Dusty Trails

Western Fiction Magazine

May 13, 2009 // No Comments »

I’ve been asked about starting a western fiction magazine. Frankly, I’ve a lot on my plate these days and the thought of adding something like that to it isn’t particularly appealing. However, my love for western fiction and the genre keeps the option open.

I’m exploring doing it, but only if I can find enough qualified writers to supplement the magazine with quality stories. I can’t do them all myself. I’d certainly contribute, but doing all the writing just would not work.

The magazine will have to sustain itself. I’ll not go much out-of-pocket on the project, so it will have to be sustained by subscriptions and advertisements, otherwise, it will not work.

There really isn’t anything out there, today. The last true western fiction magazine, Far West, folded back in the 70’s, and since then, there hasn’t been anything around to take its place. Part of the problem is that there is a relatively small market for western fiction, and print media is so expensive. However, there are enough western fiction fans out there, that it is a viable operation as an electronic magazine.

I’ve put out some feelers, asking folks who visit the western fiction website what their feelings are, and whether they’d be willing to subscribe. Time will tell. Keep looking in here to see the way the wind blows.

If you’ve an interest, let me know by taking my short survey below. I’ll send it to you. Thanks.

Posted in Western Fiction

Writing western fiction

May 3, 2009 // No Comments »

There are tens of thousands of stories embedded within the history of the American West.  Many of these stories have been told and retold, and there are stories yet to be told embedded within the stories that have been told.  Writing a novel about the American West gives the writer an enormous body of information to draw from in constructing his or her story.  Just as there are innumerable locations, there are even more facts available to the writer.  We tend to want to draw from those facts that are commonly known, and therefore easy to obtain.  Sometimes, using well known facts, can help the reader  identify easier with the story because the writer is using historical facts that are familiar to the reader.

However, sometimes it’s a greater challenge, but a lot more fun, to look for unusual facts and incorporate those into your story.  For example, most Western fiction novels take place completely in what is commonly known as the Old West.  When I did my novel, Bloody Wes Teague, although I began in the West, the story moved within a few paragraphs to the East.  I sent the main character to New York City.  I looked for some unusual facts that I could  incorporate into the story.  Two facts I found that were unusual, in that they were not commonly known, is that New York City at one time had a disposal system consisting of pigs roaming loose in the streets.  This was New York City’s garbage collection system.  Another fact was that on hot, dry summer days, there would be huge clouds of manure dust in the air.  This was caused by the many horses and carriages in the city driving over dried piles of manure.

If you are a writer, you should look to have some unusual facts in your stories.  These facts ought to be based on historical facts.  It will make you a more interesting writer and will definitely make your novels more interesting to your reader.

Posted in Western Fiction