If you switch to hardtail struts you can go a short as 9" from eye to eye which give it quite a different feel. IIRC stock shocks are either 10.5" or 11" eye to eye.

i'm trying to avoid struts, but i'm definitely keeping them in mind. i've considered the problem of bottoming out, and to avoid it i might add a longer and/or stiffer shock, so that the total amount of drop is slightly less than the distance i move the mount up, but still lower than stock. i've also considered fabbing a longer swingarm to get the wheel away from the seat, and whatever the case any fender i keep will be mounted to the swingarm, no longer stationary on the frame

stock shocks are about 10.5"

There is a thread on shortening the shocks, but I wouldn't recommend it.

repositioning the shocks... hmmm... now there's a shocker  

if you're going to do that, I would think the easiest way is to cut the frame in front of the seat mounts, take out an inch or 2 and reweld, bend the frame down till the ends meet up again.  It would let the sit a little lower yet keep the shock geometry.  If you're serious about keeping the shock, stock shocks are about as short as you want to go, just not enough travel.

And making the shocks sit up taller will make them stiffer.