Remember as you read this, it's written finding at the western and historicals as examples, however the rules, unless otherwise specified, apply to all genres....
Other Westerns And Historicals: The amount one explore source for a new western or historical writer should be other westerns and historicals. Just as it should be for the beginning writer of anyone genre they select to write-read the great ones.
For Westerns and historicals, read the following:
Louis L'Amour
James Reno
Elmer Kelton
Matt Braun
John Jakes
Dorothy M. Johnson
Don Coldsmith
Cameron Judd
Robert Vaughan
William Johnstone
Richard Wheeler
James Clavel
Will Henry
Terry Johnston
Elmore Leonard
Tony Hillerman
Larry McMurtry
And any others you can get your hands on.
I didn't purposefully exclude women writers from the above list, it's just that I don't read many women other than Mary Higgins Clark-whom I think is a amazing straight-forward writer, but who does not write historicals (to the best of my knowledge). Dorothy M. Johnson, who is included, wrote A Man Called Horse among many others. She's a must read if you care about, and want to learn about, the West.
There are many perfect women writers who specialize in romance-my wife, Kat, among them. It's probably the most underated genre when it comes to perfect historical research. I respect them and admire their writing and research, and am only excluding them from the above list as this manual is primarily about westerns and historicals-and the list would be more than twice as long if I did consist of them.
And you can learn something by reading other genres as well. Out of the last five novels I've read, only one was a western.
I would consist of Zane Grey in the above list, but his style is a tiny too full of purple prose for today's market. That is to say, it has too much description. Too many golden sunsets and gun metal afternoon skies for today's median editor. But I love to read him and you may also-but emulate those above if you want to sell westerns or historicals.
The above list epitomizes the classic genre westerns and historicals being published today. Each has his strong points. With over two hundred million copies sold, Mr. L'Amour is the all time best selling western writer-reason enough to read him if you want to come to be one.
You could probably locate every desert fresh water spring in a L'Amour novel. He was a stickler for geographic detail. He also was a specialist of beginning and ending chapters, particularly in his later novels. James Reno is a specialist of operation verbs, as I mentioned before, and motivation. Matt Braun and John Jakes are masters of characterization and two of the most compelling writers you'll ever have the pleasure to read.
In my view Elmer Kelton is probably the finest western writer in new times (we just lost him a couple of years ago)-in pure genre westerns. He brings it all together, with a knowledge of the land and working habitancy that only comes from living it.
Will Henry, dead now, is one of the greats.
In expanding to the above, you should read and see Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. Though it's not a genre western in the purest sense, it's a amazing remarkable novel of the West. McMurtry is a specialist of characterization and though he does not write a hook, a "grab you" opening, stick with him to page 90 and you'll be hooked-he is the class of writer we should all aspire to become. A writer's writer. A Pulitzer prize winner. And I'll be bold enough to say, Lonesome Dove would have been better with a hook.
Dictionaries: If you can write without a dictionary you're a better man than I. I use more than one. In fact, I use six (and of procedure now there are a hundred ready on the web). And remember there are hundreds of tomes out there with the lexicon of distinct professions, etc.
The Random House Dictionary of the English Language
is the one I've referred to so many times. It's amazing for a western or historical writer for the former guess that when you look up the word Kerosene (it was originally a trademark and therefore was capitalized) it defines the word then gives you one of these- [1852], and that tells you when the word was first used. Don't use kerosene before 1852 or some smart copy editor will strike it out and say "Use coal oil or whale oil, dummy." It has the other amazing features other dictionaries have, too, but the date the word was first used is the one I treasure most.
Western Words, a Dictionary of the American West by Ramon F. Adams
is one I mentioned earlier, and is a amazing expanding to the western and historical writer's library. Example:
Broomtail: A range mare with a long
bushy tail. usually shortened to broomie.
My Random House does not define broomtail.
A Dictionary of the Old West by Peter Watts.
Also one mentioned earlier. A more scholarly edition than the above, but with less authentic color of the time. It has amazing illustrations.
The fourth is an:
1846 edition of Webster's
which I found at a Friends of the Library sale. It will tell you if a word was in use at that time. Remember, many words may not appear in the dictionary.
I also occasionally refer to the fifth:
The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue
Believe me when I tell you that this tiny jewel has words and phrases you'll never find in someone else dictionary.
Words are, or should be, tantalizing to the writer.
Even their origins.
Words like lariat, for example, were misconceptions. When the gringo cowhand heard the vaquero refer to his la reata, he view he was saying lariat and a new word was born. As was lasso from lazo (Spanish for rope), and many, many more.
All words didn't and don't appear in the dictionary, because language is always growing and changing.
The sixth is brand new, by a fine western writer, Win Blevins, and includes over 5,000 terms. It's a must for any historical writer.
The Dictionary of the American West
Facts On File, Inc.
460 Park Avenue South
New York, New York 10016-7382
Invest in yourself, and buy the above for your library.
Technical Books: I mentioned that I have to explore my English usage. The two volumes below are the bibles of writers and editors.
The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
A thin volume that every writer needs to read, then reread, then refer to.
The Chicago manual of Style
by the editorial staff of the University of Chicago Press. A manual used by many editors and copy editors in New York. If you want to know when to capitalize, or how to write faltering speech in dialogue, or a thousand other things. Many feel this is the final authority.
Magazines There are four magazines that every aspiring western, historical, or romance writer should read-and hundreds more for explore and craft depending upon what you're writing, and what, if any genre, in which you determine to specialize. The first is aimed at romance, but has a lot of store news and flows over into other genres. The next two are helpers as to the process of writing and somewhat as to the market. The last is as to the business of writing and publishing.
Romantic Times
55 Bergen Street
Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. 11201
The Writer's Digest
Box 2131
Harlan, Iowa 51593
The Writer
120 Boyston St.
Boston, Ma 02116
Publisher's Weekly
Box 1979
Marion, Oh 43306-1979
The first three magazines won't get you published, but they will tell you what other writers think and are doing, how to better your writing, and will keep you judging your own work and comparing it to others.
The Publisher's Weekly is an manufactures magazine that talks about the publishing manufactures and book selling. At over 0 per year, it's less foremost for a beginning writer than the other two, but well worth reading at the library you ramble through doing other research. It also has genre targeted issues, and if you are curious say in children's books, then I would make sure to look up the couple of issues they do on that field each year. If for no other reason, than to study what other writers and what publishers are doing in the field.
There are many genre exact magazines and newsletters. There's a newsletter specifically for medieval times, etc., etc. Dig in your library to find publications that are exact to the time and place you want to write about.
Other great magazines are genre, profession, geographic, or exact in other ways. All of them are, or may be, perfect reference sources for a singular writer. I write about old California, and use:
The Californians
5720 Ross field Road
Sebastopol, Ca 95472
(I have no idea if it's still being published)
which is an perfect historical journal with articles that inspire not only characters but plots. It's filled with time, place, and vernacular. It's also damned entertaining.
There are dozens of regional magazines which are perfect sources of material and perfect markets for regional writers.
And there are speciality magazines. When I'm writing about a exact subject, I often subscribe to a trade magazine. Right now I'm taking Reptiles, a hobby magazine, as I'm writing about a bad guy who has a reptilarium.
We're about to wind this up so you can begin writing the great American novel. Go on to the next article!
his response Write Compelling Fiction - article Eighteen his response
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