Lure/Appeal of the West/Westerns

Puma · Nov 14, 2011

In our discussions of how to revive this genre here on AW and beyond, I think one of the questions it would be good for us to answer is - what attracts us to the American West and Westerns? Is it

1. The lure of the wide open spaces
2. The scenery - red rock, snow capped mountains, dusty streets, sagebrush
3. The period of exploration and development
4. The triumph of good over evil in the stories
5. Cows and cowboys
6. Native Americans
7. Myths and legends (including the gunslingers)
8. Expected outcomes in the stories
9. Knowing there are stories about the West that haven't been written yet
10. The railroads

You get the idea. What brings you here and what would you like to pass on to others?

Question 2 - What do you think attracts readers of westerns to the stories?

Looking forward to seeing responses. I have to think about mine before I answer. Puma

CDaniel · Nov 14, 2011

The lure of the western for a great many readers I believe is everything that you have just listed. For me the western is more of a draw because of my background. I grew up on a cattle ranch where (as you have guessed) the cowboy/western culture is most prevalent. So needless to say I am saturated in western sauce.

Really though, what attracts me to the western is the myth and the history. The mythology and legends of the west is what appeals to most readers, writers, film makers, and movie goers to the western genre above anything else—I’ve seen. The history of the west is dark and bloody where the true villain is not the Indians but the encroaching American settlers. It was these people that literally brought about the destruction of the Native peoples and wildlife and who virtually raped the virgin beauty of the land itself.

I’m getting off subject, but you get my point I think.

Anyway, basically what I’m saying is from what I have seen it’s the myth and legend not the factual or famed history of the west that attracts readers and movie goers. To prove it, just look for your-self at the western novels that dominate the sale’s stands in any grocery store and book-store. The movies and television shows that have and are being produced. A good example as far as reading material goes are the novels and completed short stories of Louis L’Amour. His work, I have seen, overshadows everything in the western section. It could be because of his popularity, but from having talked to people who purchase his novels, it’s more due to the stories rather than the author. They are mythical or legendary however which way you want to say it. Therefore it’s the myth of the west that generates the interest and the sale of the western. Nothing has really changed about that since the days of the Dime Novels.

Dave Hardy · Nov 14, 2011

I am attracted by a lot of the above. I do expect Westerns to know their history. I dislike stories set in a generic West, I want it to be a place. It doesn’t have to be a geography lesson, but an imagined setting that connects to the real world: a Kansas cowtown, a California mining camp, a South Texas ranch, the Colorado Rockies, or the Dakota plains.

Myths are necessary for fiction, but there are all kinds of myths, tropes, genres, patterns, or cliches if you will. I tend to go for something a bit hard-edged. If I had to describe what I want to read or write, it’s stories of a savage land where a man must be ready to fight with every resource at hand or go under. My preference is for something along the lines of The Searchers or The Wild Bunch. Good doesn’t always have to win, but it has to fight & make a sacrifice.

I'm not sure what attracts readers. I honestly don't think about it much. I write what I want. If someone is willing to read it, so much the better.

CDaniel · Nov 14, 2011

I have to agree with you there, Dave. Write what you want and if someone likes it all the better I guess.

Puma · Nov 14, 2011

I'm a romanticist, so the wide open spaces, skies that go on forever, red rock canyons, towering firs above raging rivers, craggy mountain pinnacles, blue glacial ice, tumbleweeds emerging from clouds of brown dust are high on my list of must haves for westerns - that is, the setting needs to draw me in to the point I want to be there.

I'm also a realist, so the age of exploration and development, the romance of the trans-continental railroads, the trials of stage transportation, taming the prairies, etc. are also important to me. But I don't want fluff; life was not easy in the old West.

Beyond that, I want a good story, one that captures me as a reader and transports me back to the place and time.

Like you, Dan, I'm very interested in the truths about the Native Americans and the white man's interactions with them. Same goes for the wildlife and native habitat - my stomach churns when I look at pictures of the slaughtered bison.

And, like you, Dave, I want a place real enough I can find it or close to it on a map and I want historical accuracy.

There is wisdom in saying "write what you want to write" because chances are, if you want to write it, you'll do a good job and have a much better chance of getting somewhere with it. Writing to formula or to what you think the audience wants to read only leads to mediocrity. Puma

bkendall · Nov 14, 2011

I love the scenery. My other reason kind of covers a broader spectrum, but I am intensely interested in people and history. I love to read about what has happened and why it has happened. The exploration has a draw to it also, the not knowing what they'll find around the corner of the page.

On another note, westerns have the appeal that my father loves them. He is the person I am most interested in understanding. (It's a work in progress.)

That leads me to the second question. I know he loves the scenery, the romanticism of exploring new areas and fighting for what's right.

Historically, I believe the western was such a draw in the early 20th century because it took the reader back to a simpler time. People back then were seeing the impact of large cities and big business, on a smaller scale than now, of course. Those are just my thoughts.

BigWords · Nov 15, 2011

I like westerns because of what isn't known. There are massive gaps in the historical record ripe for playing with. Whenever there are questions (such as the real name of Billy The Kid, and both his and his mother's birthdate) there is room to play. It's the same reason I like some of the WWII stories - the opportunity to answer some of those questions, and possibly weave in some alternate interpretations of historical events, is irresistible.

HarryHoskins · Nov 16, 2011

You lured me, Puma -- into this thread.

In further answer to your question, allow me to start near the beginning. I have been trying to learn how to write and how to write better. With this on my mind I had the idea that trying out each genre would be a good way of expanding my style and getting to meet and receive feedback from a wide ranging spectrum of peoples.

So on I went and became a dilettante of the Literary, Horror, Sci-fi, Interstices, Romance and Womens, Humour and Erotica genres. When searching for the next genre to write in, I remembered how much I enjoyed writing around the edges of western in Interstices, so I thought Western was the way to go next.

So, that was the lure ... but what got me to stay?

Well, pretty much everything mentioned in this thread so far; and, in addition to this, most of what I've said in the western forum (however flimsy) when it comes to the genre itself. I should also say that a little sprinkle of my love and hate of America has got me to stay, as has a little twist of the relevance of the second degree I sometime studied.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I like the people -- mostly because they haven't told me to piss off yet.

Puma · Dec 22, 2011

Bumping this thread, which most of us responded to a little over a month ago.

I think this thread contains the essence of why we think western is different and why we think western is deserving of a place of its own - history, myth / legend, scenery, places, romanticism.

That's what I'm interested in. What about the rest of you - are we still on the same page? Puma

J'Dubee · Dec 22, 2011

I gotta agree with most of what everyone has written here on why I like the west, but I'm probably more inclined to concentrate on recording things in writing for the reasons BigWords mentioned in post #7.

I prefer facts, but any of my favorite fiction pieces will have at least a touch of fact.

pezerp59 · May 16, 2013

Men, women and children venturing into a frontier is an intrinsic element in a Western.

Lure/Appeal of the West/Westerns

Puma

Retired and loving it!

CDaniel

Writing for the brand

Dave Hardy

Don't let your deal go down,

CDaniel

Writing for the brand

Puma

Retired and loving it!

bkendall

BigWords

Geekzilla

HarryHoskins

Straw-fed

Puma

Retired and loving it!

J'Dubee

I make tall stories short

pezerp59

Inexorable