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dancinghorseHorseblog today! We're all about the Don' Wannas. And the Doihaftas. It being Monday and all.
The Clarion Write-a-Thon is over for the year, and thanks to all you wonderful donors, it exceeded its goal. Clarion's Class of 2012 thanks you with all their hopeful little hearts.
I managed to go from 24,405 words of alternate-historical extravaganza to exactly 35,800, which is not breaking any speed records but it is new words. There was some backtracking and tweakage, and a whole lotta research involved, as can happen with the historicals.
Lessons I learned from this Write-a-Thon and the one before:
I am not motivated by writers' challenges. The book takes however long it takes. If it needs to stop and regroup, or do some more worldbuilding, or fill in some research gaps, it will.
The Muse laughs at a daily word goal. She'll deliver however many she's delivering. And that's all she's saying.
But she does like the part where she reports on her progress at least once a week. That keeps her eye on the prize. Also, shows her that the pages are piling up. She likes pages piling up.
Next year's Write-a-Thon is totally worth doing, if I keep the goal suitably vague, because Clarion needs and deserves support.
So, now it's back to our normal cacophony. We're dog-dayed out already, with heat and humidity and not much rain of late, though we're kind of glad yesterday's big rains juuuust missed us, literally by a few hundred feet, what with the 80mph winds and the roofs being sucked off houses. We don't need that, thankyouverymuch. The horses are all terribly itchy and scratchy and be-flied, though I'm hoping my new expedient for getting the fly predators to do their job without getting eaten by ants (involving two buckets and a moat) will help.
And, if you've read this far, I should mention that Camp Lipizzan has run into a series of disappearances, cancellations, and "I'll call ya"'s, with the result that there are currently no bookings for fall or winter/spring 2011. Late April is booked. I am waiting (waiting) (waiting) on a response for either mid-October or early November, but if anyone wants to book a date, book it and we'll work around it. We're back to two full guest rooms, so multiples are possible. We are, be it noted, within driving distance of San Diego, and I have 98% decided to pass on WFC this year, so if you would like a writing retreat before the con, give me a ping. A Camp right after the con is also possible, but I'll be prepping for the Empire Ranch Roundup, so that will be front-row center. If you're a lover of the American West, and want to be part of the show (since we're taking horses up to the ranch for exhibition and demos), this could be the thing to do with your post-WFC vacation.
There are some very intriguing plans in the offing, related to yoga, writing workshops, and a local B&B, so watch this space. :)
The Clarion Write-a-Thon is over for the year, and thanks to all you wonderful donors, it exceeded its goal. Clarion's Class of 2012 thanks you with all their hopeful little hearts.
I managed to go from 24,405 words of alternate-historical extravaganza to exactly 35,800, which is not breaking any speed records but it is new words. There was some backtracking and tweakage, and a whole lotta research involved, as can happen with the historicals.
Lessons I learned from this Write-a-Thon and the one before:
I am not motivated by writers' challenges. The book takes however long it takes. If it needs to stop and regroup, or do some more worldbuilding, or fill in some research gaps, it will.
The Muse laughs at a daily word goal. She'll deliver however many she's delivering. And that's all she's saying.
But she does like the part where she reports on her progress at least once a week. That keeps her eye on the prize. Also, shows her that the pages are piling up. She likes pages piling up.
Next year's Write-a-Thon is totally worth doing, if I keep the goal suitably vague, because Clarion needs and deserves support.
So, now it's back to our normal cacophony. We're dog-dayed out already, with heat and humidity and not much rain of late, though we're kind of glad yesterday's big rains juuuust missed us, literally by a few hundred feet, what with the 80mph winds and the roofs being sucked off houses. We don't need that, thankyouverymuch. The horses are all terribly itchy and scratchy and be-flied, though I'm hoping my new expedient for getting the fly predators to do their job without getting eaten by ants (involving two buckets and a moat) will help.
And, if you've read this far, I should mention that Camp Lipizzan has run into a series of disappearances, cancellations, and "I'll call ya"'s, with the result that there are currently no bookings for fall or winter/spring 2011. Late April is booked. I am waiting (waiting) (waiting) on a response for either mid-October or early November, but if anyone wants to book a date, book it and we'll work around it. We're back to two full guest rooms, so multiples are possible. We are, be it noted, within driving distance of San Diego, and I have 98% decided to pass on WFC this year, so if you would like a writing retreat before the con, give me a ping. A Camp right after the con is also possible, but I'll be prepping for the Empire Ranch Roundup, so that will be front-row center. If you're a lover of the American West, and want to be part of the show (since we're taking horses up to the ranch for exhibition and demos), this could be the thing to do with your post-WFC vacation.
There are some very intriguing plans in the offing, related to yoga, writing workshops, and a local B&B, so watch this space. :)
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no subject
Date: 2011-08-09 01:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-09 12:49 pm (UTC)We'll be happy to see you whenever you can make it.
no subject
Date: 2011-08-09 10:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-09 12:48 pm (UTC)We are a long way from Reno. It's a 12-hour drive from here to Las Vegas. Six hours to San Diego where WFC is.
I've been offered work-that-pays-the-hay-bill during WFC weekend, and the Empire Ranch event is the following weekend. So... But I will be terribly sorry to miss you. :(
no subject
Date: 2011-08-09 01:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-09 09:05 pm (UTC)