American Classic Pedigrees - Horse Tales

Moving Again ... at a Crawl

3/13/2025

Good news and bad news this week. The good news is that my editor is really enthused about the Holy Bull book and wants me to go ahead with updating the manuscript based on the readers' suggestions. She also wants me to go ahead and get the abstracts and keywords done, a task that involves developing a brief summary of the book as a whole followed by a similar summary for each chapter, along with selecting 5-10 keywords for the book and for each chapter. The work is tedious, but it's part of progress, so I suppose it still falls under the heading of good news.

The bad news is that review of the manuscript by the editorial board has been put off until April, since they weren't able to have an in-person meeting until February. At this point, there's very little reason to fear that the book will be rejected, but the board will be hammering out some of the details of launching the series so that there will be uniformity in cover design, layout, and so on. Back to the business of learning patience, I suppose.

As for the Firebird concept, I continue to hammer away on it a little bit at a time in between other things. I intend to keep pressing on with it as I have had a lifelong ambition of publishing a fantasy novel that has yet to be fulfilled, but I am certainly far, far away from having a finished product.

The Dead Zone

3/6/2025

In every author's life, there are times when nothing seems to be moving on multiple fronts. Your editor isn't answering calls or emails, your ideas for something new are progressing at a crawl (if that), and you either have no real idea how your previous works are doing or you're pretty sure that they're a long way from living up to your hopes. Welcome to the Dead Zone.

Editors, of course, get busy, and unless you're a superstar, the chances that they're going to drop everything to get back to you are pretty low. Unless the matter is of critical importance, they'll get to you when they get to you. Fallow times for ideas and writing progress come with being human, and building a reputation and a writing career is seldom accomplished with just one or two books.

As with so many things, patience, perseverance, and a healthy belief in oneself are the keys to getting past these frustrating times and continuing to write. The first two, I'll admit, are not qualities I particularly enjoy exercising. Nonetheless, they are necessary and part of my journey. And should you also be stuck in the Dead Zone, don't give up---you, too, have a journey to make and a story to tell.

Themes

2/27/2025

In writing---or attempting to write---fiction, sooner or later the author must wrestle with the themes to be presented. These are the unifying ideas or questions that underlie a story. They may be consciously chosen beforehand; they may develop organically as the writer proceeds, flowing out from the writer's experiences, thinking, and personal wrestlings; or they may follow a middle course in their development.

Themes also emerge in nonfictional writing, particularly history and biography, in which the themes the author chooses to pursue will powerfully influence both which facts and events are more heavily weighted and the author's interpretation of those facts in portions of the narrative in which it is appropriate to present the author's educated guess as to why or how something happened or someone acted as they did. (Whew! That's a mouthful.) The same facts that lead one author to craft a narrative showcasing the theme of perseverance against the odds might lead another author to explore the question of "what is social justice?", resulting in two quite distinct accounts of the same event or person.

Authors, by the way, are under no obligation to answer the questions presented in their themes and are often better when they do not, allowing the reader's mind to grapple with the question and continue exploration of possible answers even after the journey of the book's protagonist has reached a conclusion. A question that leads to a pat answer is more a moral than a theme, and while morals have their place (a la Aesop's Fables), they seldom make for the kind of books that provoke deep thought or become old friends, kept for re-reading and re-exploring.

Because my early concepts of the tale of the Firebird revolve around a tension between two worlds and two modes of existence that the main characters are caught between, the primary theme that seems to be emerging is this: What does it mean to be human? That is a question with so many ramifications and sub-themes that I think I'm in little danger of becoming trite, at least. It's also a question that to some extent makes me glad that I'm not trained as a philosopher, as I'd rather not fall off the other side of the horse into being ponderous or abstruse and so risk losing the story.

More themes may start developing as I proceed, for a book seldom has only a primary theme and nothing else; secondary themes will almost always come out to play as well. But at least I have some idea of which way the river of my thoughts is running.

Pacing

2/13/2025

As I continue playing with the Firebird concept, defining the overall pace of the story becomes important. Pacing---the speed at which a story unfolds and progresses---is at once dependent on the type of story being told and yet an element that helps define the story. It is an important factor in setting moods, developing characters, and determining the complexity of the tale. Pacing can be one way in which a book satisfies reader expectations; it can also signal surprises or twists as the pace speeds up or slows down.

While many people think of pacing as primarily important to fiction writing, nonfiction works that recount a narrative of some sort also rely on pacing to convey information and to set tone. For example, I am currently reading a biography of Queen Elizabeth II that is seeking to convey both the personality of the late Queen and the complexity of her role as she navigated the historical and political events of seven decades as a constitutional monarch with great influence but no direct power. By its nature, the intimacy of this written portrait demands a relatively slow, thoughtful overall pace. By way of contrast, T. R., a biography of Teddy Roosevelt written in the mid-20th century, moved at a faster pace reflecting the energy and activity of its subject and his power to influence events directly; while it touched on his personal development as a man and how the development of his character affected his decisions, it was more driven by his direct interaction with the events of his time.

