How D’ya Do Buckaroo?

I am thrilled to have Charli Mills of Carrot Ranch here and so pleased she made room in her busy schedule for this interview. I’m not sure how best to introduce someone you probably already know so I won’t. Here she is, Charli Mills:                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                                Hi, D. Thanks for having me at your place! This is a practice run for when I

show up in person. I’m Charli Mills, lead buckaroo at CarrotRanch.com/blog.

The Ranchis an imaginary place for real writers where we make literary art

accessible 99 words at a time. You can find me on Twitter @Charli_Mills and

on Facebook at

http://www.facebook.com/CarrotRanch

and an experimental page called

http://www.facebook.com/CarrotRanchRocks

where geology meets literary art.

Is Carrot Ranch a person, place or thing?

It’s definitely a THING! It’s an online literary community where people from

all around the world come to play with words and stories. Its thing is art – a

dynamic of people creating. Writers need readers, readers need writers, and

together we engage in expression, discussion, and exploration. Yeah, Carrot

Ranch is a cool thing, bigger than one writer alone.

What has been the biggest lesson of Carrot Ranch for you? What do

you think it has been for others?

For me, the biggest lesson of Carrot Ranch is that creativity is endless. For

five years, I’ve asked writers to respond to a weekly prompt within the

constraint of 99 words. You’d think it would get old, but the opposite has

been true – the writers dig deep every week and surprise me. Every. Week.

Five. Years.

But what is the biggest lesson of Carrot Ranch for others? That’s individual.

And I honor that sacredness of a literary artist or blogger or author looking to

figure out what it is they need. The biggest lessons tend to come as

serendipity or unexpected breakthroughs. Many find out that play leads to

productivity. Some fall smitten with the 99-words as art form. Others blossom

in a safe space.

Every week you offer a flash fiction challenge that also has a lot of

comments among the participants. Describe your prompting

process.

Every week, I look forward to the prompt post as a date with artists. I’m a

story-catcher, and knowing I get to tell a story once a week, my mind is

constantly searching. Some weeks, I feel expansive and want to express

creatively and other weeks I settle around the campfire to tell a tale from my

life. I always look for lessons. I never want to dump on readers, so I try to connect my own explorations of writing to the things I’m passionate about or

the observations I make in life in general. I tie it back to what this means to a

writer because this is the real deal – this is expressing how to live a creative

life even when life sucks or life gets goofy. It’s all good writing material.

What I love most about Carrot Ranch as a community, is that it’s made up of

many different individuals. Some writers love to chat. Some get “punny” and

playful, some drop a quiet link or story and don’t say a peep, others come

and go, and many read, write and repeat. It’s so alive! Funny thing is, I’m like

a lurker on my own ranch! I let the conversations spin, but I also make sure

everyone, no matter their preferred involvement, gets acknowledged.

In addition, you present the flash fiction pieces in a post each week.

Tell about that presentation and the process.

That arrangement is a collection of all the stories submitted through the form

in the weekly challenge post. I love all that oozing creativity, and diversity of

perspectives, influences, and writing styles. The arrangement is a secondary

form of art for me.

First, I seek a strong “hook.” This is the story that leads the rest, the one that

will draw in readers. I set up two or three sections of 10-minute reads. That

breaks up the length for the modern reader. I used to collect 15-20 stories a

week. Now I’m averaging 50. So, the sections help me with arrangement,

too. I’ll look for a lead story for the second and third sections. The Ranch Yarn

(by D. Avery) are always the concluding word. Often the story before the

Ranch Yarn summarizes or pulls together all the other stories.

Because writers are so good at “going where the prompt leads” most of the

stories have a distinct thread of authenticity that easily knits to other stories

no matter how different. Sometimes I group similar stories, and sometimes I

spread them out. I’ll often cluster funny stories and end the humor with one

that is dark or profound. Or the opposite – I’ll use a humorous story to relieve

a series of heavy ones.

I want to say something about art here – there’s a saying that if only the best

birds sing, the forest would be silent. Writers often fret that their work is “not

good enough.” I’m not looking for the best stories. I’m encouraging writers to

discover their own authenticity, to go where the creative spark takes them,

which feels weird and vulnerable. But because Carrot Ranch writers have

that safe space for exploration, these stories pop with that authenticity. I get

to play with arrangement and create a collection that sings like the forest

which is way more vibrant and interesting to read than a collection of “best”

stories.

How big is this Ranch? What can be found there besides the weekly

flash fiction prompts and readings?

The Ranch spreads out beneath big skies. A writer or reader or lurker could

potentially get lost. Tabs point the way for anyone wanting to wander. Some

pages are set up for different reasons – to educate, promote events, or for

me to explore the value of literary art. I see the Ranch as a place that lets

buckaroos be buckaroos. As a writer, you can grow at the Ranch or simply

play. For the regulars, the Ranch can offer a platform, even listing new books.

Take some time to explore.

How else are you growing Carrot Ranch?

I teach writers to craft a vision of success for their writing. I call this a

writer’s North Star. Mine is the size of Betelgeuse, like 90 times bigger than

the sun. With the capacity to imagine and maximize, my vision is huge. I

learned long ago that visionaries scare people, so I try to only reveal a few

rays at a time. Not everyone has the patience for a big dream, and no one

has ever seen my full vision. Suffice to say, Carrot Ranch is always growing!

However, maintaining what works is important because that consistency

builds trust in a community. So, I’m thoughtful about growth, not disrupting

what works just to introduce something new. Some projects depend upon

funding. It’ll come together.

I’ve been developing workshops since 2001 and dreaming of leading nature

writing retreats ever since I trained as an Aldo Leopold educator in 2004. In

2015, I started welcoming writers to my home on Elmira Pond in North Idaho

and began working on writing workshops. Now I’m blending retreats with

workshops – space for personal reflection and structure for professional

growth. This will be what grows at Carrot Ranch. Regular ranchers will get

free tutorials as I work on my MFA and certification to teach writing for online

universities. Nature writing refuges will be something I take to my favorite

outdoor places. I’m also working on a plan to do research meet-ups.

Is it true that Carrot Ranch is in fact a real place and that people

will be able to go there for writing retreats?

Carrot Ranch is a literary community, a thing, not a place. When I used to

have a home, I invited writers to take a retreat to North Idaho on Elmira

Pond. I did blog about Elmira Pond and it is a real place. That’s where I began

to dream of bigger retreats. When I ended up following my husband across

the west, I wondered at the idea of doing traveling retreats. Then we came to

rest at our daughter’s place in Michigan and I realized it would be hard to get

a group of writers to such a remote place, but I will one day have a retreat

on the remotest National Park in the lower 48 of the US because I live at the

gateway to Isle Royale. It would be a bucket list kind of retreat. But it’s not

Carrot Ranch.

However, as I think of community, I carry Carrot Ranch in my heart and so do

many others. That’s why I’m looking to do retreats outside of where I live and

in places near where other Ranchers live or could get to – like a cruise boat

around Australia, or nature retreat centers across the US. It would be Carrot

Ranch in essence, but not a real place. The Carrot Ranch Refuges and Carrot

Ranch Research Trips will be retreats where people can go. And if anyone

gets to the UP, they can go to the Ripley Falls Home of Hygge where I lead

book cultivation retreats

Do you have a “proud to be a blogger” memory or moment?

My proudest moment was when I transformed a blogging tool into a literary

community.

Describe or list publications or events.

The Congress of Rough Writers Flash Fiction Anthology Vol. 1

(https://carrotranch.com/books/media-kit-vol-1/) 

Thirty writers began with 99 words. They went on to tackle a new prompt,

extended stories, memoirist essays, and how to build a literary community

with flash fiction. This is not your typical anthology.

Charli Mills, Series Editor, Publisher & Lead Buckaroo

Sarah Brentyn, Editor & Contributor

WRANGLING WORDS

(https://carrotranch.com/events/)

(Every Second Saturday 12:00-1:00 p.m. at the Portage Lake District Library,

Michigan Room, Houghton, MI)

April 13 • May 11 • June 8 • July 13 (guest host) • August 10 • September 14

Local writers (and those curious about writing) gather at the library to learn

and play with 99 words as a literary art form. Each writer will get to read one

of their stories. It’s a way to meet other writers, appreciate literary art, and

learn flash fiction as a writing tool.

Free and open to all.

TO CULTIVATE A BOOK

(https://carrotranch.com/events/to-cultivate-a-

book/)

​June 23 • September 22

Ripley Falls Home of Healing, Hancock, MI

Writing a book? Give your dream space to grow. This retreat welcomes

writers of all stages of book writing from dreaming to planning to seeking

publication. Strategize with other writers interested in book publishing, learn

professional development for authors, and give nurturing space to your book.

WRITING REFUGE VT

(https://carrotranch.com/events/writing-refuge-

vermont/)

The ultimate nature writing experience for the whole writer.

Join Charli Mills, lead buckaroo at Carrot Ranch and host D. Avery for four

days immersed in nature to write, grow and discover. Lodging, meals, and

consultation are all included. Come for the inspiration and leave with a

personalized plan.