back to the magic

If you click on the above photo, you'll get a good idea of what it feels like (to me, now) to be writing a middle grade novel. I'm trying to create something just like this bejeweled web.

Because of a scheduling glitch (that we knew about before we went) we writers had to clear out of the mansion for 24 hours yesterday. I had 50 pages in hand of the work in progress, and was happy to close up the laptop shop, drive home for a mid-retreat visit with husband, kids, and menagerie.

I'll head back to the mansion later today, with my 50 pages marked up by my daughter, who I am discovering is the very best critic for a middle grade book. She knows the genre. And she is just enough past the genre to be truly objective. Maybe this is why it's taken me until now to write it! It's perfect timing to get excellent advice from a young reader.

Meanwhile, there are two cats curled up on my bed, a snoring Corgi-girl lying behind me, and out the window a painted pony eats hay in the front field.

Not to mention the trees have changed costumes since I left - we're moving further into fall.

(thanks to husband for his photo - from a recent photo-adventure in the mountains)

more on retreat, with more magic

I've gotten so much done since arriving on Friday afternoon. It feels possible that I'll get an entire first draft done this week. We'll see.

As usual, the magic mansion seems to attract magic.

Yesterday one of my writer companions got me to come out to the barn - as she was walking past she realized a horse was loose. So I went down to help out.

The horse was a huge, glossy black Hungarian driving horse, one of four who are here being trained to compete in next year's WEG competition.

He had unlatched his stall door and taken a break. Fortunately, the owner/trainer happened to drive up right then and was able to get the horse back into his stall. These four are gorgeous. I'm sure I'll see them in harness, driving, more than once this week.

We had our cocktail and critique last night. As usual, it's wonderfully inspiring to hear other writers read what they're working on. I'm a bit superstitious about reading from very new material that's still in progress, so I didn't read. But even thinking about reading it can be helpful, and today I had a wonderful scene that popped out of nowhere, except that of course it WASN'T nowhere - it was out of the collective creative cauldron that gets simmering when you put writers together.

Right now I'm in a local coffee shop, that is also a gallery for local artists/crafters to sell their wares. It's like Etsy in person! And they're setting up to teach a class, which is actually more inspiration. It all churns into the creative mix. I love it.

And, in a moment of synchroncity, Dr. Thomas Ritter, who runs the Classical dressage list I'm on, sent through a post that really made me pause. He has given me permission to quote from it here. In a way, it speaks to what I'm writing about in the book I'm diving into this trip.

What makes riding so interesting and addictive is that it is a lot
of things. It is a craft. It is an art. It is a sport. It is also a
science. In some ways it is simply applied physics. It has
parallels with the practice of medicine. It is a healing art in the
sense of physical therapy. It is applied psychology. It also has an
intuitive, psychic side that must not be underestimated. It has
things in common with yoga, pilates, dance, and music. These
different aspects draw different types of people, and in order to
go to the top and fulfill one's potential, the rider has to try and
become as competent as possible in all these areas. Nobody can
possibly master them all, which is why especially the truly great
riders always emphasize that it takes more than one lifetime to
master dressage.

Focusing on one aspect to the exclusion of the others lets the
rider fall short of his or her potential. Somebody who sees riding
exclusively as a sport and wants nothing to do with the other
aspects will always remain on the surface. Somebody who sees it
only as an art and does not take the technical, craftsmanship side
or the athletic side seriously, will be held back by these
shortcomings. Someone who gets too wrapped up in the physics and
technique and never develops feel and intuition, will not get very
far, either, etc. The best riders I have met all combined a fairly
high competence level in most of these areas. They were all fit and
athletic, highly intuitive, with an excellent understanding of
psychology, biomechanics and conformation, and they had spent their
entire lifetime practicing the craftsmanship side until it had
become second nature, so that they were able to transcend technique
and leave the text book path behind when necessary in order to find
a practical solution to a problem through the application of
intuition and artistic creativity.

Thank you, Dr. Ritter. It makes so much sense to me, as a rider AND a writer.

writing on retreat, with magical ponies

I'm at my favorite writing retreat this weekend and most of next week, working on a middle grade novel (my first) and making my way deeper into a world of magical ponies.

The sun has come out again today and I've managed to get my old laptop warmed up and back in business. The keyboard took an afternoon to get back in tune with - but now I'm typing about as fast as I have been on the ergonomic one.

As usual, I'm surrounded by horses and carriages being trained and worked and enjoyed. There's a photographic exhibit to look at right down the hallway, which gives the feel of being inside a museum and having the artwork all to myself.

I'm staying in the ghost room this trip, and he has already left me two gifts. A square of white chocolate and this morning, a pushpin.

I dreamed that he threw a gigantic temper tantrum and ripped curtains off rods, but alas, when I woke up, all was just as it had been when I switched off the lamp last night.

Tomorrow afternoon there's a talk on Blackbeard downstairs that I've been invited to attend.

And I'm having cocktails and critiques with two gifted writers this evening, so life is good and as usual, I'm very grateful for the space, the spirit, and the time to work.

And a husband and two children who take such good care of horses, dogs, and cats. I would never be able to leave home were that not true.

rainy days and donkeys

We're into a string of rainy, cool days, and the donkey boys are getting so tired of it. This morning when I went out, I found halters and lead ropes strewn throughout the barn.

The blue barrel that operates like a sort of sink beneath the water pump had been emptied and shoved against the barn doors.

Brushes were tossed about.

The step ladder had been knocked over.

A bucket of plastic flowers and pinwheels (for decorating jumps) had been emptied.

And in the middle stall, quite a large hole had been dug in one corner.

It was quite a mess out there!

Last night I brought the geldings into the arena to give them some exercise before setting them up with hay for the night. The donkeys let themselves in as well and suddenly there was a horse/donkey stampede.

Keil Bay went into his big bold Bay mode and took off after the donkeys. Then Cody got into the act, and the pony was bucking and kicking right behind them.

I couldn't stand it. The donkeys were in the lead but it was just too scary. As Rafer Johnson approached the gate, I opened it out into the barnyard, giving him room to run right through, which he did. Redford stayed in the midst of the stampede for another half-lap, and then saw that Rafer had escaped, so he ran for the open gate to join him.

Salina was in the barnyard with me, tsk tsking away at the silly boys.

Meanwhile, the oak trees are dropping acorns like mad, and I'm spending time each day raking them, mucking them out of the fields, and in some areas mixing horse manure into them in an effort to keep the equines from eating too many.

Where are all the squirrels when you need them?

(I'm almost afraid to answer that, since we've been finding squirrel remains in our barnyard of late)

Otherwise, the gray wet days are perfect for reading books, writing, and eating pumpkin pancakes with hot cocoa on the side.

her fearful symmetry

Audrey Niffenegger's novel The Time Traveler's Wife is one of my favorite books, so I was both happy and nervous when I picked up her newest, titled Her Fearful Symmetry.

Sometimes you read a book and get blown away, and it spoils you for everything that comes after.

But I'm loving her new one.

She also does the most wonderful paintings, drawings, and illustrated books. There's a print of hers for sale called Three Crows that I'd love to buy.