I finished the sh___y, messy, ugly first draft of part one!! Yay!
I'm going to move on to part two and -- I hope -- part three. I'm on a roll, and developments in later parts of the story may affect the rewrite of part one. My concept for the story arc is three parts (or three books) as Aisley learns who she really is, faces the expectations of others, and assumes her legacy to free the Island of Pennleah from the conquering Vardienians.
As explained by editors and agents at the WW Conference -- the publishing business is looking for people who will be writing books -- the emphasis on the plural. Anyone writing a trilogy or other multiple book series is of interest because a built-in readership may develop (Hello! J.K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, etc.) and with the publication of each subsequent book in the series the publisher can reprint and sell the earlier books to increase revenues.
So...my concept of a three-part story has the potential to become a trilogy of books, which is more saleable. Thus, my goal to soldier on.
BARN TIME
Farrier Calvin called this morning to say he would meet me at the barn to repair Phantom's sprung shoe. I decided to longe and ride Phantom first. We did 20 minutes of walk work that we completed about half an hour before Farrier Calvin's appointed arrival time. Except he was half an hour early! Who's ever heard of a shoer coming early? So many things outside of their control affect the well-planned schedules of shoers and vets that the only appointment they can make on time is the first one of the day.
Anyway...the sprung shoe was quickly repaired and reset, and all is well in my small corner of the equine world.
During our walk work I went through my litany of instructions from former trainers and clinicians. Sometimes when moving at a trot the focus shifts to where we're going, not what I'm doing. Slowing it down to a walk gives me more time to remember, feel and correct. Or try to correct. Anyway, we had a few moments where Phantom and I had our act together.
Boarder Kim didn't bring Abbie to the barn today, but we saw Trainer Tracey for the first time in ages. So Indy and Breeze got to play a little. Caught up on news. Tracey's three daughters were all home for the holidays, which was nice. Very smart and talented girls. They include a medical school applicant, a future veterinarian, and an aspiring commercial artist.
By the way...Trainer Tracey is a fine artist who does GORGEOUS work. I dabble at sketching. She's a trained artist who produces lovely works of art portraying horses.
MISCELLANEOUS
Tomorrow is haircut day. Whew! My hair grows fast, so when I have a short hairstyle I have to get it trimmed like clockwork. It's pretty shaggy right now.
This coming weekend (January 15-19) is the Rose City Classic series of dog shows. Since it's back-to-back shows, it attracts breeders and trainers from all over and has been covered by Animal Planet. We may attend again. Mom is a sucker for terriers, especially Jack Russells. Obviously, I'm attracted to Shelties. But I love the terriers and herding breeds -- they're so smart and full of personality. The show includes a variety of agility competitions and a vendor row. Great fun for not too awfully much money.
"Inkheart" the movie opens on January 23. I'm within a couple of hundred pages of finishing "Inkdeath," the final book in Cornelia Funke's trilogy for young adults. Imaginative concept for a story. I'm envious.
The 2009 Northwest Author Series launches January 25 at the Wilsonville Library. Area authors in fiction and nonfiction will share their experiences and offer advice to attendees. The cost is only $5 to attend.
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