[dropcap style=”simple” size=”5″]F[/dropcap]or those of you who don’t know me, I feel I should start by introducing myself. I am an avid writer to some, almost a little obsessed with the craft. While some enjoy drawing or playing music in their free time, I spend my days tapping away at my laptop’s keyboard and scribbling ideas on a notepad whenever an idea may strike. The passion grew from my love of books in elementary school and all the time I spent imagining books that I wanted to read but could never find because they didn’t yet exist in any bookstore. In third grade, I finally decided that I wanted to be an author when I grew up.

Of course, the years that followed were filled with various ideas and forgotten snippets of plots, as well as one finished manuscript and at least three others in the making. But I am not going to delve into those, at least not right now. The piece that I want to talk about in this blog is my new memoir, “Ride Your Bones,” which is different from anything else I’ve ever written. For one thing, it is a non-fiction piece, contradicting my usual gravitation towards fictional pieces where I can control the plot. Secondly, I don’t plan on trying to sell this manuscript to a publisher, or really advertising it outside of my own small circle of family and friends. But most importantly, I’m not writing it for myself, but for my horseback riding instructor (even if she doesn’t know it yet). She has taught me so much over the years I have ridden with her, and the only way I can think to truly thank her for all of the stories and advice that she’s given me is to write a memoir about it all.

So, I guess this blog will have two purposes: it will be a place that you can come to learn about the best ways to write and  motivate yourself to continue on past the struggles of plot holes, writer’s block, and “Mary Sue” characters; in a way, however, it will also be a place that will act as my own motivation to finish my book, and hopefully encourage you to do the same, whatever your writing goals may be.

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“Legs was a white and grey-flecked horse, part-Arabian and part-Thoroughbred, and was notorious for her stubborn attitude with almost every rider she carried. She was also the oldest horse in the barn, and the only horse that was blind on one side after an accident that had occurred many years before.

“Colby had awoken that morning and come out to the barn as usual, only to find Legs’ eye severely injured after being kicked in the eye by another horse at some point during the night. She had immediately called the vet, who informed her that the eye would never heal. He gave Colby two options: she could either spend the extra money on a glass eye (which wouldn’t change anything for Legs except her appearance), or he could permanently close the eyelid around a special orb that would rest in the socket. It didn’t take long for Colby to decide.

“Now, as I walked across the barn towards her stall, I couldn’t help but smile as she peered at me through the stall door, her permanent wink visible through the weathered slats of unpolished wood. She shook her head as if to greet me, and I laughed, cherishing the special bond that she and I shared. Despite her headstrong attitude as an old mare and being half-blind, she had found a way into my heart, and I had to admit that, though I loved all of the horses at Walnut Slope, Legs was my favorite.”[/box]

By Nicole Schroeder