{"id":1585,"date":"2011-04-15T08:12:55","date_gmt":"2011-04-15T14:12:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/booklifenow.com\/?p=1585"},"modified":"2012-03-23T17:06:26","modified_gmt":"2012-03-23T23:06:26","slug":"six-guns-cattle-drives-whats-so-fun-about-writing-the-west","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/booklifenow.com\/2011\/04\/six-guns-cattle-drives-whats-so-fun-about-writing-the-west\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Guns & Cattle Drives: What\u2019s So Fun about Writing the West"},"content":{"rendered":"

An anthology is different than a single author collection of stories in the same way that a dinner party is different than dinner for two.\u00a0 An anthology need not be a raucous affair, with tail-coats and lamp-shades, or broken glass and loud music.\u00a0 It need not be a New Year\u2019s blow-out or a July Fourth picnic with fire-works.\u00a0 But, at the very least, it ought to be fun<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Express Westerns’<\/a> A Fistful of Legends<\/a><\/em> edited by Nik Morton and Charles T. Whipple does get pretty rowdy.\u00a0 This anthology of \u201c21 New Tales of the Old West\u201d is very much a celebration of the short form Western.\u00a0 Not only is it filled with great stories well told, it\u2019s is also filled with\u2026 exuberance<\/em>.
\n
\n“For many authors,\u201d says James Reasoner<\/a>, \u201cthe Western is as much fun to write<\/em> as it is to read, and always has been.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that is one of the ways in which Legends<\/em> stands out\u2014the authors are clearly having whooping good time at what they are doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d says Gary Dobbs, who writes Westerns as Jack Martin, \u201cthe Western is fun by its very nature–gunslingers, bounty hunters, soiled doves, Indians, outlaws–all the cool stuff, really.\u201d<\/p>\n

Below, eight of the contributor\u2019s to A Fistful of Legends<\/a> <\/em>return to Booklife to talk about how much fun it is to write Westerns.<\/p>\n

*<\/p>\n

Gary Dobbs\/Jack Martin<\/a><\/strong> is the author of The Tarnished Star<\/em>, Arkansas Smith<\/em>, and the forthcoming The Ballad of Delta Rose<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Raymond Foster\/Jack Giles<\/a><\/strong> is the author of Coalmine<\/em>, The Fourth Horseman<\/em>, and Lawmen<\/em>.<\/p>\n

C. Courtney Joyner<\/a> <\/strong>is a screenwriter and director who also writes fiction and non-fiction, including The Westerners: Interviews with Actors, Directors and Writers<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Matthew P. Mayo<\/a><\/strong> is the author of Winters\u2019 War<\/em>, Wrong Town<\/em>, and Hot Lead, Cold Heart<\/em>.\u00a0 Mayo also edited the Express Western anthology, Where Legends Ride<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Nik Morton\/Ross Morton<\/a><\/strong> is the author of Death at Bethesda Falls<\/em>, The $300 Man<\/em>, and the forthcoming Blind Justice at Wedlock<\/em>.\u00a0 Morton also is the co-editor of A Fistful of Legends<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Bobby Nash<\/a><\/strong> writes comics, screenplays, and fiction, including the novel, Evils Ways<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Alfred Wallon<\/a> <\/strong>writes Westerns in German and English.\u00a0 He\u2019s co-written the Doug Thorne Westerns, All Guns Blazing<\/em> and Alaska Hell<\/em>, with David Whitehead\/Ben Bridges<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Charles T. Whipple\/Chuck Tyrell<\/a><\/strong> is author of Guns of Ponderosa<\/em>, The KillingTrail<\/em>, and Hell Fire in Paradise<\/em>.\u00a0 Whipple is also is the co-editor of A Fistful of Legends<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

*<\/p>\n

James Reasoner says that “for many authors, the Western is as much fun to write as it is to read, and always has been.”\u00a0 What\u2019s fun about writing Westerns?\u00a0 What do you enjoy about it? <\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gary Dobbs:<\/strong> I think writing in any genre can be fun, especially when things are going well, but I know what Mr. Reasoner means–it’s a great feeling when you manage to place a well-worn Western clich\u00e9 into your work and make it somehow original.<\/p>\n

C. Courtney Joyner:<\/strong> The \u201cgenre canvas\u201d of the Western is so huge \u2013 life after the Civil War, the building of the transcontinental railroad, the Plains Indian Wars, the formation of the Western states, the battle for Texas, the OK Corral \u2013 the list goes on and on, and these elements can simply be backgrounds to any story you want to tell, from the true history, to our own incredible inventions.\u00a0 And what could be more fun for a writer than that?<\/p>\n

Ross Morton: <\/strong>I enjoy the research and blending fact with my fiction. The period of the Old West also encompassed an interesting worldwide history that often impinged on the characters who visited or moved to America.<\/p>\n

