Reading Lawrence Block & A Finished Book

 Confessions of a Writer of Westerns

January 31, 2022

Most of the time, life can be good, even at 73. It's the last day of January, and it's 51 degrees. Right now, I'm sitting in the bright sunshine of our enclosed on three sides deck. I'm not sure what the temperature is as I type away facing the southeast direction, but it is hot. Guessing it might be above ninety here in my little favorite writing spot.

I had a pretty productive writing week, putting down about 4,000 words. I also managed to finish editing my next Senior Citizen book, which, God willing, I will publish in February. This week I plan to complete the second edit of the third book in my Blade Holmes, western mystery series. I had to move some things around in this one and had a couple of gaps I had to fix. Besides changing how I wrote the ending, everything seems to be rolling smoothly along.

I also spent some time shooting photos and videos this week, which always seems to make my life more fun. I also got in five good walks, down from the typical six or seven I shoot for each week.

Since I finished one book this past week, I am also in the planning note-making stage of the fourth of my series for seniors. Maybe this week will be when I get some writing done on the fifth in the series of my children's chapter books.

 

Reading – Telling Lies for Fun & Profit – A Manual for Fiction Writers by Lawrence Block

There is lots of fun and information in this writing, how-to, book. Block is a master storyteller, and it shows through in this terrific collection of writing advice essays. Every chapter is timeless and told in the unique, down-to-earth, and often humorous way that only Block can do. A fine read for anyone who has hope of one day becoming a writer or better writer.  

Writing Tip – "Write to please yourself." Lawrence Block

That is always good advice, and if it just happens also to please a broad audience – even better. 😊

Weather – Another great week here in east-central Wyoming. It looks like snow is coming in the middle of the week, that's ok by me, we can use it, plus I have nowhere to go.

Quote of the day – "The more you look, the more you find." John E. McIntyre – from, The Old Editor Says

 

Today's Photos – Are from a drive through our local state park (Guernsey State Park) this past weekend.

 Click the link to see all of my books on Amazon

Have a great week. Keep on reading, and keep on writing!

 

Back to Work

I may be back, or at least I hope I’m back. With a little luck, a fast horse, the grace of God, and lots of fair weather and sunshine, I am going to attempt, again, a five or six times a month blog post.

It’s been a long year. I have dealt with things I never wanted to, none of us do. Family, health, finances, aging, the same things all of us have, or will have to deal with at some point in our lives. I didn't handle any of them well and wrote only a handful of blog posts and little of anything else in an entire year. I have several books in various states, one a finished rough draft, one 80% complete and another off to a good start. Goal - I will finish something before the year's end.

Did I learn anything from my time off? Yes. The less I did, the more my sales fell – I know, shocking. I also kind of missed the three or four thousand words a week I was writing.

Thank you to all my patient readers who keep asking when the next book or blog is coming. Looks like there will be more.

Wanna take a look? Find all my books, available in softcover, and eBook here. 

Today’s photos are from an enjoyable drive and hike last weekend into Wyoming's Laramie Range west of where we live.

Now back to work on the third in the series of my Blade Holme’s Western Mysteries, this one, tentatively titled after a completed rough draft - Wendover

Writing Books

It took a long time, too long, eight days to be exact to get around to my first 2019 post.

  As I did last year and the year before I started this year, sick in bed. For me, the first part of every year seems to be my time for a sinus infection. When I was younger, I fought it off pretty well, popped a few pills for a week and did not miss a day of work – no longer.  Now, these things involve a trip to the doctor, prescription meds and lots of rest. I am, at last feeling better, but still not doing much.

  Maybe with a start like this, the year will go out with a big bang – writing wise at least.

Goals for 2019 – Two books published and 36 read - that’s it.  I also hope to write in the neighborhood of 300,000 words. Last year I sluffed off, writing less, and taking fewer photos than I have for many years. That is what a New Year is all about, starting fresh.

Looking Toward a Terrific 2019

What I am Working on Now? – The third in my western mystery series. This one, like the others, is set in Wyoming and, so far is moving right along.

Cowboy Saying – Sometimes you’ll find a heap of thread on a mighty small spool.

What I’m Reading – I am through the first two tales in Steve Hockensmith’s highly entertaining – Dear Mr. Holmes: Seven Holmes on the Range Mysteries.

