โKid, seems like yer fineโly gittinโ yer acts tโgether, even if ya are repeatinโ some a โem.โ
โPal, did you know this is the twenty-eighth?โ
โYeah, Kid, I know todayโs the twenty-eighth of September. Monday. A new show at the Saddle Up!โ
โNo, this is our twenty-eighth show since we started the saloon. Kin ya believe it? Weโve had some real fine guests anโ visitors in that time, fer sure.โ
โSo, Kid, whatโs the plan fer this week then? Is there a special guest?โ
โVery special.โ
โWell?โ
โWell, Iโm confused, Pal. I have a guest lined up but I ainโt sure ifโn itโs Shorty or ifโn itโs Charli Mills. How kin I tell the diffโrence?โ
โNearโs I kin tell, theyโs one anโ the same, both real deal, โcept oneโs fictional.โ
โOh. Like us.โ
โNo, not like us. Weโre totally made up, but Shortyโs a BORP.โ
โMind yer manners, Pal, say โscuse me.โ
โNot burp; BORPโ based on a real person. Shortyโs the Boss a the ranch thet we hang out at, Charli Mills is the Boss a the Carrot Ranch thet real folks hang out at, virtually. Shorty gits writ in when we need her hep ta keep our story goinโ.โ
โHmmph. Seems once agin like our writer donโt quite know what sheโs doinโ, then has ta drag uthers inta her messes. Whynโt she jist write Charli Mills in, โstead a writinโ in Shorty?โ
โCharli Mills is too dang busy, Kid! Havinโ Shorty ta take care a fictional aspects a the ranch frees her up. Anโ it allows us anโ our writer ta make things up, which is fine ta do as long as thereโs some truth ta it. Does thet clear up yer confusion?โ
โThink ya jist added ta it but Iโm thinkinโ fer this innerview we better jist have Charli Mills.โ
โLooky there Kid, she jist walked in the door.โ
โLooks like Shorty.โ
โShush, Kid, thetโs Charli Mills, all right, all the way from World Headquarters! Git her a cider! Howdy, Boss, um, Ms. Mills. Welcome to our, uh, your saloon.โ
โHey there Pal! Kid, is that a hot cider? As in habanero pepper hot, not heated over a campfire hot?โ
โYep, hard cider with a bit a heat.โ
โBarnburner. Ahhh, nice.โ
โWow. Charli Mills herself, here at the Saddle Up!โ
โYep. In town for Cowboy Christmas. Itโs Rodeo season.โ
โThetโs right, yer a bona fide buckaroo. Reckon this wonโt be yer first rodeo.โ
โMy first Rodeo was 1971. Won a ribbon for sitting tall in the saddle. By 1974 I was tackling goats. Then my parents moved from buckaroo country to logging in the mountains. I worked for real ranches, pushing cattle, mostly. Kinda like Heidi of the mountains but with a horse.โ
โUh, Charli? Thetโs a fine bit a true story anโ all, butโฆ kin ya tell us โbout the Rodeo at Carrot Ranch?โ
โOh, the first Flash Fiction Rodeo. Well, that would be 2017. Yep. We all got to say, โThis was my first rodeo.โโ
โWhat made ya wanna have a Rodeo competition at Carrot Ranch?โ
โItโs a ranch, right, Kid? Well, pokes on a ranch practice their skills regularly. A rodeo is a chance to challenge those skills, show off a bit, get bucked off some. But rise from the dirt and be happy you rode with a bunch of others. Some will take the purse home.โ
โA purse? Like Gucci? Think Nanjo Castille is sellinโ some Gotchie thatโs cheaper.โ
โNo, not a Gucci, and be careful of Nanjo and his Gotchies. A purse, like prize money. First place in each Flash Fiction Rodeo contest takes home $25. Cash, Amazon gift card, or a donation to a worthy cause.โ
โIโm lookinโ forward ta seeinโ the contests set forth each Tuesday by yer crack team a Rodeo leaders, Charli. Sounds like a tough competition.โ
โAll of the contests will be tough, but a fun challenge. And then thereโs TUFF. Weโve all learned to get tough, but TUFF is a standard contest that tests the reduction and revision skills of a writer.โ
โWhutโs tough? Writinโ? Or rodeoinโ?โ
โBoth Pal! Weโve learned to be brave. To put our work out there. Writers have learned to read directions carefully because each Rodeo Leader is different in what skills they are testing. If you get bucked off a bull before 8 seconds, your ride is disqualified. Similar, if you donโt make the word count (or syllable count) a writer gets disqualified.โ
โYer in the arena, not jist ridinโ the range.โ
โYep. So polish up your silver. When I rode in rodeos as a kid, I learned how to polish the conchos on our best bridles and saddles. Writers will want to polish up their stories before submitting. Make each word shine. You got to polish early, let it sit, and polish some more.โ
โSounโs like winninโ advice, Charli.โ
