dancinghorse | Ideas Whose Time May Have Come

'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.