Ideas Whose Time May Have Come

[dancinghorse]

'Tis the season to wax hysterical about this and that, but also to think about the year ahead--and it's time for this somewhat sprawly, apparently fascinating place to start earning its keep. I've been talking with friends about various options, and two (well, two-plus) of them look as if they might just fly.

The first is immediately available and would make a nice holiday prezzie or New Year or Imbolc ditto to yourself or a loved one: a writing mentorship with me. Novels or short stories. SF, fantasy, romance. Other options would be considered. My regular rate is $35 an hour, but there's a special sale for those who mention this entry: four hours for $100. For that you get your choice of levels of editing and review from overall structure to line edits, online help up to the time allotted (more time always available at the standard rate), support, encouragement, and no guarantee I'll get you published but I will do my best to help you get your project into shape for submission. (Thanks to mizkit for this idea. :) )

The second is more of a longterm idea, but I'm thinking of doing a prototype along about March. This can be one (or both!) of two options. Option A would be Horses for Writers. A long weekend (3 days) on my farm outside of Tucson. Live-on-the-farm space is limited to 2 or 3 people, but an additional 3 or 4 could be accommodated provided they find lodging elsewhere. (Different rate tiers, of course, for "boarders" and "day campers.") Learn how a farm works and what horses are like in person and in a herd. Get your hands on various types of tack and equipment, learn how to groom, handle, and feed, take time to study how horses interact with each other and humans. Possible field trips to places of interest including Rodeo Museum and various shows, expos, and horse events depending on what's going on that weekend. Bolder and more athletic participants may elect to have a lesson with Teacher, who would come to instruct on one of the days. Also possible: farrier demo (shoeing and trimming), driving demo, various forms of training and handling demos, and for those able or interested, a ride in the desert out of a local rental stable (allowing participants to experience Western riding and desert terrain up close and personal). (Lots of people have weighed in on this.)

Option B would be for horse lovers--special thanks to plutosonium. "Lipizzan Weekend." Spend a weekend on a Lipizzan farm. Learn all about the breed, with hands-on demos. Have a lesson with a classical instructor on a classically trained Lipizzan (yes, we can give you a picture to prove it). In season, you might get to help us go to a show, help with breeding or foaling, or work with the babies.

How does all this sound? Would people be willing to commit money to these things? Tucson of course is a wonderful place to visit in the winter, when I would schedule most of the workshops. Though I was thinking of a summer "Salamander Session" for truly hardy souls who want to get the desert experience firsthand.

Comments

[cyprinella]

I would *drool* over Option B, but there's probably not a chance that I could afford it. However, given that most horse people tend to have more money than I do, I think it sounds like a win.

[seachanges.livejournal.com]

You have No Idea how very much I would love to do either of those options. That would be so amazingly cool.

[puffbird.livejournal.com]

I would be all over either Option A or B, if I had the money! But I would probably bring a large sketchbook and supply of charcoal and spend a large portion of my time drawing the horses, in addition to riding and handling and all the other stuff. :)

('Course, I'm the one who took the college Horseback Riding class just to be around horses, so I could draw them better...)

Excellent Ideas

[gracefulshrimp.livejournal.com]

I think that would be just amazing!
Option B would definitely depend on the price, but for #1, your writing is so amazing that I bet hordes would sign up :)

Re: Excellent Ideas

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Blush. Thanks. What's funny is, the horsepeople won't care about the writing and will go nuts over the Lipps, whereas the writers are the reverse. ;>

[plutosonium.livejournal.com]

One associated side effect I can think of is that the more people who actually meet the Pookster, the more will want a Pook-baby. Which could be a good thing. Or it could make you insanely busy.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

It will make him insanely busy, you mean. He'll love it.

(Stud fees are lovely. They're not exactly free money, you work for them in PR, ads, customer relations, and hauling to and from the spa, but they are a nice return on the time invested.)

[miintikwa.livejournal.com]

O.o

I would be all over any of these options if I could afford them- would the writing workshop be something you could do long distance, like over a phone (with the workshopee calling you)? Because I would totally do it.

And I would love to do either A or B- though, really, B!!!! A chance to have a riding lesson on a classically trained Lip! *drool*

EEEEE!

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

I can do an online mentorship, that's a workshop through email. Can't do phone, it's one of the reasons I'm doing all this--most of the jobs around here require use of phone.

Besides, this is a whole lot more fun than call-center work.

[larryhammer]

Would YA romantic comedy be out of genre bounds?

---L.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Nope. :)

[larryhammer]

Let me get back to you after the new year. I've got a novel with structural issues -- I know the what but how.

---L.

