For the Want of a Good Western

Seems like most everything I see on author/writing sites deals with fantasy. Science fiction still has a bit of popularity but does not seem to be as strong as it was a few years ago.

What I don’t see are non-fiction and westerns.

My new Western - give it a try

I can find a bit of historical fiction, but most of it is of the romantic genre. I still enjoy reading both nonfiction and westerns, although I shy away from the old fashioned, shoot-um-up type. I also can lose myself in a good detective murder mystery and there are still a few good writers working in this genre.

Looking for a good western novel

I have a nice start on a detective mystery, modern times, but set in the west of course but haven’t looked at it in years. I drug it up this weekend and thought, “hey, not bad.” Pretty good story with some humor and three interesting main characters. Maybe I will take a longer look at it this winter.

In the meantime, my new book of Christmas stories in the West looks to be good to go this Friday. 

Cover photo from my new book

Reading the Old Letters

I spent much of the late afternoon and early evening reading through many letters written by Owen Wister. I never found what I was looking for, but something did hit home as I read through about a dozen letters. Where will letters be for researchers in the future? I love Twitter, texting and sending short emails but doubt that this type of correspondence, by people of interest in today’s world, would make for much research material.

Got me to thinking that if future generations need to learn more about today’s world it may take historical research into their topic person’s blog posts to find anything. And if they didn’t blog? Well, we will be left with things like this.

 Text Messages!

C U @ 10

K

Or maybe something like this.

How R U feeling

Ok wht ur it gone

Not sure that kind of reading would give much insight into someone’s life. Maybe Twitter, but I don’t think so. 140 characters does not allow much to be said. That is also one of the reasons I like it, but there is no depth.

Possibly, video blogs and news articles, most highly slanted in today’s world, will do for research of this generation.

Sad, I love reading through those old letters, it can give insight into a subjects, real life, real thoughts, and to the person outside of the public spotlight.  This week alone I have read through three collections of letters.  Other than Wister I have spent time combing through letters from soldiers at Fort Laramie and another few hours looking at some of the personal correspondences of one of my Wyoming heroes, Edgar Wilson Nye.

Might just be nostalgia.

Writing Update

The review copy of my fifth book, Under Western Skies – 14 stories of Christmas, should be here tomorrow. I hope I don’t have too many things to clean up. Still would like it available, both as a book and eBook by next week. I like the book and have another book of short stories in the planning stages. This next one will be traditional western stories, not Christmas stories. I find writing short stories both relaxing and challenging. Sometimes it can take me a week or more to write a four or five-page story and get it the way I want.

Early draft of the cover for my book of Christmas shorts

I am also finishing up the first draft of my sixth book,  Mystery at Hell’s Half Acre, Wyoming. This is my first teen/young adult offering and will come in at a bit over 50,000 words. The book is set in modern times with flashbacks to the 1800s. It is both a discovery/growing up book and one that deals with American Indian (Arapaho) legend and beliefs. I am hoping for a release by February 1^st but will not hold my breath on that date.

Hell's Half Acre Wyoming - setting for my teen mystery

 Work continues on the research for my second nonfiction book, this one about Fort Laramie. Nonfiction is a whole different kind of animal – takes a lot of time, but it seems worth it, I learn a lot.

Old Bedlem on the grounds of Fort Laramie

For me, with winter, comes more writing. Not crazy about doing too much out in the cold any longer so writing occupies most of my days December through February. We do hope to take a trip south in February which should warm us up, but it may slow down the writing.

Winter is coming soon to the mountain west

Yesterday I found a tongue in cheek novella, I wrote 15 years ago about the trials and tribulations of starting a business. It still seems pretty timely, might give it another look. We have started up several, none succeeded, although one try lasted five years. Mostly we discovered much work – little money.

 

Enjoy the day!

Lakeshore Drive and Books for Sale

Work is going well in the park. Lakeshore Drive was open today and I drove to Black Canyon Cove and back. Looks like two major areas of concern, the crumbling road on a very dangerous curve

Wonderful looking fix on a very bad curve

and a bad culvert.

The CCC would be proud of the way this was fixed in their style

I stayed until just before dark waiting for the sunset, it wasn’t spectacular but was pretty nice.

Sun turns the sky golden over Laramie Peak - looking from the boat dock

When the moon started peeking through the trees I knew it was time to head for home.

 My newest novel, Commitment, is now available as a book or eBook

Take a look here

http://www.amazon.com/Commitment-Holmes-Western-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00ZJ6VKLS/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Commitment is a historical mystery/western, set in and around Fort Laramie and south to Laramie City and Cheyenne. Good old fashioned story with a bit of mystery, romance, bad guys and one very special good guy – great fun.

