July Writing Update

 Elmore Leonard once said, “I never open a book with weather. If it’s only to create atmosphere and not a character’s reaction to the weather, you don’t want to go on too long. The reader is apt to leaf ahead looking for people.” 

So What About the Weather? -  July has been pleasant here in our little part of the world. We have had some warm days, mostly offset by cool nights. Overall, the summer has been a bit cooler than the 30-year average. The fine weather has allowed for more flowers and more vegetables than last year. Two small hail storms were the only downside of this summer’s weather. The second one was short-lived, but nickel-sized hail took out most of our raspberries and the higher-on-the-vine tomatoes. Update - tomatoes are looking good and tasting even better!

Finishing a Book – I was asked this week if I had ever started but not finished a book. They should have asked me how many books have you started but not finished. My answer – too many. I have written nearly 200 pages with 200+ footnotes on one nonfiction project, now dead for five years. Add a kid’s book or two, a memoir, and two series books I abandoned. I nearly forgot to mention a history storybook and a historical highlights book. Maybe some days, I will go back and look at one or more of these books, but not soon.

Edits – The first long and slow edit of the third of my Blade Holmes western mysteries is complete. Now I will lay it aside for a week or two, then listen to the computer read it. Then a third go through. In the meantime, I am editing the third of my nonfiction books for older readers. It is a shorter book; I should finish this edit in a week or so.

 

Writing Quote of the Week – “A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it is to be God.” Sidney Sheldon

Photos – Today’s photos are from this week’s wanderings, walks, and strolls.

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!

 

Write Fast Edit Slow & Zane Grey Too

 Confessions of a Writer of Westerns

January 17, 2022

We are back from a short trip to see family in southeast Nebraska. Always nice to catch up and, for us, an excellent time to refresh. I didn’t get much written during our short trip, but as always – some good ideas.

Editing westerns can be tricky, especially when using old west slang or vernacular of the day. I am often asked about editing. Most wannabe writers are as worried about this as they are writing. Today I want to talk a bit about it. First, it is hard. Second, find some great, before publication readers.

Zane Grey

Zane Grey, often credited as writing the first western – The Virginian – started as a somewhat stiff and grammatically poor writer who told great tales. His wife Dolly was his manager and first and often only editor. Like most editors, she made it better. Some historians believe she made his writing more stiff and proper, but it was likely the other way.

Dolly Grey worked much like many writers of today’s first readers. Let them read it and make suggestions. Most importantly, listen to what they tell you.

Before letting it out to my first readers, I also use two, yes two, and sometimes three, grammar, spell, and proper-use software programs.

 

Flicker puffed up in the cold.

Reading – The Old Editor Says, by John E. McIntyre. Yep, that is where I got the idea to write a bit on editing today. It is a tiny little book of 76 pages packed with wisdom from the long-time editor. My best takeaway from the book? Take your time when editing – like the adage. Write fast, edit slow.

Noticed – It is always nice to be seen and appreciated, and last week I received word that this blog is now listed in FeedSpot as one of the Top 25 Western Fiction Blogs & Websites. Click the link to see the list. I read several of these sites – good stuff.  

 

Weather – Almost spring-like today. Lovely, but it is January and will not last. We are enjoying it! Yesterday we were in the 40s. Today we are in the mid-fifties.

Quote of the day – “Some editors are failed writers, but so are most writers.” T.S. Eliot

 

Buddies

Today’s Photos – January photos along the North Platte River ¼ mile from our home in Wyoming.

 

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 Westerns and a Trip to the Laramie Range

The garden is planted, the flowers are blooming and summer is here. I remember watching so many old (maybe as old as me), characters in TV westerns when I was a kid. They often talked about the sun making it easy on their old bones, now it’s my old bones enjoying the warm weather. Think I must have reached that point in my life. I spend time every day in the sun, and more in the shade, but still outside on these terrific summer days.

Writing – Blazing away on my third Blade Holmes western mystery, or at least working along on it. I have also taken some time to polish my second book of Christmas short stories this week. Kind of fun sitting in the sun and writing about cold and snow.

Reading – Much of my reading is centered around research for the books I’m working on, but I always take time to read for relaxation also. Right now I am enjoying, William Kent Krueger’s, Minnesota adventure, Iron Lake.

Selling Books – As is to be expected this time of year, sales are slow, glad my writing income is only part, and presently, a small part of our income. I have had a few weeks with only a handful of sales and darn few KDP pages read, but in the end, it will all work out when fall arrives.

Writing tip – Start with a character, preferably your protagonist, and put them in a mess – yep, create conflict, keeps readers turning pages. Here is how I started my second Blade Holmes novel, The Ghost Dance.

The man riding alone on his horse should have heard the shot, but he was already dead. The huge .52 caliber slug had torn through his shirt an instant before the sound reached his lifeless body. The noise from the big gun reverberated through the canyon, but only the shooter heard it.

Less than an hour later U.S. Marshal Blade Holmes found the body, vultures looked to have arrived shortly after Jimmy Spear had been blown from his saddle. The young, smallish Appaloosa he’d been riding was grazing oblivious a hundred yards away.

Todays Photos – From west of town on our Sunday drive and from our backyard.