[gizmometer.livejournal.com]

threegoldfish linked me here, and if I were not totally broke (mostly from paying for my own riding lessons :P) I would jump ALL OVER optionB like... a jumping thing. I might have to be all over it anyway and collect cans to recycle, or something, and I do not even know you.

Seriously, that is ridiculously awesom.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Awww thanks. And welcome!

Once a long time ago.. (in connecticut)

[serendipity9000.livejournal.com]

Long ago I found your live journal. Today I popped by to checkin -- and I just had to send you a comment! As a former student of yours (Jeanne at Wesleyan in 1989 - I was writing about Vikings and the Rus in your 'Writing the Historical Novel' course) - I would say people should leap at your offer of a writing mentorship. In fact - if you go through with your plan, I think it will make a perfect present for a writer friend of mine.

Jeanne from long ago (aka serendipity9000 here on livejournal)

Re: Once a long time ago.. (in connecticut)

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Jeanne! Wonderful to see your phosphors! And thanks for the lovely words.

The mentorships are a go, email privately to set one up. The workshops are taking shape, will post when I have a clearer idea of how to proceed.

[wyldflamingo.livejournal.com]

I love both ideas (and opt in for A immediately, thank my lucky stars for current employment). I would do B, definitely, and possibly even buy my mom option B for a gift, depending on cost. Ah, that word: "cost". Amazing how it can just suck the fun out of any idea.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

I'm pondering cost. Also pondering having the beta session be reduced-price as participants will be helping me develop a format that works.

I'll post an lj entry when my thoughts are a little clearer.

[cindershadow.livejournal.com]

These all sound like great ideas for me. My friend-the-(currently unpublished) mystery writer/community college teacher periodically goes to a writer's workshop held in the nearby Southern California foothills; the rural setting seems very conducive to this kind of get-together, helping them to refocus and set aside their hectic daily lives for a long weekend. And it would certainly be helpful/desirable for more writers to have some real horse experience! So often I just cringe at what people write out of obvious ignorance/inexperience. The Lipizzan Weekend should also be fun for horse people who have no experience with but lots of curiosity about a rare, romantic, and famous breed.

I'd also encourage you to continue to look for boarders--ideally, those who are very compatible with you and/or won't bug you much! That's my current situation: I love my trainer, and going out there on the weekends gives me a chance to enjoy the rural life and peace and quiet, which fulfills my fantasies of having my own place while sparing me the work and responsibility. And she gets a nice, regular, guaranteed monthly check without having me underfoot constantly. (So people with full-time jobs and/or those who want a happy place for their retired horses are the least annoying types of boarders!) You can (and should) also bill more for grooming, holding the horse for the vet, turnout, blanketing, etc.--I have to keep forcing my trainer to take money for that, but it's quite reasonable to charge for it.

Good luck--this all sounds very promising!

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, definitely the boarder thang is a go. I need to generate more word of mouth on that.

The response to these ideas has been amazing. I think they can fly. Woot!

[talimena.livejournal.com]

Oooh, a definite yes to #2, either option. And I'd love the summer one. How far is Tucson from Phoenix? I could combine it with a family trip and be efficient, even.

[janni.livejournal.com]

Tucson's an easy drive from Phoenix--you could get from one to the other within a couple hours. :-)

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Yep--definitely could do that, as Janni said. :)

The summer one would feature Monsoons. And Rides At 5 A.M. And Dealing With Horses In Extreme Heat. The Salamander Session: Not For Sissies.

8)

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

They both sound like excellent ideas.

[dancingwriter.livejournal.com]

Oh, I wish I weren't so far away; I'd love to attend your Horses for Writers workshop! (But the writing mentorship... yes, that's worth considering....)

Hey, perhaps sometime you could sort of combine the two ideas and vet the horsey bits in people's novels/stories!

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Hey, perhaps sometime you could sort of combine the two ideas and vet the horsey bits in people's novels/stories!

That's a great idea. It would work well as email mentoring, too.

[tharain.livejournal.com]

I love this idea. I'm adding you to my FL so I can keep track of it. Fee no need to FL back.

Here by way of sartorias.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :) Hope to see you at a seminar at some point.

[loup_noir]

Here via sartorius

The mentorship, could that be conducted via email? I ask as the following post sounded as though one went to Tucson. I'd rather ask than assume.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

Hi there!

I hope the Clarification post cleared it up. Mentoring is via email. Horses for Writers and the Lipizzan Weekend are on-site dealies and yep, got to go to Tucson for those.

[equesgal.livejournal.com]

I would seriously be interested and will watch for those updates! Whee!!

[diony.livejournal.com]

I just popped by & I had to say, that once I get to a stage in my writing where there are enough words on the page to make this worthwhile, I will leap at the fact that you are willing to exchange mentoring for money. I will even restrict my fangirl squeeing.