And of course, my book on the Building of Guernsey State Park can be found almost anywhere online and at many local sellers.

Get it here from Barnes and Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-civilian-conservation-corps-the-building-of-guernsey-state-park-neil-a-waring/1122073800?ean=9780692394885

Or get it here from Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Civilian-Conservation-Corps-Building-Guernsey/dp/0692394885/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Hey, talk about the perfect Christmas gift for everyone that loves the park.

Need a book for the kids or grandkids? My two kids chapter books are good clean fun.  

Fast moving adventures of growing up in the 1950s, with a ghost and Zombie just for the heck of it. Find them along with all my books here.  

http://www.amazon.com/Neil-Waring/e/B00XV26KLC

How I Write

Seems like there is software for everything now. I have read a few recent blog posts about the newest in writing software. I know that many modern writers use Scrivener, which helps writers manage their work from outline to formatting. I have thought about giving this one a try, then decided, you know the, “hard to teach an old dog new tricks,” adage. So I passed.

Still pitch my books the old fashioned way also - here talking to the Goshen Co. Historical Society
Civilian Conservation Corps book

Now I read promotions for writers of software that plots or helps a writer to plot, gives a writer story ideas, keeps the bad guys separated from the good guys and does just about everything but wash the pots and pans in the river. Although I have never tried any of these, it seems that the story lines would seem a bit mechanical and contrived. Not sure any software can replace imagination and an author's imagination is what makes a writer stand out.

At times, I feel like I should be still writing out stories or story ideas on my old legal pad – oh, never mind, I do still do that. But I do not use a typewriter. I write on my laptop and occasionally when I am out of the area on my tablet, but the word program seems to be a bit more cumbersome on my tablet so I usually try to take along my laptop if I think I will have time to write.

My office - where I write when I am under a deadline

For the most part, I sit in my easy chair in the family room or at my desk in my office and write.

My blogging, reading and game watching - Command Center - in the family room

Occasionally, when the weather is perfect, I write outside on the deck.

As for story ideas, I have too many to write in my lifetime. How do I keep track of characters, plot lines and other elements of the story? In a notebook, with pen and pencil, old fashioned but it works for me. My fifth book, Under Western Skies, 12 Tales of  Christmas, will be out in a couple of weeks. If all goes as planned, my sixth and my second nonfiction, should be out by the middle of May.

My go-to  home library

Still Working and Enjoying the Fantastic Fall Weather

Spoke at a very nice Rotary Club luncheon today in Cheyenne. Gave me a chance to talk about my Civilian Conservation Corps book and tell a few stories about Guernsey State Park. Great crowd and I sold a few books too.

In other news, I have finished the re-write of my historical western, Commitment.

Is available now as an Ebook and should go live as a book Friday. Pretty excited as this was a long project, glad to see it over and the book, well the book, is a really good read, even if I am a bit prejudiced.

I still plan to have my western shorts  collection of Christmas stories out by the first week in November, and I have a title - Under Western Skies - 12 Tales of Christmas.

Also hard at work on the third of my Mike and Moose and Me chapter book,

and researching my next non-fiction. Life is good when you keep working, but not too much. I accompany my wife for a nice hike in the park several times a week. Walking in the park is great exercise and most therapeutic.

Taking a break hiking a CCC trail in Guernsey State park a few days ago

Writing Can be Hard Work - Or Sorry About all the Photo's of Me

Trying to edit one book, complete another and research a third may not be good for a writer’s mental health. But, that is what I am doing, not sure why. I have a backlog of several completed, first draft books that I need to edit, polish and just finish up. I remember reading once that writing can be the loneliest profession and whoever said it may have been trying to do too many things at the same time. Oh, and I attempt, often weakly to sell a few of my books also.

Pitching a book

 

It is so easy to get started then look up and several hours have passed. Unlike many writers I don’t do much during the regular work day. Guess my 42 year teaching career warranted some of the normal work day hours off. So when do I write? Three in the afternoon to whenever I decide it is time to quite, three to six hours most days.

Research trip? Sitting in the Oregon Trail Ruts south of town yesterday.

Walking, playing golf, gardening and photography take up many of my mornings, not a bad way to spent the early part of the day either. Not sure I could ever treat writing as a day job. I have written for many years, publishing my first stories more than 30 years ago. Now that I am retired I still write in the evenings and on weekends, same as I have done for three decades. Does that fall under the old adage, “you can't teach an old dog new tricks?”

Typical working morning for the old history teacher

Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom we can neither resist nor understand.

George Orwell.