Friday, July 22, 2005

Pics of my horses

Rain aka "Raniac" 2year old 3/4 Kiger + 1/4 South Steens Mustang
Mariachi aka "Mari" - Kiger mustang mare
Catalina aka "Cat" Kiger mustang mare and me

Catalina and filly

Writing about Horses...Myths and Rants (long)

Okay, this is a bit of a rant... every so often I pop over to Romance Central, yesterday I see this helpful posting. And by helpful, I mean a rant of sorts. Okay, I get it- in a way. I have horses, lots of them- primarily mustangs of Spanish origin. I have ridden both English and Western, worked as a wrangler at a dude ranch in Colorado, started colts...basically all sorts of experiences. I read books with horses- in fact if there is one on the cover I will buy it on principal. And, I have read thing that make me roll my eyes. Yes, when you are an "expert" in a field it will happen. My nurse friend bickers about Grey's Anatomy- but hey- no one is studying to be a doctor by watching the show. No, it is entertainment. So, yes some liberties and creative license will be taken. But I digress... I am irritated with this particular rant. Mostly because he is wrong.

Charles Montgomery www.authorsinc.com/ - K, so I can't find him on this site (which has a very annoying way of fading in and out)- so I can't confirm his experience or see pics of his ranch life. I did try to google his name and there is a Canadian journalist who is pretty cute, but no horses. This guy did grow up on a farm??? Could I be ranting about a cute guy? You know what they say about sparks!!

Well, here's the deal- he makes several points and we'll address them all here:

"Myth 1: You cannot guide a horse with your knees." - He claims you will end up in the dirt if you try this. Um...no. I guide my horses with my "legs" all the time- it is how you cue them to take up a lead for instance. Is it my "knee"- not exactly- more the whole leg or the heel or my seat (hipbone/weight)- depending on exactly what I want. But point here is that this isn't all that wrong of a statement. Some people do believe that the reins are for steering and the legs are for speed- but not all. Most horses (untrained- just raw) move in a way that will keep them balanced- so if you put more weight on one side, the horse will move into it to balance itself. Now, that said, you can train a horse to move away from pressure- so use the legs, some use the bridle (reins- mouth for a snaffle, neck for a curb bit)

"Myth 2: You saddle a horse, step into the saddle, and ride the bucking bronco until he quits" - On this one I agree with him- this is not a good practice for training a horse. Does it happen, though? Yes. Many trainers are idiots who believe this. If you work around horses will you ever get a horse that responds like this? yes. Because they were trained by an idiot and there are a lot of them out there. So for the purpose of story writing- just use this to show that the character is an idiot, a bad guy, OR show how the good character can work this horse through this is a productive manner. But don't try to make your hero look good by riding a bucking bronco unless he his specifically training for competition with such animals.

"Myth 3: The word Stallion is not in the vocabulary of horse people" - Well, yes, most people in the horse business refer to uncut male horses of any age as studs. The word stallion is used, is understood, and even appears on show forms for halter classes- so it's not like this is such a big deal to get wrong. Stallion is more romantic, is it not? And honestly- depending on the area and time period- it may well be the more common term. In my parts, people call them studs almost exclusively, but would understand you if you said stallion.

"Myth 4: You can disguise a horse by changing it’s color or some other such foolishness." - Um, yeah, this is pretty dumb. I'd advise against it. I can tell my horses by the way they hold their head, their walk. I can identify them from a distance by their shape. If someone is familiar with a horse, they will know it even if it is covered by a blanket. I have two mares that are identical in color and markings- there is no way I would ever confuse them even from a great distance, but most casual observers do. So use this, if you must, just be sure you are fooling people who don't matter- like the police or the guy at the guard gate or the wealthy owner who doesn't have dust on his shoes- but not the trainer or the groom.

"Myth 5: There’s no such thing as a rodeo circuit." Yes there is- there are several- the Dodge Rodeo Circuit for one. Do a search on Rodeo Circuit- you'll get responses. A Rodeo circuit is where the points from those events get calculated together for an end of season total. It is generally speaking a higher level of competition. Local rodeos are different. Would a cowboy say "I'm going on the rodeo circuit." Probably not, he'd probably say "Goin' to Gainesville, you?"- just like with anything, when you are embedded in the life, you drop off all the qualifiers when you speak about it. It doesn't mean they don't exist, though.

