Writing Westerns

Craft a novel that evokes the spirit of the West Western Movies don't appear as frequently today as they did in the 1960s, but those that make the cut in Hollywood prompt frequent Oscar buzz. Nor have Western novels been eclipsed. In 2010, Amazon.com offered 213 new Western novels for sale, plus many reprints of older classics. Writing Westerns examines what a Western is, while teaching you how to research and write one. You'll benefit from the author’s experience—248 books published since 1977—and the example of masters in the field, from Zane Grey and Max Brand to Louis L’Amour and Cormac McCarthy. Each chapter includes a short list of recommended sources for further reading. Appendices to the main text include a glossary of Old West slang and jargon, which is helpful in writing realistic dialogue, a timeline of significant historical events, and a list of classic Western films and novels. Research, talent, and imagination are the keys to writing a successful novel. Join us now, as we set off into the West.

This groundbreaking novel is considered by many to be one of the most important early entries in the western genre. Recounting in rich detail the daily life of a foreman on a vast ranch in Wyoming, this gripping tale has sparked imaginations for more than a century, inspiring at least six film and television versions.

Whatever we might think of them, popular Westerns, both movies and cheap paperbacks on the newsstand racks, have had a powerful impact on both U.S. culture and Western European culture in general. Collected here are new studies from a variety of critical approaches of popular Westerns by scholars from the U.S., the U.K., and Europe, new studies of classic William S. Hart, John Ford, Clint Eastwood, and Sam Peckinpah film Westerns as well as new studies of seldom studied writers such as James Warner Bellah, Clarence Mulford, Charles Portis, and Oakley Hall.

All writers are familiar with terms like plot, suspense, conflict and character. They may be less familiar with intertextuality, anachrony, and fabula, and they may be even less confident in achieving the effects these terms refer to. This book defines fictional techniques and guides the potential writer in their use. It may spark off ideas for stories and novels and provide first-aid for failing stories. A story's ending may come as a surprise to the reader, suspense may have the reader on the edge of the seat, and conflict may lead to unbearable excitement. It is the job of the writer to create these effects and this book illustrates how it is done. The book is for students doing creative writing in higher education, at "A" level, and it will be essential reading for anyone interested in writing fiction. Contents: Definitions of over 200 terms and techniques to do with fiction writing How to achieve fictional effects Literary examples of the techniques described Characteristics of genre as well as literary fiction Basic but essential techniques such as writing dialogue and using figures of speech Definitions of major terms used in publishing

Nik Morton has been writing for over forty years, honing his craft. He writes genre fiction, whether that s science fiction, horror, crime, thriller, romance or westerns. To date he has 15 books under several pseudonyms. His westerns are usually written under the name Ross Morton. Within these pages you can discover how to write a western from the initial ideas, through the preparation and research, to those all-important character studies and plots. And you can do it in 30 days! ,

Table of contents

The cowboys and Indians, sheriffs and outlaws, schoolmarms and barkeeps of Western films have wholly transformed our ideas about the reality of the American frontier. Westerns is the first book to consider seriously the historical meanings and functions of the Western film genre. In Westerns , leading scholars unpack the ways in which the form has embellished, mythologized, and erased past events. Contributors explore the mythic Wild West envisioned by Buffalo Bill Cody, the revisionist aims of recent westerns like Posse, Lone Star, and Dead Man , and how the genre addresses key issues of biography, authenticity, race, and representation. Included is an introduction by Janet Walker.