It’s hot outside, super time to get in some extra reading and writing. 

Writing and Social Media - Spring Photos Too

Lots of May showers here in Wyoming hope that leads to an abundance of good pasture and many wildflowers.

My writing has taken a backslide as we had guests here the past two weeks. We did get to do much in the way of catching up, and, of course, took some time to see the local sites.

Words - I did get a thousand words, or so, on my nonfiction, but nothing else written in the last 10 days. Meanwhile, my third in the Blade Holmes, western mysteries, sat by waiting for more words, but it didn’t happen. Did have time to edit the 6,000 words I have completed, I like the story so far.

Cutting Back – I have cut back some on my social media, I just don’t have, or do not make, the time I need to use everything I was trying to do. I have several sites on Blogger along with this one, an active presence on Google Plus, and I try to keep going strong on Twitter. I recently created an author site on Facebook, and hope that will make up for giving up, mostly, on Word Press, and other sites that I just could not keep up with. (Please feel free to click the link and follow me on my Facebook author site). I am also posting less often, which I find may not be good, sales are down.

Speaking of Sales – Sales of my soft cover books and eBooks are trending down. May has also started with a downturn in my KDP pages read. At times I think maybe everyone that wants to read my stuff has already done so – then miraculously, everything takes off again. Waiting for my next uptick, but not waiting patiently.  

Reading- Much like my writing, my reading has suffered lately. I am re-reading a favorite, Absaroka Ambush, from  William Johnstone’s Mountain Man series. I have also started, (just), David Dary’s, Cowboy Culture – A Saga of Five Centuries. Looks to be a fine reference for those who write about the old west.

Todays Photos – From a drive this week up to the tiny mountain village of Esterbrook, 50 miles away.

On Turning 70 - See my latest book here, a tongue in cheek look at aging, at least up to my age. 

Here is that 70-year-old taking a break on Horseshoe Creek

Have a great week, enjoy the beginning of spring, and keep on reading and writing.

Reading, Writing & A Winter Day in Wyoming

I follow quite a few writers on various social media platforms. Most of the time I enjoy what they have to say. Why only most of the time? I like authors who post about their work, works in progress, what they are reading, or how to write articles.

Posting Off Subject - When writers post political stuff, I don’t mind some, but if it becomes the norm, I usually quit on them. I have my own political views, which I keep to myself, except for one post which I still regret. It’s not that I don’t enjoy a good political conversation or read, I do, but for that, I keep to political bloggers. As far as politics, I follow people on both sides, liberal, and conservative, and sometimes enjoy what they have to say.

Off subject photo of Bison in Winter

Sites I Read - Like most everyone who writes, I follow/read many writing sites. Some are fun, some helpful, and some simply have so many followers I figure something must be going on. Here are five, in no particular order, that I look at several times a week, and often find good stuff, usable stuff, or inspiration to keep on working.

https://www.thecreativepenn.com/resources/

http://annerallen.com/

http://www.advicetowriters.com/

https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/

https://writetodone.com/

On a Windy and Cold Day

I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide. — Harper Lee

I love that quote, and how true it is. No matter how hard we try, those of us who write are still going to be hurt, at times, by what others think about our hard work. I am still hoping for a five-star review to cover the single one-star I got for my novel, The Ghost Dance, on Amazon. 

Winter Sunset

It’s a good story and still sells pretty well, but the one-star review keeps it from being as popular as some of my other books. Why the one-star? I let my spell checker replace Marshal with Marshall, and sole instead of soul, (I might have done that one myself). Not grievous, most never noticed, but still wrong. The words were long ago replaced, but the one-star, sadly the books only review, lives on. Someday a kind reader, or two, will leave some four or five-star reviews and the book will sell better, and I will feel better. Meanwhile, I try to remember Harper Lee’s words about developing a thick hide.

 

Talking About My Book on the Civilian Conservation Corps 

What I am Reading Now – Elmer Kelton’s, Ranger’s Trail

Geese Flying Over in the Heavy Snow This Morning

Have a great week and keep on reading and writing

 

Coming Soon - Sring & Summer

Off and Running In 2018

Welcome site at the end of a snowy hike this week

No New Year’s Resolutions for me this year. I have tried them in the past but never followed through. I do like seeing others with resolutions and hope they do well with them. But, I do have hopes for the new year.

Unintentional Slow Down - After publishing four books in 2014-2015 and four more in 2016, I finished one last year. So here I go with my non-resolution, resolution – I need to get back to four again this year. Shouldn't be hard, as my faithful readers know, I have two finished, and being edited now, that means I need to finish the other two I have stated.

New Things in 2018  -  I do have a new Author Page on Facebook 

& I still have my long-time author page on Amazon

I have great hope that the new page will add to my author exposure, and eventually to more book sales.

Working On - The first week of the year most of my work has been on my nonfiction book. This one takes more time with footnotes and so many sources, but I am having fun with it. Not sure when I will finish, looks like it could go five or even six-hundred pages. When this one wears me out I will go back to one of my other projects.

An old-time dugout in the snow

Happy New Year and wishing you Luck with your 2018 resolutions. 

Think Spring