โAnd donโt be sore if you donโt win. Not everyone draws the best bull to ride, and sometimes the lasso misses its mark. Some judging is more subjective, like art. Doesnโt mean your skills suck. Just means it wasnโt your win. Yet.โ
โNot yet. Thetโs a positive mind set thet there.โ
โKeep practicing those skills with the weekly challenges. If you see a craft skill a fellow writer uses, like dialog or description, give it a go. Try writing different genres or taking different perspectives. Play.โ
โThereโll be the regโlar weekly challenges at Carrot Ranch while the rodeoโs goinโ on?โ
โThatโs write. The weekly challenges will continue at the Ranch but I will be taking a hiatus from commenting, saving my voice for running TUFF here at the Saloon each Monday.โ
โYer gonna be runninโ the Saloon?โ
โYep, Kid. Pal gave me permission to hold TUFF right here. Hereโs more info on what the TUFF challenge is all about:
โNo foolinโ, thatโs a powerful tool, that TUFF process.โ
โIt sure is. For the Rodeo, writers who want to enter have to start October 5. No late-comers to the race. October 5, writers will get their prompt and turn in a 99-word draft by the next Monday, October 12. Then writers will have to reduce their 99-words to 59 by the next Monday, October 19. Then they will reduce that reduction to 9-words by Monday, October 26.โ
?โJeez! A rootinโ tootinโ writinโ workout!โ
โWell, thatโs not all. On the 26, these writers whoโve hung with TUFF every Monday will then have to rewrite their entire story by November 2. Thatโs when the Saloon reverts back to you two.โ
โSo we git a month off. No longer behind bars, so ta speak. But yer gonna be busier than ever, with rodeoinโ anโ TUFFinโ and MFAinโ. Whut kin folks do ta hep ya out, Charli Mills?โ
โFolks at the Ranch can help by acting community-like throughout the challenges, commenting on stories and links and comment. Visiting with each other. Not every one. But if every submitter commented on a few, everyone would be included. Itโd help me out.โ
โCould jist shut the place down, close it fer the rodeo time.โ
โI canโt shutter the Ranch. This here place is my North Star. I want to make literary art accessible, especially to those silenced or working to express their voice. I write womenโs fiction to give voice to those forgotten on the fringes and frontiers. The Ranch is my real-live place to gather voices around the campfire of storytelling.โ
โNot gonna lie, Shorty, I mean Charli, Iโm glad thet Carrot Ranch will go on regโlar with the weekly challenges even through the Rodeo competition. Thetโs comfertinโ somehow. Good ta have it stayinโ the same.โ
โThe routine will remain constant over October but over the years the Ranch certainly has evolved. 99-words has become our signature like a cattle ranch that built a herd of black baldies from Angus and Herefords. We have a purpose and we are a community.โ
โIt sure is. Whatโre the highlights a the Ranch fer you, Charli?โ
โBest thing about the Ranch, for me, is the surprising diversity of stories week after week. Itโs like storytelling anthropology. The same prompt triggers different responses and writers each use imagination and creativity unique to their voice. I love the way the collection comes together as a whole. When I share or read them, people are amazed at the capacity of creative response in 99-words linked together. Thatโ the magic of what we do here.โ
โIt ainโt all magic, Boss. Itโs a magical place but thinkinโ it must be tough beinโ the lead buckaroo.โ
โItโs all sweat equity at the Ranch. I chuckle when someone refers to the Ranch like a group or organization. Itโs a community, but we arenโt staffed. Just me shoveling stories in the back of the barn. Thatโs why Iโd like to encourage the community to interact. Not take up time, but to really think about their writing and the reading of others. Have a discourse. Be supportive. Encourage the growth of literary art as a light in dark times.โ
โWell thet sounโs like a fine time, somethinโ fer everโone.โ
โHey, Charli, did you know when you started the ranch that Pal lived here and that Ernie was up the creek making moonshine?โ
โI smelled the mash and suspected, Kid. Invited them to come out of the shadows, share some swigs and stories. And you showed up, under Palโs wing.โ
โYep! Charli, how real is Carrot Ranch?โ
โCarrot Ranch is a fictional spread where real writers gather. It has a headquarters on the Keweenaw, surrounded by the waters of Lake Superior. It even has a Rodeo Room for guest writers in residence and a Unicorn Room where Zoom readings, storyboarding, and magic happens.โ