This one is a good mix of Sherlock Holmes, and an old fashioned western with quite a lot of humor tossed in. So far I am loving it - More about this later this month

Readers can find all of my books here on Amazon. All books are available as soft covers or eBooks.  

Writers Block in the Movies

Merry Christmas

Our Special Day – Today is our 50^th Anniversary. We spent the afternoon in one of our favorite places – up in the Laramie Range. All of today's photos are from today's four-hour outing. Except for the one above, which was taken on a  summer trip to the Blackhills, another of our favorite places. 

20 Miles west of town and going uphill - usual traffic

Not So Deep Thoughts On Writing - This time of year my wife and I try to watch a Christmas movie every night. We also love listening to Christmas music. I know that some people bash these movies and the music, but not us. Are all of the movies and songs good? Nope. But we still watch and listen. Might be the older we get, the more nostalgia takes over.

I am surprised each year at how many of the movies are about writers and some type of writer's block they are afflicted with. Seems to me that, according to the movies, getting over writer's block is easy. Writers need to simply move back home and find a new boyfriend or girlfriend – problem solved and best seller on the way.

Writing Quote –  There’s no such thing as writer’s block. That was invented by people in California who couldn’t write.

Terry Pratchett

Six Bulls far away from the herd

What Am I Working On? Finished the fourth book in my kid's chapter books series. I am waiting on copies to send to my beta readers. Now a restart on the third of my Blade Holmes western mysteries.

From the Old West –  Be thankful for fools. Without them, none of us would amount to a damn.    

As always, you can find all of my books here on Amazon

 -and-

Follow me here on twitter at @wyohistoryguy

Keep on Reading and keep on Writing

& 

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Christmas Short Stories - New Book

My second book of Christmas short stories is out. I expected to have this out over a year ago, but other things got in the way. 

This one - Under Christmas Skies - differs a bit from the first with more of the stories set in modern times. 

Take a look and use the - Look Inside - feature to read the first story and a bit more for free.

Enjoy!

A Writers Week

Here in Wyoming, we have been blessed with the wettest May and June in the 35 years I have been in the state. Seems almost like I am back in the Nebraska farm country where I grew up. Gardens are looking terrific, now bring on the sunshine.

Writing – I have been spending more time researching people that served at Fort Laramie, for my next nonfiction offering, coming out in early 2019,  than I have spent putting words on paper. To some writers, research can be tedious, but I have run across countless wonderful stories. I am getting some work done on that book, and some on my third Blade Holmes western mystery, not a lot, the Blade Holmes book, about 1,500 words this week and the nonfiction, just over 300. Let me see, if my math is correct, I am only writing about 250 words a day. Why so little? Well, I have been playing golf about three times a week, spending time taking wildlife photos and building wooden tomato cages for what I hope will be a bumper crop.

Reading – Not sure how I missed this one but am reading and enjoying Mari Sandoz’s, Love Song to the Plains, terrific book. I am also spending more time reading about book marketing, probably won’t change the way I do anything, but it does put forth some good ideas.

Selling Books – As seems to happen this time of year, my nonfiction CCC book on the building of Guernsey State Park is selling pretty well. The rest, well, I will say they, like me, are moving along, but not as fast as they once did.

Today’s Photo’s – Backyard garden, and from the Civilian Conservation Corps, (CCC), built Guernsey State Park.

Summer Reads – Want something lighthearted and quick? I have two books that will fill the bill – my latest, On Turning 70, and my book of garden tips and short stories - Beginning Gardening & Other Entertaining Lies, which Includes - 4 Garden Murder Mysteries. Give one or both a try, click the link and read the free first chapter or more.

Enjoy the summer and keep on reading and writing.

Writing a Perfect Paragraph

Stalled – that’s where I am right now. I have written on this blog a few times in the last three months about having a finished book that I am editing. Well, I still am. I don’t like the first chapter and despite many fixings, it still does not seem to work. I like the story, think it’s a good one, but doesn’t every author think their story is a good one?

Something Just Does Not Seem to be Correct

The Problem 

This novel is set in modern times but has several flashback chapter to the 1800s. I wanted to write the first two chapters, one in the present and one in flashback. Chapter one started as the flashback with chapter two taking readers to the present. That didn’t seem to work, so I switched them. Now chapter one is in the present and chapter two sets the modern day story from an event in the past. This seems to work. The problem is that the first chapter is still not very strong. I am afraid readers will put it away before getting to the meat of the tale. That and the fact that readers looking at the free preview of the book will see this chapter, not great for sales.

