Practice Writing

After feeling inspired to write something fun by friends and family, I wrote a few short paragraphs of a short story I have been working on. It would be the opening paragraph of a story about my grandmother and her childhood. She was an incredible woman who lived through a lot and was a true cowgirl, so if you would like feel free to read it over. Comments/suggestions are welcome as I am very new to this and it is just a rough draft of what could eventually be a short story.

The Adventures of Cici the Cowgirl

“Just take a deep breath … and go.”

    Cici could feel the movement of her horse beneath her as she trotted into the arena. She scanned the area, looking at the crowd and the calves before her as she took a deep breath. The smell of red dirt filled her lungs and it was then that she knew which calf it would be. A small hereford stood a little in front and to the right of the herd. With the judges now behind her Cici gripped the reins in her hands and moved forward. 

    Cici was only 4’9” at 11 years old. A beauty with a mop of curly black hair, jarring blue eyes, and a warm smile, but she’d never want you to know that. She kept her hair tied behind her head or braided underneath a straw hat most days, a look her mother was not particularly fond of. Cici was commonly teased for dressing and acting like a “tomboy”, but no one ever teased her when she competed alongside her father in cutting horse competitions. No, it was then and only then that she felt like she was part of something bigger, something greater than herself. Working together with her quarter horse Wilson to herd a calf was something as basic and traditional as a cowboy itself.