Pacing can shift within a book, often in concert with the development of the primary character. For instance, in my upcoming biography of Holy Bull, the pace is relatively moderate while discussing his early life and the emergence of his distinctive personality, then picks up as he moves into his racing career, slowing once more as he transitions to the life of a stallion. Pacing can also ebb and flow to allow sections with more intensive setting and character development to alternate with passages depicting action and the consequences of crucial decisions; this allows the reader to "take a breath" and not be either overwhelmed by one hard-driving piece of action after another or bored by an overdose of introspection or unneeded detail.

I haven't made all the decisions yet as to how the Firebird story will set up, but as a fantasy centering around the viewpoint of one particular character, a moderate pace with a pattern alternating external and internal activity seems likely to be most workable. I'll probably have to do some outlining and shuffling to see what progression works best.

One Step at a Time

1/30/2025

The good news is that the reader reports are back for my Holy Bull manuscript and are very positive. (It may sound weird after more than 20 years of writing for publication, but I still feel nervous on seeing something from my editor in the email box---is it bad news? For the record, I've yet to open one that torpedoed me, but tell that to my anxiety; there's always a first time.) The bad news is that I'm still waiting for the editorial review board to give the project final approval to proceed, although this should be a relatively short wait. From there, it's on to copy editing.

While I wait, I'm still working slowly on the tale of the Firebird---I have always been much slower at putting together a fictional story than a nonfictional account, and this is proving no exception to the rule. I'm also doing research for possible future projects regarding horses and their people. Sometimes it feels like I'm mostly spinning my wheels, but I've long since learned from experience that the time I spend on alternative ideas is seldom wasted; one way or another, it will contribute to my future projects and to my development as a writer. So ... onward, one step at a time toward whatever the future holds.

A Word About Websites

1/9/2025

I've spent a good chunk of my free time during the last week updating this website based on the 2024 sire lists---as many as I could get hold of for countries that conduct black-type racing under International Catalogue standards. This brings me to the topic of website development and maintenance, which most authors will have to consider sooner or later.

Now, American Classic Pedigrees is a much larger project than most authors will ever need to undertake. For me, the business of writing about Thoroughbreds and the maintenance of an organized compilation of information about the breed are closely intertwined. For others, simpler may be much better. Nevertheless, given the importance of online presence and platforms in modern book marketing, websites are necessities, not luxuries or "nice-to-haves," and should be carefully designed to accomplish a writer's purposes in providing visibility for his or her work.

Websites do not have to be expensive. If you use a do-it-yourself host that provides pre-made elements and layouts to customize to your needs (as I do), a few hundred dollars a year will cover the basics; the rest depends on how much time you want to pour in and whether you want to hire any of the host's design services to polish things up further. If you want a professionally designed and fully customized site and lack the skills to do the work yourself, you may lay out several thousand for the work, depending on what bells and whistles you want to include, in addition to paying annual fees for hosting and for registration of your domain name.

At a minimum, an author website should meet some basic standards:

1) Is the domain name one that is reasonably easy to remember?

2) Is the site's basic layout attractive? While this is somewhat subjective, designs usually work best when they are uncluttered, focused on a single main theme, and using an easy-to-read font that is fairly high in contrast to the background.

3) Is the site easy to navigate? Do buttons and drop-down menus clearly indicate how content is organized? Are links clearly indicated and functional?

4) Are your most recent works up front? Is it easy to find information about earlier works on the site?

5) Do you have easily accessed space for sharing information with your readers about upcoming projects, appearances, and promotions?

6) Does each book have ordering information clearly shown? If you're not doing direct sales through your site, you do want people to know how to obtain your titles.

7) Does the website translate reasonably well to smartphones? Like it or not, that's a major means of access these days.

8) Does the website help your readers to make a personal connection to you? Whether or not you want them to be able to communicate with you directly is a personal choice, but does the website display something of who you are and what you are about? How about social media information?

I know a lot of this is going to seem pretty old-school to those who are digital natives, but for those of you working on a first book, there's no time like the present to start thinking about how you will present yourself online. And if you already have a website, this is as good a time as any to review it and see if it needs any tweaking to remain up-to-date and focused on your needs in communicating with your audience.

Happy writing!

A Passion for Writing

12/26/2024

As I look back over 2024, my writing and the activities connected to it have gone through at least as many ups and downs and unexpected turns as this blog. I can't say I've been terribly consistent, but if you, the reader, have enjoyed sharing some of my journey with me or have gotten some benefit from a book review or a bit of writing advice, then my work has been worthwhile.

I close out the year with a wish that, whatever your writing goals may be, you will pursue them with passion, for good writing comes first and foremost from the heart. What you love, share. It's as simple as that.