Chapter one describes the two main characters, the setting and why they are there. To me, it reads like the age old, bad writing chapter - laundry list, of too many facts and not enough story.

Oh, What Should I Do?

The way I see it, I have three options, maybe four.

1.  Start the book with a scene that I now have later in the story. Might work, but this means a different type of flashback, and I am not sure I want that.

2.  Flip chapters one and two again – not happening.

3.  This will probably be it – rewrite adding a new action scene to drive the reader forward to the story.

4.  Who knows? Trash the chapter and let the reader figure out what is happening as they go. Not a bad idea, but seems confusing when I read it this way. Not likely I will use this one.

Number three is the option I will most likely take. I don’t like it because I have no idea how, or what, I will do with this. I will write it as soon as I am struck with some type of magical inspiration.

How Do I Choose One From So Many Options?

But I Do Have Another Project

On another note, I am well into my second Blade Holmes, Western Mystery, tentatively titled, Ghost Dance Moon. Presently the novel is 32,000 words, looks like about 60% complete. Yesterday I wrote a few lines and had to find my wife so that I could read the part to her, yes, I thought it was that good. Not sure if she agreed, but either she did or at least pretended that she thought it to be the beautiful literary, masterful writing, I believed it to be. 

That’s what writers live for, ahhh, the perfect sentence or paragraph, doesn’t happen often, but when it does – glorious!

A great scene should read like this photo - perfection

I Wonder About Many Things

If you are one who reads, way too many writing blogs, like me, do you ever wonder?

I wonder

1.   Who are these writers and what have they written? I do and often find some interesting things. I like to look at their books on Amazon first, and if it interests me, I go to their full blog or website.

2.   Why do people trash particular blogging platforms and rave on about others? I have read two recent posts about how bad Blogger is, and why everyone should use . . . . . . . . . .  I like blogger and have tried others. I seem to get better readership here but I am certainly not about to tell others this is the only one that is any good. Heck, I started blogging on AOL, remember them?

3.   Why, it seems, is more money being spent on covers than on editing? (please do not point out my mistakes here, these are self, and not well-edited posts)

4.   Have you noticed it is hard to find many genre bloggers who write westerns or historical fiction?

There are a few, but not many, let me know if any readers know of good sites I may be missing.

5.   What is the reason for giving a one or two-star review and then stating, I didn’t read the book or I only read the sample and that was enough. I never have rated a book unless I have read it, all of it. If I read a book that I do not feel deserves a four or five-star rating, not often, I will not leave a review. The reason I give the four or five is that if I kept reading it must have had something I liked. I quit on about half the books I start reading, just not my thing, but I do not believe everyone will feel as I do.

6.   Lastly, what book promotions actually work? Seems like from time to time all writers blog about marketing and promotions. So what works? Who knows. I have tried a few, not many, and have no idea, but I sure do read a lot of articles about how too. I sometimes go a week with little or no sales, then sell several in one day. Not sure why, but if I figure it out, I will be blogging about it.

See all my books here, read a free preview today. After all, it is national read a western month.

Christmas in the West

My new book of Christmas stories in the west is finished.  

Find it here

Out west, Cowboys and Christmas have always been a near perfect match. I’m not sure that there has ever been a Cowboy that didn’t love Christmas. 

When it’s Christmas in the west magical things happen. Tales set in both the old west and the modern west, a few serious and some humorous but western stories through and through.

Give it a try today – makes a great gift. 

I'll Try Again Next Year

Jan 1, 2013 – Going on official record – “I love the New Year and I love New Year’s Resolutions.”

6:00 a.m. - Eight hours of sleep, healthy, balanced breakfast, went for a walk, did my stretching and lifting workout, spent some hobby time, did some putting away and picking up in my workshop.

8:00 a.m. - New Years are great-reinvigorating, life anew

9:00 a.m. - Feel like I need a nap, have a bit of an upset stomach, my shoulders, hips and feet ache.

10:00 a.m. – Doing much better now, reclining on the couch, watching first of many New Year’s Day Bowl Games, still resting after my workout, and dreaming about the next year.