Alfred Wallon:<\/strong> It\u2019s just in my blood; I cannot describe it. I\u2019ve always preferred this kind of literature to read.\u00a0 You can develop nearly every storyline: from the early pioneering days up to Pancho Villa in Mexico.\u00a0 There always have been and always will be enough ideas to write about.<\/p>\n

Matthew P. Mayo: <\/strong>The challenge in writing Westerns is in trying to convey the raw honesty of the times, in unearthing details that help reveal more about a character, motivation, and the idea that, despite long odds, good can prevail. Plus, it’s just plain fun to write about six guns, lynchings, and cattle drives.<\/p>\n

C. Courtney Joyner:<\/strong> When you\u2019re writing a Western, you get the chance to write action \u2013 lots of it!\u00a0 Detailing a gunfight or a river crossing in a different way \u2013 finding your own voice in descriptions; making the words count \u2013 these are the joys (and sorrows!) of the writing process, and writing a Western is the greatest way to have that creative experience.<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Raymond Foster\/Jack Giles:<\/strong> Creativity is fun–but it depends on your interpretation of \u201cfun\u201d. Some find the writing part of it a chore. That’s not<\/em> the way to write.<\/p>\n

Bobby Nash:<\/strong> One of the fun parts for me in writing a Western story is remembering the feeling of playing \u201ccowboys and Indians\u201d when I was a kid. In Western fiction, people tend to pull their guns first and ask questions later, most arguments are solved by a strong right hook, and you were free<\/em>, just you and the land. For a writer, those are fun concepts to play with and explore.<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Raymond Foster\/Jack Giles:<\/strong> The playground now becomes a blank page. The fun you once had as a child and as you grew up–the imagination fires up the creative juices.\u00a0 Those days stay with you.\u00a0 The game is yours to play and instead of telling friends what to do, you put characters in their places. The work ethic is there and if you like what you do then you enjoy it.\u00a0 It’s fun.\u00a0 Even better when the finished piece is accepted for publication.<\/p>\n

C. Courtney Joyner:<\/strong> There is amazing freedom; characters can be as big or as violent or as stoic or mythic as you\u2019d like. You can find the simple beauty in the pioneer spirit, or explore the darkness of a gunfighter. You can also draw upon the legendary figures of the west and introduce them to your story.\u00a0 I think the \u201cWestern formula\u201d allow you to follow a classic structure, or blow the walls off!\u00a0 You can combine the Western with other genres like horror and sci-fi, letting imagination run wild, and yet still being grounded in a true historical period.<\/p>\n

Charles Whipple:<\/strong> I’m a grandson of the pioneers. My grandfather moved to Arizona from Nevada in 1876. My father wanted nothing more than to be a cowboy. I grew up with the stories of pioneers ringing in my ears. By writing Westerns, I feel I can keep those hardy people alive. I grew up with Apache, Navajo, and Mexican-American classmates. Several of my protagonists are half-breeds, to use the vernacular. Indians rarely play antagonistic roles in my stories, and are often heroic.<\/p>\n

Yes, it’s enjoyable to reconstruct those pioneers in fiction. It also gives me the feeling that I’m helping give depth and breadth to the lives they lived.<\/p>\n

*<\/p>\n

Jeremy L. C. Jones <\/span><\/em>is a freelance writer, editor, and teacher.\u00a0\u00a0He is the staff Interviewer for <\/em>Clarkesworld Magazine<\/span><\/em> and a frequent contributor to <\/em>Kobold Quarterly<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0 He teaches at <\/em>Wofford College<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>Montessori Academy<\/em><\/a> in Spartanburg, SC.\u00a0 He is also the director of <\/em>Shared Worlds<\/span><\/em>, a creative writing and world-building camp for teenagers that he and <\/em>Jeff VanderMeer <\/span><\/em>designed in 2006.<\/em><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An anthology is different than a single author collection of stories in the same way that a dinner party is different than dinner for two.\u00a0 An anthology need not be a raucous affair, with tail-coats and lamp-shades, or broken glass and loud music.\u00a0 It need not be a New Year\u2019s blow-out or a July Fourth picnic with fire-works.\u00a0 But, at the very least, it ought to be fun. Express Westerns’ A Fistful of Legends edited by Nik Morton and Charles T. Whipple does get pretty rowdy.\u00a0 This anthology of \u201c21 New Tales of the Old West\u201d is very much a celebration of the short form Western.\u00a0 Not only is it filled with great stories well told, it\u2019s is also filled with\u2026 exuberance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[75],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/booklifenow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1585"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/booklifenow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/booklifenow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/booklifenow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/booklifenow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1585"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/booklifenow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1585\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1907,"href":"https:\/\/booklifenow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1585\/revisions\/1907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/booklifenow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/booklifenow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/booklifenow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}