, another student opined this bit of wisdom, “You will hate everyone by the end of the weekend.” Yes. Regardless of how well or badly you do. It’s a long, hot/cold weekend full of ups and downs.

One issue with Nationals is that it takes place over three days, and the classes within each day are separated by several hours. Throughout the rest of the year, Academy is two classes, wait for the Championship, done. It’s not even all-day showing. A handful of classes in a few hours can be survived on stress and adrenaline. For six classes over three days, one needs to have developed coping mechanics for stress and food and sleep.

[All The Thoughts 2018]

Also, Coach Courtney’s voice will play on repeat in your brain for daaaays after.

This got me to wondering what else I would tell new people about Nationals. As it turns out, I’ve spilled a lot of electrons on the subject over the years.

Everyone’s favorite photo of me from Nationals 2018. I, naturally, prefer the one below where I am looking all classy and victorious.

2012
Upon first hearing about a National Finals show for Academy students. “Immediately, every dormant competitive instinct sat up & said ‘We’re not dead yet.’”
[Showtime]

2013
Before
[Boot Camp Begins]
[Boot Camp Moment]
[Boot Camp Bucks]
[Boot Camp Moment II]
[Boot Camp Battle]
[Newest Toy]
During
[National Academy Day 1: Managing Expectations]
[National Academy Day 2: Up or Out]
[National Academy Day 3: Bright Lights, Big Horse Show]
After
[National Academy Day 3+1: Horse of the Year Nomination]
[National Academy Day 3+2: I Owe It All To Rodney]
[National Academy Day 3+3: Still Napping]
[Show Report: NACHS, Part I]
[Show Report: NACHS, Part II]
[Show Report: NACHS, Part III]
[Foto Friday: Ribbon Details]
[A Horse Show In 86 Tweets
[Text Art: Happy Words]
“Then one day I walked into my office. Once again, I admired my large, fluffy, spectacular, tasseled Reserve National Grand Champion ribbon. And I thought … hmm … It’s not blue.”
[That Moment When …]

2014
Before
[To Go or Not To Go]
[Happy Halloween]
During
[Show Today: NACHS 2014]
[Text Art: Llama Font]
After
“For two years, they have been telling me to be ladylike. That occurred with intermittent success. Now they are telling me to be loud. This I can do.”
[Show Report: Important Questions from NACHS 2014, Part 1]
[Show Report: Important Questions from NACHS 2014, Part 2]
[A Horse Show In 80 Tweets]
[Lessons from Nationals: Dreaming of Blue]
[Lessons From Nationals: Going For the Win]
[Lessons From Nationals: The Value of a Coach]
[Promo: Hastings House]
[Show Photos]
[Annotated Camp Tweets]
[And Now For Something Completely Different]
[Text Art: Nationals]

2015
Before
[Let the Tune-Up Begin]
[Boot Camp 2015, Progress Report 1]
[Boot Camp 2015, Progress Report 2]
[Boot Camp 2015, Third & Final Progress Report]
During
[Looking Back]
[Looking Forward]
[National Academy Championship Horse Show 2015, Day 1]
[National Academy Championship Horse Show 2015, Day 2]
[National Academy Championship Horse Show 2015, Day 3]
After
[NACHS Recovery Day 1]
[NACHS Recovery Day 2]
“Saturday morning, I collapsed in a sobbing heap on my coach’s shoulder.”
[Show Report, of a sort, NACHS 2015]
[Show Tweets NACHS 2015]
[Perspective … Or Not]
[SSF Christmas Party 2015]
[Show Photos, NACHS 2015]

2016
Before
[Summer Plan]
[Let the Madness Begin, Again]
[Short Show Report: SSF Home Show 2016]
After
“I am tired of Academy. I am finished with Nationals. If I never see Tennessee Miller Coliseum again, it will be too soon. Over. Done. Not happening. The curtain is down and has been nailed to the floor.”
[Show Report, NACHS 2016]
[Show Tweets, NACHS 2016]
[Show Photos, NACHS 2016]

2017
Before
[Countdowns 2016 post for 2017 show]
[And We’re Back]
After
[Show Report: NACHS17 Sneak Peek]
[Show Tweets: NACHS17, A Horse Show in 6 Tweets]
[Show Photos: NACHS17]
[Pre-Show: A Change in Attitude]
“All I’ve ever wanted to do is to ride well. On Sunday, I finally did.”
[Show Report: NACHS 2017, Riding]
[Show Reports: NACHS 2017 & Winter Tournament 2017-18 #1, Driving]
[Foto Friday: Red Queen]
[The Weirdness That Is National Academy, A Blogger Non-Meetup]
[La Prima Rules, Nationals 2017 2018]