11:00 a.m. - Very soar, dull pain starting on top of my head and ending on the bottom of my feet, not feeling well at all, will take a handful of pain killers and continue resting on couch.

I really do not like New Year’s—except for the Football

Noon – Drinking soda, eating chips and peanuts, still resting on couch, feeling some better, game has reached halftime, watching shootout on the Western Channel until second half starts.

“Maybe Next Year, never have liked New Years stuff, too much hype, just another day for this ol’ cowboy”

-Happy New Year-

Summer Reading

My reading seems to slow down in the summer and speed up in the winter. Guess that makes sense for someone living in Wyoming. Fishing, Golf, hiking, walking and gardening seem to be taking up most of my daylight hours. But I still get through a book every week or ten days and the one I am reading now is terrific.

 Six Bits a Day, is another of Elmer Kelton’s, Hewey Calloway novels. The most famous of the trilogy, The Good Old Boys, was published before this one but the Calloway brothers of this novel are the same but younger, making this book a prequel and the three books, the other one is, The Smiling Country, a very nice western trilogy.

 

This novel is fun and moves along at a good pace. I like the way Kelton throws in enough facts to make the book come to life. It is nearing the end of trail drives and open range and maybe the cowboy but Hewey Calloway is a real fun loving, honest to goodness, cowboys, cowboy.

 Kelton spun many great western tails; this one is a fine example and might even make a good read for people that are not necessarily western novel fans.

Fourth of July at Fort Laramie

Celebrated the fourth watching a parade in our little town then spent the afternoon at Fort Laramie.  It’s been a while but we (my wife and I) have spent an Independence Day there before-but many years ago. We live only 18 miles from Fort Laramie so it is not too much of a drive. Watched the kid’s game, gunny sack races, sampled some army bread, and listened to a very good presentation on Plains Indian culture. The highlight of the day was the 38 gun salute, along with cannon, to celebrate the fourth. Some people in period uniforms made the day memorable and a family entertained playing music under a tarp attached to their covered wagon.

As we walked the grounds I started to wonder, not about Fort Laramie and the history of the west, but wondered about old fashioned fun. No water park, no rides, no glitz, just a hot day on the grounds of the old Fort and everyone seemed to be having a great time. Did not see one person with headphones or connected to an iPod, listening to their own music. It was refreshing-almost as refreshing as the bottle of old fashioned Root Beer I sipped as we walked the grounds.

All and all a nice relaxing afternoon, no fireworks at night when we got home as we are in a fire ban area, did miss that. We live in Wyoming and wildfires have been as close as two miles from us this summer. One burning now, about 40 miles west of town, 90,000 acres, think I have seen enough real fireworks this summer for one lifetime.

July 4th on the Oregon Trail

July 4^th, Independence Day, but it was a lot more than that for travelers on the Oregon Trail. July Fourth was the day to reach Independence Rock (thus the name) almost in the middle of Wyoming. If you reached the rock by the fourth you could make it through the passes before the snows. Legend says (because I cannot find a better fact here) that Independence Rock got its name from Ashley’s men who camped there on July Fourth 1825. By 1840 there were so many names carved into the rock that Father DeSmet referred to the rock as,   “the register of the Desert.”

A Long time Ago

Wow-Did you ever leave something alone and then come back to it a year or more later? It will be either better than you remembered or filler for the trash. In my case I was happy with the novel I put away-two years ago, better than I thought, still needs some grammar and punctuation stuff but all in all I like the story. Time to get back to work; hope to peddle this before the first of September

Medicine Bow Wyoming

Spent last Sunday in Medicine Bow Wyoming—Medicine Bow Days and a celebration of 100 years for the Virginian Hotel. The Hotel was built to be the showcase place to stay between Denver and Salt Lake; it is still going strong and quite a neat old place. Watched some fast draw competition, bought the grand kids snow-cones, and had an all round great time.

Tie Up That Horse Cowboy

The cowhand raced to save the distressed maiden, he leapt from his trusty steed, and ground tied him, as whistling lead and the smell of gun powder filled the air.
I made that up, but did recently finish reading books by two different authors, where the hero ground tied his horse under all conditions- they ground tied so much I got tired of waiting for the horse to run off. Things that I have read, and or tried with ground tying indicate the cowboy may need hiking boots instead of cowboy boots if he ground ties too much.
Much like the cowboys that loop the reins around the hitching post in the old movies, horses will shy and get the heck out of Dodge if too much action and noise starts. Heck my pick-up doesn’t like to stick around if things get to wild-------but I do.
I like well researched western reads, not sure these writers had spent much time around horses. Too bad, one of them was fast paced and fun.