Happy writing in 2025!

World Building

12/19/2024

Whether writing a fictional story or a nonfictional writing dealing with history or biography, world building is a necessary part of the work. It is not enough to create or present compelling characters. To know them, and to know why they act (or acted) as they do (did), one must understand the context in which they exist(ed)---a context that includes, but is not limited to, the geography, biota, and climate of the setting; culture; social structures; and prevailing philosophies and intellectual trends. These background factors define the probable limitations of a character's worldview, the questions that character may seek to ask or answer, and the range of experiences that the character may have had.

From an author's point of view, constraints on world building exist on a continuum. When writing fantasy, for example, the author has a great deal more creative work to do but also has much more freedom to put together a world according to his or her vision, so long as it is internally self-consistent. The more you slide over toward historical fiction and history, the more you are constrained by what has actually been, and world building for your narrative is more a matter of research and emphasis than of creation.

Some will doubtless disagree with me, but my opinion is that, if you want to write "history as it should have been," you should confine yourself to fiction. This is for two reasons. First, some otherwise fine writing has been utterly spoiled by 20th- or 21st-century Western attitudes, thinking patterns, and cultural elements being inserted into a historical context in which these elements did not exist or at most existed only in embryonic form. (It is true that some historical personages have made some remarkable leaps ahead of their times, some of which anticipated modern conditions, but these leaps did not occur out of vacuums; part of the work of the serious historian is to show from the available evidence how a person's background, experiences, and previous ideas made it possible for that person to make the jump from the prevailing paradigms of his or her time to a new one.) The second reason is that fiction often allows a much freer exploration of ideas in a form that is not so easily forgotten or dismissed.

Assuming you are writing nonfiction, spending research time on the many elements constituting the background in which your narrative will be set may not seem like much fun, and it certainly adds considerably to the hours you'll spend perusing archives, reference works, and websites. (Writing fiction will not get you out of this entirely, by the way; many top writers of fantasy and science fiction spend a great deal of time researching real-life information that will help them construct believable fictional worlds and cultures.) Nonetheless, there is no subject for doing your homework if you want to capture the flavor of the world in which your subjects were immersed.

The Logic of Fairy Tales

12/12/2024

As I play with the Firebird concept, I find myself grappling with the rules of the world of fairy tales, which provide structure but also limitations that cannot be transgressed without losing the elusive flavor that distinguishes a fairy tale---a story bordering on the mythic---from ordinary literature. Some of the rules are relatively easy to discern. The hero or heroine usually begins with some substantial disadvantage. The ultimate task to be accomplished is difficult or obscure and may already have defeated any number of more obvious champions. Fantastical elements, usually in the form of magical creatures, enchanted objects, and spells to be completed or undone, are central to the story. The protagonist must face trials on the way to the ultimate goal and usually conquers by wits or noble character rather than force of arms.

Other rules that distinguish the fairy tale from other stories are more difficult to discern; many come under the heading of "I know them when I see them." J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy smells of fairy tale through and through, as does his novella Smith of Wootton Major; the same author's Farmer Giles of Ham does not, even though it contains such common fairy-tale elements as a magical sword, a giant, and a dragon.

The fairy tale as a basis for more modern fantasies has a long and honorable history, ranging from Andre Norton's Year of the Unicorn (loosely based on "Beauty and the Beast") to Mercedes Lackey's Five Hundred Kingdoms series and Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver (a tale derived from "Rumpelstiltskin"). I'd like to add to that, but the challenge will be spinning a fresh story within the traditions and tropes that define the world of fairy tales. Creating something both old and new is certainly going to stretch my writing ability; I'm hoping it will be in a good direction.

Flights of Fancy

12/5/2024

As I continue to wait on some editorial direction regarding my next project, an idea keeps tickling around in my head about writing a fantasy novel. Why not? I've been wanting to do that for ages, and following my own advice about having different writing projects in play at a given time probably isn't a bad idea. It's not as though I can't lay it aside if I need to get rolling on another horse book, it's practice in shaping words and thoughts in a different way, and it's a way to keep practicing the craft of writing without getting stale.

What's been teasing through my mind is a story based on the ancient Russian legend of the Firebird, which brings both beauty and misfortune into the lives of whoever may see it, and especially on the one who dares keep one of its glowing feathers. The legend has several variants, generally falling into either a quest to capture the enchanted bird or a quest to find and bring back a princess somehow linked to the bird. Usually, in true fairy-tale fashion, the hero is the underappreciated third son of a king, who succeeds where his more favored brothers have failed. But what if the prince is a princess, the Firebird is far more than it seems, and the fates of many magics hang in the balance? And yes, I think a magical horse or two will play a role, something also seen in some versions of the Firebird legend.

I don't know if it will all come together or if I'm chasing something as elusive as the Firebird itself. But I'm going to give it a try!