So, here's the deal- in the horseworld there are a lot of people who are "experts"- if you are researching, good luck. Chances are you will talk to an idiot. I have known people who have been around horses all their lives- blahdiddtyblahblahblah - and they do stupid things. One of my good friends is an idiot- her boyfriend is supposedly a trainer- but I'd never ever send my horse to him. Also, depending on the location, the type of riding/competing/whatever you are writing on will change everything- terms used, methods used, types of horse used.

Some of my own rants: 1> Arabians- they show up everywhere. Most cowboys hate them (even though they do pretty good on cows). But is it possible that Big, Rich Cattle Baron/Texas Rancher guy has an expensive, well bred Araibian stallion- sure, it's possible- very weird, IMO, but I'm sure it happens. 2> The popular not-good-with-horses girl (or child, or whatever) has emotional break down and takes off on a wild stallion scene- yes, a lovely plot device, yes it is possible. It is more likely that the rider will get his/her neck broke and the animal will get hurt (esp. if it is a Thoroughbred). 3> The insatiable need to define everything- "saddle- a leather apparatus used for riding a horse" - lordy, I'd rather have a glossary in the back than have this defined in the text. 4> Putting a horse on your cover and not including a horse in your story. DIE!!!! But give me my money back first.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Getting Gas NJ Style- Authors Beware!

Okay, so over on Romancing the Blog the other day there was this post about writing what you know... the funny thing was the comments. Apparently a lot of NJ readers take issue to books that refer to people pumping their own gas in that fine state. Okay, First: How many books actually refer to people pumping gas? In New Jersey? Come on. Second: Why would there be any reference to this, unless the character was making note of how odd it is that it is against the law to pump your own gas.

I just don't see how this can be such a big thing, because how many plots are furthered by the need for a character to be pumping his/her own gas? In NJ no less. It is such a mundane thing (unless, again, you are making reference to the bizarro NJ law) that it shouldn't be in the book. As the reader, I would be more annoyed at having to read however many words needed to be dedicated to this action to imply that gas was being pumped and that it was being pumped by someone other than the attendant. In fact, I can scarcely think up a scenario that this would truly forward the plot. Stopping the car to get out for a Slurpee or to pull a Britney Spears and use the restroom- eeewww barefoot, would be more interesting than pumping gas.

Friday, July 08, 2005

The Next Great American Pizza!

Heehee- I just love it... I just yanked an entire scene (don't worry-waste not- it will fit better in the sequel). I'm at the stage in my highly technical pantser plotting method of madness where I am no longer trying to get page count, but am actually trying to cut page count! *does a very embarrassing imitation of Michael Flatley*

This is the best part for me, because it happens so infrequently for me. I am an avid starter and not a very good finisher... In the beginning I love watching those pages chug upwards- but I find my books tend to be very front heavy and peter out toward the finish, if I even give them one. Not good. And usually it is at this very stage that I put the book aside and work on next great project idea (which I have btw- but it's a shhh! secret of course). So, if I can get past this stage of writing it is a very very good sign- and usually my self doubt shuts the hell up and my interest starts to perk again.

So here's how book inspiration works for me- a liken it to making a pizza. First I start with a few ingredients- your basic- flour, water... whatever else goes into a crust- and I make this lumpy, doughy blob out of it. Then I start rolling it out, making page count, and at some point I toss it in the air and see if it spins. Then I lump and roll, lump and roll, toss. And if I stay with it I get to a point where I have what sort of look like a basic pizza sans toppings. It has the look of a book, the general length perhaps, but it isn't very good. Because it is still just dough. At this stage I might freak out because I was expecting to look down and see a finished pizza- hot and ready to eat. I might say- "Cindy- you suck, you call that a pizza?" I might start trying again on pizza number two- the Next Great American Pizza!

But, if I manage to keep my dementia in check, I realize that I'm already looking at the very promising start of the next great American Pizza- and I start layering on the toppings - making it more active, really getting into the character's bodies, the setting, etc... Then it still needs to be cooked - here I really turn up the heat and crank the tension part.

Then I eat it up with my final read through! Yum!!!

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

For the love of Scottie McMullet...

As a follow up on the war against bad cover art and cheesy titles, this cracks me up!