The Virginian --Nope

Ever wonder where writers come up with characters for their novels? Well this guy was sure he was the Virginian. He lived at the right time and was in the same general area as Owen Wister was when he wrote the famous novel, but I doubt he was the Virginian. He may have been the basis for a physical description of the famous cowboy, or as Wister wrote, cow-boy, but he was not the Virginian, of that I am sure.

The summer of 1914 may have truly marked the end of the old west. Why, because that was the year of the last stagecoach holdup, and it took place near Shoshone Point in Yellowstone Park. Other places claim the last holdup, including one of the Cheyenne-Deadwood Stage and one in Nevada, but I like this one. The year marked the end of the horse’s only transportation in the park, as cars came for the first time the next year, and a year after that, 1916 would mark the end of the coaches in the park.

I like this bit of history because the robber, Edward Trafton, (Ed Harrington) did not just hold up a stagecoach, he held up fifteen in a row. The stages carried tourists seeing the sights of the park, and the sixteenth coach, sniffing out something bad, turned around and went for help.

Wearing several layers of extra clothes and a black mask,Trafton stopped each coach rustled out the passengers and asked them, while holing a rifle, to put their money in a sack lying at his feet. For his days work he collected a little over nine hundred dollars and jewelry worth another one- hundred and thirty dollars. Trafton, a ladies’ man, or one who believed he was, laughed and asked the ladies to hide their jewelry, he was only interested in cash. Not sure how or why he ended up with more than a hundred dollars worth anyway, maybe he didn’t like some of the women as much as others.

Trafton had so much fun holding up a stage every half hour that he even allowed some of the passengers to take his photo. Not sure Tafton was the smartest of outlaws, but he likely believed he was, because of this day, famous, and needed to secure his place in history. It did secure a place but maybe not what he had in mind.

The well photographed outlaws next stop was Leavenworth, where he rested up for five years. He died more than a decade later
with a letter in his pocket claiming he was the cowboy Owen Wister based the Virginian on. More likely, if Wister ever met him and put him in the famous novel, he was one of the bad guys or less than bright characters in the story. Trampas?

Good Read

Just finished reading, Cormac McCarthy’s, No Country for Old Men, I liked the story line, and have always enjoyed, so called, modern day western’s. The trouble I had with this book, and one other of his that I have read, is trying to figure out where dialog starts and ends, or story narration is taking place. Part of the way down each page I would figure it out and then often start that page over.
But somewhere along the ling I realized I could not put it down—I really liked the story, and now I want to read another of his works.
Good book, but beware of the lack of punctuation.

Wyoming and the Code of the West

Last March the Wyoming legislature passed senate file 51. This bill, while not a true law as much as it is a suggestion has been both admired and critized. Some say it makes those of us who live in Wyoming look like a bunch of hicks, others say, yes, this is what we are all about.

Here it is - The Code of the West, bill.

Adapted from the book, "Cowboy Ethics," by James P. Owen

-The code includes-


1. Live each day with courage
2. Take pride in your work 3. Always finish what you start
4. Do what has to be done
5. Be tough, but fair
6. When you make a promise, keep it
7. Ride for the brand
8. Talk less, say more
9. Remember that some things are not for sale
10.Know where to draw the line

The Code of the West, alive and Well in Wyoming –click here to watch a great four minutes of Wyoming.

http://www.vimeo.com/7931683

Christmas and Sledding

Christmas is over and I am sitting in my recliner playing with my brand new Kindle. (I have downloaded my first book - a Wm Johnstone Western)
All four kids and all seven grandkids made it. BUT as always there had to be a mishap and this one was a dozy. Our four year old granddaughter broke her leg sledding. It was our second day on the hill (yesterday) she is a tough little kid but when she said she needed to go to the doctor we knew it was hurting. Now it is all cast up (hip to foot) and in about eight weeks she will be as good as new. Thank God for grandkids, good doctors and quick healing for four year olds.