Wrangling Cows in the Mud

Somehow I’ve been roped back into wrangling cows.

Not sure how it happened, but last week I became the spotter for all the baby calves born on the Hillman ranch. The last few years, I managed to wriggle out of the responsibility around the farm because I had a full-time job, but now that I’m working from home, I’ve got a sneaky suspicion that my skills are going to be put to use again.

I grew up on a dairy farm, worked cows, put up hay in the summer, bush hogged, helped my daddy rebuild tractors, delivered calves, whatever our hands found to do, we did it. I even had aspirations of becoming a vet, until I passed out watching our vet perform major surgery. I know the difference between a crescent wrench and a reversible ratchet, and how to back a 30’ Gooseneck trailer up to the chute.

With such an impressive resume, it’s no wonder My Cowboy picked me when he was looking for a wife. Hmmmm, I wonder… Oh, well, after all these years it’s too late to ask now, isn’t it? So, after spending our first anniversary in the hay field, I got wise. I raised two strapping boys with the intention of not being My Cowboy’s sidekick in my dotage.

Uh-huh.

Where’s a strapping cowboy and his offspring when you need ‘em? And when it’s cold weather too!

Grumbling and complaining about the cold and cowboys on the lam is pretty pointless when cows are dropping calves and they might be in trouble. So this week, I kept an eye on the cows and spotted a set of twins! Thank goodness they arrived without fanfare, and Big Mama didn’t need My Cowboy to come riding in astride the big red truck to save her babies.

The next day I went to check on a yellow cow (you can see her in the background) expected to give birth any minute. Good thing I did because I found this little newborn feller hip deep in ooey-gooey black mud. I knew I couldn’t get close enough in the 4-wheel drive truck to rescue him, and I didn’t want to risk the wrath of his mama by wading out into the mud (not to mention losing my boots!) without a buffer zone, so I rushed back to the house and got a 4-wheeler.

I pulled the 4-wheeler right up to him and wrestled him free, then with one eye on Big Mama, I crawfished the 4-wheeler backward hauling him with me until we were clear of the mud. I didn’t take time to get my good camera, but did take a shot of him with my phone after I’d pulled him from the goo. And, I’m happy to say that I spotted him later up and nursing, so all is well.

So, how does all this relate to writing? I write historical fiction, mostly westerns, mostly about cowboys and cowgirls taming the land and the animals around them. My gut instinct was to try to wrestle that 40 lb muddy, stinky calf onto the 4-wheeler with me and bring him to the house and clean him up. But it wasn’t overly cold (about 40 degrees), it wasn’t raining, and it was daylight.

Against a mama’s instinct, but natural to a rancher, I left him right there and got out of Dodge. As soon as I moved away, Big Mama moved in and started nuzzling her baby, cleaning, protecting, and warming him with her tongue. Pretty soon he was on his feet filling his belly with his first milk, which he needed more than me taking him away from his mama.

I write what I know, and that’s farming and ranching, and driving jacked-up trucks and big tractors, but I did miss the horse and buggy in one area… I should’ve had more kids.

~

Pam is thrilled to announce the release of her second novel,

Claiming Mariah

To celebrate, Pam is giving away two eReaders

(choice of Kindle Wi-Fi, 6" Display, or Nook Simple Touch)

Two Winners: One on facebook. One through Pam’s Newsletter.

Facebook Drawing for Kindle/Nook

Pam’s Newsletter

Registering both places is not required but will double your chances of winning. Also keep in mind that you will receive updates more often being connected on facebook than through the newsletter. Just sayin’

Contest runs from January 1^st until March 31^st, 2013.

And....that’s not all! There will be prizes offered randomly throughout the tour.

Click here to View Current Giveaways!

(3 Pewter Bookmarks from Deirdre’s Handmade Jewelry PLUS 40% off coupon at Deirdre’s online store. Click link to register and for coupon code)

PREVIOUS STOPS ON TOUR:

March 6th: Charity Lyman

NEXT STOP ON TOUR:

March 8th: Nora St. Laurent

Click for a Complete List of Stops Along the Tour

www.pamhillman.com

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Secondary Characters Are People Too, by Pam Hillman

A ten day project turned into a six-week one. Granted, I had a full-time job, took a week-long business trip, and had a family emergency that took up some of that time, but the “project” became bigger than I ever dreamed. And it made my manuscript much, much better, resulting in my first sale almost two years ago.

So what was this simple project that escalated into a huge rewrite?

I’m talking weaving existing secondary characters points of view (POV) into a manuscript that is already completed.

If you have the slightest idea that you might add a second, third, or fourth POV into the manuscript you’re working, plan on it from the very beginning. Don’t assume you can just add that POV later.

My manuscript begged for additional POVs, but I didn’t write them into the story in the beginning. I finished it and was very pleased with the outcome. But every so often, I’d be discussing length with someone and know that it could be 10-15K longer. 

The story could tell more of the villian’s goal, motivation, and conflict (GMC), as well as one of the key secondary character’s GMC, which was a kid, btw. And I really wanted to tell a little of this kid’s story.

But I put it off. 

I could add that part to the story with one hand tied behind my back, after I’d shopped it around at the current length. I already knew his GMC, and it would only be a few pages tucked in here and there.

It would be fun.

I kept putting it off though, working on a new story, shopping the existing one, until an industry professional (who later became my agent) asked me to lengthen the manuscript. 

Sure, I can do that. Easy.

And it was very easy in the beginning to tuck in a scene here, one there, set the stage, etc., but by the time I got to the middle (why is it always the middle?), things got tricky. And by end, it became downright complicated.

Just like figuring out my hero and heroine’s GMC’s, I had to do the same for these two secondary characters. As long as they weren’t “on stage”, the reader could insert any kind of reasons for their actions, but once they have their own POV, that’s when the horse kicks over the traces.

Try it. You might be shocked at how it changes the way your story plays out.

I had a pretty solid story, but as I started adding in these additional POVs, I realized I had these guys doing some things that wouldn’t be true to character. This became really clear when the hero and heroine figure out who the bad guy is.

The whole section where the plot fell apart was only 15-20 pages long, but it needed to be rewritten to beef up the tension and be believable for all parties involved. The remaining pages didn’t require a complete rewrite, just some wrap-up scenes from the two new POVs.

Think of a secondary character in one of your manuscripts, someone who sways your protagonist, antagonist, or your plot in some way. Plot out their GMC, and even if you don’t write them into the story, you might have a few aha moments where your secondary characters refuse to fit the mold you created for them.

Because you know what?

Secondary characters are people, too.

Pam Hillman was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn’t afford two cab tractors with air conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove the Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn’t mind raking. Raking hay doesn’t take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now, that’s the kind of life every girl should dream of! Claiming Mariah is her second novel.

Website: http://www.pamhillman.com

Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/pam.hillman.7

Facebook Author PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/PamHillmanAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PamHillman or @PamHillman

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5800307-pam-hillman

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/wrtnbyph/

Group blog: http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com 

Personal blog: http://www.calicotrails.blogspot.com

Publisher: http://www.tyndale.com/Claiming-Mariah/9781414380964

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