โI love thet Carrot Ranch is a community of folks from all over the world.โ
โThatโs right Pal. We are a tribe of writers that has built a legacy of stories from prompts that bind us. Anyone who feels connected to the ranch, all the Rough Writers, the Poet Lariat, the Columnists, the Rodeo Leaders and Judges, the weekly, or occasional challenge writers, the readers and lurkers โ they are all part of Carrot Ranch Literary Community. It is what they want it to mean to each of them. And now Stephanie Davies, an Australian illustrative artist, created this poster to represent all the folks who are a part of Carrot Ranch, all the folks that help make Carrot Ranch the community that it is.โ
โWhoa! Thatโs amazing!โ
โYep. Tellin’ ya, Kid, thetโs jist another thing makes me pleased anโ proud ta be a part a the Ranch. Charli, you should be proud. This place sure has evolved, as ya said. What dโya think Carrot Ranchโll be up ta five years down the road?โ
โFive years from now the Ranch will have built its Roberts Street Writery. Thatโs where headquarters is. Folks from Carrot Ranch will be meeting around retreat campfires, or visiting headquarters for Residencies. Iโll have finally published one of my manuscripts and have a frame to dust on my MFA.โ
โReckon it will too. This community has kept goinโ despite certain goinโ onโs in the larger world. What dโya see fer the Ranch in fifteen years?โ
โFifteen years from now, the Ranch will still be collecting storytelling anthropology. Those trained through the Writery will be bringing literary outreach to every corner of the world, sparking literary revolutions among those seeking to express their voices, share their stories. Itโll be a 99-word revolution, a literary art virus, a call to dignity and kindness and appreciation of art.โ
?And then Charli Mills downed her cider, thanked Kid and Pal, and returned to her thesis, knowing she has a busy month ahead of her. But even with all her chores and responsibilities her eyes sparkled like silver spurs, for the Rodeo, Cowboy Christmas, is a part of her vision for Carrot Ranch. She knows the weekly round-up will nurture her writerly soul. And TUFF, the ultimate flash fiction writing tool, will be center stage at the Saddle up Saloon Mondays beginning October 5 even as the other Rodeo events are posted by their leaders on Tuesdays.
Pal & Kid could use some help too. While they will have some down time from the ย Saddle Up Saloon during October, they could be looking ahead. Almost anything goes. Got something to share? Take the stage! If you or your characters are interested in saddling up for a wild ride as a saloon guest, contact them viaย averydede.1@gmail.com.
October will be a rip-snortin’ ridin’ month, as fun as anyone wants to make it.
The Buckaroo Nation Totem Pole is beautiful, creative, and all-inclusive for our members. Thank you to the artist for designing it and to Charli/Shorty for realizing how one could represent more cohesiveness.
Congratulations to Kid and Pal on their 28th “anniversary.” I’m glad you keep us involved and provide an always open venue where we can hang out.
D. here… I just hope those two yahoos can handle the time off, stay out of trouble. Hmm.. maybe we’ll see them around the Rodeo grounds.
I have enjoyed their work at the Saloon, it’s helped to have a place open throughout this crazy spring and summer. Thank you Susan, for your input and help at the Saloon!
My pleasure. Their presence has given me reason to smile during this strange time.
Stephanie was wonderful to work with! I gave her a dredful mock up of ideas for each element and streamlined it into a beautiful work of art. Yes, Sue, we will have a rip-snortin’ time!
So Shorty corresponds (in some way) to Charli Mills… do Kid and Pal have their own counterparts, I wonder, or are they (despite their own denials) fully fictional?
Also, I love the totem pole ๐ which symbols represent which parts of the community?
I see specific places and countries through some of the representations on the totem pole, also past prompts with the rainbow cat and unicorn.
Kid and Pal are absolutely 100% self made fictional characters, sprung out of the Ranch like fruit flies on a soft tomato. So they say.
I don’t know how Kid’s keeper figure out that my bull-riding great-granddad used to call me Shoty! Of course, he called everyone Shorty.
Stephanie’s art is beautiful! I’m hoping writers here will see themselves or their stories in the places and prompts illuminated in the totem pole.
Thanks, guys ๐ yeah, both the totem and the story are nice and wholesome!
I wander in, look around, smile, wonder exactly where I have just been and saunter out again, confused and amused…
So glad you wander in, and I truly hope any amusement outweighs the confusement. But maybe it’s something you drank? Get yer head straight, it’s time to polish the silver.
Ha, the movie theater is further down the dirt road. Plays good film noir I understand.
I would be remiss if I didn’t reference Bogdanovich’s classic, almost 50 years old, The Last Picture Show. Modern day western; coming of age story; so many other themes…an with a sort of dusty rural noir quality that saddens and comforts me to this very day…
Thank you for that. Top of my the pile.
Reblogged this on Word Craft ~ Prose & Poetry and commented:
Kid and Shorty… I mean Charli Mills, give the lowdown on Rodeo season at Carrot Ranch… Be on the lookout for more rodeo information coming your way on this blog! Giddy-UP!
Thank you Colleen. Can’t wait to see what you offer up for Rodeo competitors.
It should be fun! Iโm excited, D. ??
Thanks for sharing, Colleen!
Youโre very welcome. ??
TUFF sounds tough. ๐ It mirrors finishing a first draft and paring it down to fewer words, then having to come up with a query and a pitch.
As Charli says, it’s a versatile and useful tool, TUFF. What you describe is one application. I’ve played with it some, enough to see that there are many applications, in any genre or setting; I have enjoyed trying it out and seeing how a piece of writing changes from the process then maybe sifting out the shiny bits. The TUFF contest in the Rodeo is a great opportunity to stretch some writing muscle and try this out. With any form of flash fiction writing, it’s up to the writer to decide whether they just wrote a full story or only germinated a seed to grow a later story, but you will find the TUFF contest fertile ground for story growing either way.
Yes, yes, yes! TUFF is both an artform and a tool.
You might be right about that Perfesser.
https://shiftnshake.wordpress.com/2020/09/30/tuff-schooling/
Thanks for sharing!
Loved this. Loved seeing and listening to you. And your direction for the TUFF challenge was excellent. Yellow roses to you. ๐ xx
Aw, thanks, Debbie! Yellow roses all the way around — the color of friendship!
Absolutely! ๐
I particularly enjoyed the video with Charli showing TUFF in action. Powerful stuff!
It is powerful stuff. Well worth trying, for sure. I just posted more about how TUFF might be used here:
https://shiftnshake.wordpress.com/2020/09/30/tuff-schooling/
Thanks! I just checked it out.
Thanks, Liz!
You’re welcome, Charli
Great interview. The Rodeo is going to be both fun and challenging. I’m hoping to TUFF it out again this year. Loved Charli’s explanatory video. Great work Pal and Kid. Enjoy your month off. Don’t get up to any mischief!
Can you believe it? Charli Mills at the Saddle Up!
Um, funny you should mention mischief… Kid is talking about you. See ya later, Educator!
๐ Mum always said I was a mischief maker. I never agreed with her on that though.
Hope to see you riding TUFF, Norah! Kid will be Kid…
We wouldn’t have it any other way – Kid wouldn’t be Kid …
Love this, D and Charli, and the Buckaroo Nation Totem Pole is stunning. I’m so thrilled to be part of this wonderful nation! Exciting stuff, and loved your Yellow Roses, Charli. Looking forward to giving TUFF another shot this year ๐
Thank you Sherri. It sure is a great totem pole, worthy of our fine community at the Nation.
Gonna be a great month –
We’re gonna have to celebrate big time when it’s all over iffin’ we’re still standin’ tall and not all tuckered out! ๐
We’ll all git through it, jist pace yerselves.
I’ve been away from here for far too long. So much going on and I am surely confused about much of it. Guess I’ll be doing some catching up over the next few weeks!
There is definitely a lot gong on! The big thing this month is of course the Rodeo. The Saloon? Yeah, it might be confusing, but the guests have been fantastic. Thanks for coming by.
Twenty-eighth post on 28th September โ music to those of us who like numbers as well as words. Good to see Charli Mills is keeping her ambitions short as usual ๐
Right? Guess that’s why she gets called Shorty.
not wanting to bite off more than I can chew, with Two courses both on Tuesdays and three deadlines looming for completed work. I would like to give this a crack, so I guess its time to focus this is going to be TUFF.
Yikes. This is a TUFF month! Good luck with all your undertakings.
Thank you.
October seems to be the month that everything happens. Nice to see Charli swinging by to add her input.