How to Write Westerns?
- Thread starter The Unseen Moon
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Non that I know of. Best thing I can offer you is to pick-up a western at the bookstore or where ever and read. Read as many as you can. That should give you a good idea.
I was going to mention that one. I have a copy but it's been some time since I've read it. As I recall, it would be good for someone new to writing westerns.
There are probably a few dozen. Do a search on Amazon, like I just did, but do pay attention to what Dan said above as well.
To write it, ya' gotta' read it.
To write it, ya' gotta' read it.
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I imagine it is the same as writing any book-- 1) Read Westerns, 2) have idea, 3) write book. Not that it is the boomingest market right now.
I used to work in a state prison. There was an inmate (and friend) who always carried around a western book. He told me that all of them were similar. He said change the town, the gun, and the horse's name and they all read alike. Funny guy. I'm sure there's lots more to it than that.
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That is not more or less true than for a lot of genres. There are some reliable norms, some books that do them well, and also some damn quirky books that ignore all of them and still seem to be a western. I, personally [heart] paranormal westerns. i have been considering writing one but I think to sell it I should probably add a lot of sex (not that I mind). My only western so far is a gay romance. I made sure to have a horse, a gun, a town, a damsel sort of in distress, a villain and a good shoot out in it.
I'd like to see some realism in a western book. The few I read seemed superficial. My guess, it was a damn tough life back then. The HBO special, Deadwood, nailed the west, and is the best depiction of how life probably existed in those challenging times. One episode depicted someone going through a kidney stone procedure. I've had 4, I now understand the saying, Drugs are your friend.
You write a Western the same way you do any other genre - one word at a time. There are no shortcuts.
I don't write to become rich, I write because I have to. And there is always a market for good writing, whatever the genre.
Deadwood is as anachronistic as any western. Don't aim for complete and absolute realism, aim for good writing.
Matt Braun's book is a good starting point for writing Westerns, although the books on historical fiction also work well.
Terry Johnston's books are pretty good as far as realism goes, actually. He did the Plainsman series as well as some mountain man stuff (Titus Bass if memory serves). He's a little rough at first, but by about the fifth book he settles in pretty well. Matt Braun's stuff is also pretty good as far as realism goes. Some of the more praised authors actually make some pretty major historical errors, but since the Western has in some ways transcended the historical west that may not be a big deal depending on what you want to do.