2018
During
[And I’m Off, Once More]
After
[Update From My Phone]
[That Elusive Sunday Blue, Show Report, National Academy Championship Horse Show, 2018]
[There & Back Again, Show Tweets, National Academy Championship Horse Show, 2018]
[All The Thoughts]
[The Face of Surprise and Delight, Nationals 2018]
[More Thoughts, More Loot, Nationals 2018]
[Sandra Hall Captures The Moment, Show Photos, Nationals 2018]
[Banquet with a Bonus, ASHAA Awards for 2018, The Last Echo of National Academy]

2019
???

Update
You would think the above would be enough? But no. Finally found it. This was the quote I had wanted to use to represent that particular year.
“I was not upset by the purple and green parade at Nationals. I really wasn’t. I did what I came to do. I did so on the horse of my choice.”
[On the 5th Day of Christmas: Five Fluffy Foofs] 2014

Update II
[Where I Am Not] 2019
[Nationals I Have Known, As Seen From A Cart] looking back
[When the Stirrup Swings] 2014

Update III
Not being there over the years
[Where I Am Not] 2019, post
2020, no post
[Where I Am Not, Again] 2021, partial post
[Caught With My Mouth Open, Again] 2022, post
[Step By Step, State of the Fitness] 2023, intro
[Off To The Show They Go, In Which I Consider Staying At Home] 2024, post
[Lesson Log For October] 2025, intro

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Reigning National Champion
Academy WTC Pleasure – Adult

Looking Around, and Around, and Around, Rodney at Full Circle Horse Park

Training Journal

 

In our continuing quest to help Rodney explore his universe, we went to Full Circle Horse Park last weekend.

Walked about. Looked. Long-lined. Looked. Rode. Looked. Rodney looked at everything. His ears were so busy his ear muscles must have been exhausted.

We explored all the exercise areas. We went into the covered ring (ridden), wandered into the field to sniff – and lick?! – a cross-country jump (in-hand), walked around the show jumps (in-hand) and checked out the sandbox (both). We even executed a few dressage maneuvers at the walk: circle, serpentine, a bit of sidewaysness that passes for our lateral work at the moment.

Rodney did everything he was asked. While he did not put a foot wrong …

… he still had a BIG day.

A thin undercurrent of nerves was his constant companion. For example, he couldn’t hold a stand. That is one of his tells for anxiety. We could have trotted, but he would not have been comfortable in his mind. So we underplayed our hand and kept everything at a relaxed walk.

He gave the occasional hairy eyeball to a wheelbarrow or a tarp. Mostly he was fascinated with the other horses, the people, and a paint pony who was his new best friend. The facilities didn’t seem to bother him at all. Umbrella? Pffft. Walking the ring road? Whatever. Arenas? Judge’s stand? Sure, although he was aware that he was in a dressage ring.

He wasn’t scared, as much as so intensely curious that …

… his head and neck were on constant swivel. Look at that! And that! And that over there!

At one point there was a person off in the distance to the left and a person off in the distance to the right. He kept looking from one to the other. Left. Right. Left. Right. It was tough for him. He kept having to count to 2.

I jest. He was a star.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

How Long Has It Been? Helpful Technology

Training Journal

 

 
When long-lining or riding, we use a phone app that buzzes every X minutes for a total of Y minutes. This way we know approximately how long we’ve been working without constantly consulting our phones.

We make sure not to change gaits/activity exactly when the buzzer goes off, particularly not to stop at the final buzzer. Don’t want the horses to learn that buzz equals quitting time. They learn sh*t like that way too fast anyway.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Spotted Spots Ghost Ads

Random Images

 

Another homework assignment from my History in Plain Sight photo class taught by Meg McKinney [Archives] at Samford University’s evening class [Spotted at the Birmingham Mural]. Previous assignment [Spotted on the Vulcan Trail].

More Ghost Ads
Book. “Features nearly 70 wall signs spanning a century of Birmingham history”. Web page has link the “original Birmingham magazine article that inspired the book.” Charles Buchanan: Fading Ads of Birmingham.

Post & gallery. AL.com: Ghost signs: The South’s fading vintage ads .

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott