Random musings:

As I'm sure my counterparts have already stated a hundred times over, Goldriding is the toughest job you'll ever love, and unless you've either a glutton for punishment, or are more than a little daft, you'll question your reasons for wanting to be a W eyrwoman in the first place more times than the human mind can count before all is said and done. But when a hatching comes off without a hitch, and you get hugs and snugs from your new weyrlings, well... that does make it all worthwhile.

Remember, you are not a god. Do not, Not, NOT sit up there with high, arrogant attitudes dictating to those down below what to do and how to do it. This /is/ a game and yes, everyone wants to play. You don't own the Weyr. The players do. They simply f eel that you'd do a good job guiding them. In short, don't get 'gold-crazy'. I've seen far too many people change for the worse once they impressed a gold. Take this as a clue: You were impressed because of who you are now, not who you become after impres sion. Please don't take a nice character and turn her into the ultimate bossy bitch. That's a nasty slap in the face for those who thought enough of you to put you on that gold in the first place.

Sure, there's the honor and prestige in being picked to ride a gold, and being a Junior is /wonderful/ fun, but I'm speaking from the Senior Weyrwoman's POV here, and being Senior is /work/. Really, if a hatching is coordinated correctly, it is the S earch Crew that does most of the work, but on those occasions where you've a lame bunch of people working with you (Trust me, it happens.), be prepared for the multitude of stress you'll be under as you try and do everything yourself. Don't expect to have much sanity left after you've gone through one of /those/ type hatchings. Been there, done that. Bring a dribble cup.

One point I can't stress enough is that a hatching is a 'Weyr' event, NOT a Weyr/woman/ event. Little dictators need not apply. You are but one voice out of many and while your thoughts/opinions/votes do count, always remember that everyone else's do es as well. I've always found that with questionable candidates, its best to ask for everyone else's vote first, before casting your own.

Do your utmost to avoid favoritism. This is a tough one, as we all wind up having our favorite candidates, but if a candidate just happens to be a close, personal friend, what I've found works best is to offer up your opinions on why you think this pe rson would make a good rider solely based on the person's own merits... then leave off voting. Let the committee decide.

What it boils down to is that you have to be a people oriented type person, putting others before your own thoughts/needs/desires. Unless you have someone else be your Search Coordinator, you'll need to learn how to juggle IC and OOC, balancing Search Crew and Candidate rp, and somehow /not/ get stuck eyeball deep in politics, OOC foo, and still maintain a real life. *hi*.

I cannot stress this enough: You are /not/ a god. Listen to the people, as they are the Weyr and your loyalty should be to the Weyr first, the M** second, and yourself dead last. Much like any elected official, you are the servant of the people. You'r e job is to put their needs before your own. Never underestimate the power of the people. You'll find yourself rping when you're so burned out from descing eggs, or planning an event at the worst possible time just to give the weyrfolk some renewed life .

Delegate whenever possible. That's what you've got staff for. Let the headwoman/steward/resident harper handle some of those niggling little things like a ball or a tithing train. Trust me, it'll save some small bit of whatever sanity you've got left.

The bane of every rider of a metallic. /Everything/ you do will be talked about, analyzed, critiqued, and offered opinions on. And you know what? There's /nothing/ you can do about it. Much like what movie stars go through on a daily basis, so will yo u. The paparazzi and gossip hounds will be nipping at your heels whenever you break the status quo. This goes just as much for Jr's, Sr's, Weyrleaders, et al. Spend too much time in private rp with a member of the opposite gender, and you can bet your las t mark that not only are they assuming you're tsing, but that this one is a shoe-in for the next Weyrleader.

But it doesn't end there. You'll be hounded for rp, your desc and your @wearings will be gone over with a fine toothed comb, and your dragon's poses had better be on the mark. - Most of this type of behavior is based upon jealousy, but sometimes peopl e simply enjoy being catty and nasty. Now is the time to develop a really thick skin.

Okay, this is a personal thing with me, but one that needs stating. As you set the tone for the Weyr, remember .. DON'T use smiley faces (;> :P etc.) in your own or your dragon's poses. Tacky. Leave that for channels. If you say something funny, pose smiling. If it's sarcastic, then pose smirking. Get the point? /Especially/ during flights. Flights are serious business and putting emoticons in your poses makes the 'canon cops' groan with pain.

NEVER pose your dragon entering the living caverns (Don't laugh. It's been done.). Impossible. The LC just isn't big enough to handle a 747-sized dragon. Truth is that she couldn't fit into the opening in the first place.

Finally, a dragon is a dragon is a dragon. It's a huge, lumbering creature that would simply look silly acting like a kitten or puppy. There's also nothing soft and cuddly about them. They don't have scales but their hide is leathered, and those talon s could gut a herdbeast with hardly any effort at all. Take a peek at page 35 of the Dragonlover's Guide to Pern... and then think that gold dragons are /bigger/ than that. Humbling.

Yes, I've made it all sound like doom & gloom, but it's not. When things flow correctly, it's the most rewarding experience you'll ever have. Be prepared for the down-side, though. Oh and if you feel like you're burning out, don't be ashamed to step b ack and let another gold handle things. We /all/ burn out. It comes with the job description. The trick is to see it coming and back off before you wind up running away, screaming at the top of your lungs. It's okay to admit you're stressed, tired, and/or need a vacation. It's okay not to log in for a few days to give yourself time to regroup. It's also okay for a Sr. to step down if she has to, though it is a must that you don't leave the Weyr in the lurch. Make certain you've a Jr. or two.. even if they have to be NPCed. In the end, it is only a game... an escape from the mundane world.