Angela Dorsey’s Blog

Okay, here’s another writing exercise for you.

Write a story about the first time someone goes riding.

I won’t say any more because I don’t want to direct you too much. I think it’ll be fun to hear of all the different ideas that you have!

Kine, from Norway, just sent me a email asking for advice. She doesn’t have a horse of her own, but had access to a pony and a horse before. Now she can’t ride her favourite, Dolly, because she’s grown too big to ride her. And the owner of the horse is now selling him. To make things even worse, Kine doesn’t have any friends who like horses. Understandably, she is having a hard time living without horses!

Do you have any ideas of what she can do to find another horse or pony to ride?

FINALLY, I am doing the last step you will need to finish your book. Sorry to those of you who have been patiently waiting.

The sixth step in writing your book is the REWRITE! To say rewrite is a little bit optimistic though - more accurately, it would be rewrites. In the rewrites, you read over your book and change the things that you notice are wrong.

What to check for?

You check the spelling and grammar. One tip, don’t trust the spell checker. Horse and hoarse sound the same and are both spelled correctly, but it would sound pretty funny to say ”My hoarse didn’t eat his oats this morning.”  

You check that things are said in the most effective way. For example, one thing you can do is change common words to be more vibrant. Instead of saying, “The horse ran through the forest,” you can say “The brilliant chestnut careened between the dark trunks.” It gives much more atmosphere to your book.

Check your dialogue by speaking it aloud to make sure your characters are speaking naturally.

Check for inconsistencies. Is the chair blue in one scene, and then yellow in another?

And when you are reading through your book, stop whenever something just seems WRONG. It is very important to figure out what’s wrong with these sections and fix them.

And then when you’re reread and rewritten your book. You do it again. And again, and again, until you know you can’t write it any better.

Here is what I do whenever I write a book.

1. After I finish the first draft, I rewrite the entire book at least two or three more times on the computer.

2. I print up a copy and rewrite it one or two more times.

3. I send it to an editor to edit it for me. My editor is Ev and she is fabulous! Within a few days, she gets back to me with notes on everything that she noticed that were both right and wrong with the book. She gives me suggestions for the things that need changed.

4. I rewrite the book on the computer again, and then, if I feel it needs it, I either rewrite the entire thing again or I just rewrite spots of it.

5. I print up the book again and read it aloud to myself. When you read a book out loud, you will notice even more things wrong with it.

6. I send it to the Norwegian publisher, Eli, and she usually gets back to me within a couple of weeks with a list of things that she wants me to change.

7. I make those changes and rewrite the book at least once more, and possibly (like with Mystic Tide) have to start over at #1 again!

8. I eventually get an email from Bobbie, the PONY editor from the USA, and she has more edits for me. She usually does them though, and I look over her changes. However, I still do one more complete rewrite of the book as I check the changes.

9. And then, finally, it gets made into a book, and you guys get to read it.

Whew, what a lot of work!!! It makes me tired just thinking of it!

Yesterday, Wiley started a new life adventure with a new person, Keshia. We decided he needed to get out and learn some stuff, and that Keshia is the perfect person to teach him. She is taking him for four years and is going to teach him to jump and compete. Keshia promises that she’ll keep us all updated on his progress, and in turn, we can all cheer them on!

Here is a photo of Keshia and Wiley. It’s obvious that he likes her, isn’t it?

Okay, all you young writers out there, here’s a writing exercise for you.

Tell a very short story (less than 500 words) about a girl who goes to visit a new friend for the first time and they go into her friend’s barn. The barn is so messy that…

What does it look like? What happens? Is there a horse lost in there? Tell me your story!!!

The June/July Trivia Contest is ready for your answers. Go to “For Readers” and then “Trivia Contest” to send in your answers!

Here are the answers to the last Trivia Contest!

1. The Icelandic Horse tolts.

2. The first ancestor of the horse is thought to be the Eohippus.

3. Ah, this one you have to read Mystic Tide to know the answer!

4. Cavaletti are small fences used to train horses.

5. Four inches equals one hand in measuring horses.

6. A vice is a bad habit that stabled horses start usually because they’re bored.

7. Name three colour breeds - this is the one that almost EVERYONE got wrong. There are really only four colour breeds. Pinto, Palomino, Buckskin, and White (in the USA). All the others, like Paint, Appaloosa, Cleveland Bay, etc. aren’t colour breeds because every horse with that colour can’t be registered in that registry. For example, not every bay horse can be registered as a Cleveland Bay. The horse has to have the Cleveland Bay breeding as well. Do you see what I mean?  

8. You have to read Freedom or A Horse Called Freedom to know the answer to this one!

9. Black Beauty’s best friend was named Ginger.

10. And your favourite horse movie? Only you know the answer to that one!

The new questions should be coming soon. I’ll post a link when they’re ready for you to answer.  

And again, the rules are: you can enter each Trivia Contests twice, but only one entry counts. If you enter a second time, the second answers count, even if you got them all right the first time and didn’t the second time! So if you think you have them right the first time, don’t enter the second time!

Hey, the Trivia Contest is close to deadline. You have until Monday morning to enter it, if you so choose - or to re-enter it. Only ONE person has gotten all 10 right!

Ev, our wonderful editor, asked me to tell you that there is NO TROUBLE with Chad - she thinks its an awesome story! She said “its a very fun read with great themes about forgiveness and not taking things for granted.”

So, if you want to read it in its final glory, go to: http://www.angeladorsey.com/ourstories.html and click on The Trouble With Chad!

Many thanks Rachel, for this interesting and unique story start!

There once was a beautiful princess named Larra. Her father was the sultan of Bali. Joshua was her groom, and he cared for her gray Arab stallion, Baldore. Also, he had a horse of his own named Adda. Larra adored her Baldore as much as Josh loved his little bay Adda.

Larra was superstitious and Josh did not approve of it. He remarked once that what she called ‘important’ was really ‘rubbish’. However, a thrashing followed his bold words and after that, he rarely spoke to the princess. Still, at her request, he would accompany her on her rides.

Even though he knew it was forbidden, a part of him couldn’t help but admire the princess from afar. She was the most beautiful girl in the world when she took to the land on her gray stallion. At first Josh denied himself any and all thoughts of the future queen, but he could not tear her from his mind, and at last he gave in. He was sure it couldn’t hurt to admire the horse loving princess - many young men did - just so long as he kept it to himself and the confiding ears of Adda. She would never let it be known that her beloved master had fallen for the princess. Plus, she found herself falling for the royal steed, for he was a very handsome young stallion.

Horses often feel it when something unexpected was to happen, and Baldore and Adda felt sure boring life at the stable was about to change.

Okay, my avid readers and writers, write this story!!!