Dry spell

Seems like there's been a bit of a dry spell where westerns are concerned. It's a good news / bad news sort of thing, though. The bad news is that there really aren't any good western movies or TV shows out right now (reruns don't count). Publishers are getting reluctant to start up anything new and the western sections in a lot of bookstores are dwindling down to the ol' reliables like tried and true series, L'Amour and such. The good news is that this just happens every now and then in this business. Westerns rise and fall in popularity, much like other genres such as horror and private eye fiction. It's a cycle, which means it'll be on the upswing before too long.

Of course I don't mean that westerns are drying up or dead. They're just in a lull. Personally, I think it's funny when anyone says that westerns or any of those other genres are dead (especially funny when they say horror is dead, but that's just irony...or a pun). I've heard this stuff from readers, writers, editors and publishers. Some time goes by, then those same people say the genres are being revitalized by some new movie or something else. Now, it could be that movie or just the mood of readers in general that brings a genre up or lets it fall. Whatever causes it, those peaks and valleys happen. I've written in a good number of other genres and they're all affected by these things to some degree.

There's still work to be done and stories to be written. When readers get tired of a genre, maybe writers should try to put another twist on it or do something a little different. If something's stagnating, shake it up! It doesn't have to be revolutionary, but get out of the rut. Otherwise, you just need to stockpile some stories and wait for the mood to change on its own. Then again, the publishers don't help matters when they are reluctant to buy anything too far outside of their lines. It's the old story of trying something new vs. going with something that's more likely to sell.

Eh, this is why I don't like talking about the business part of what I do. Writers write and publishers do the business end. Some writers are real good at the business angle, but I hate it. I just want to write and write some more. Dry spells come along and sometimes they cause writers to hang up their pens. It's the stuff that drives a lot of writers to the ol' whiskey bottle. Then again, if we tough it through the valleys and make it to another peak, we get paid to do what we love. It's not an easy job, but it's a rewarding one.

Fortunately, I've still got work to do so I'd better get back to it. I've settled on a new title for that Compton book: Outlaw's Reckoning. I like the sound of it.

What's in a title?

Actually, a lot.

Usually, I come up with a title before I start a project or get one not long after I'm into it. I like my titles to have some meaning and reference something in particular as opposed to something that just sounds cool without being specific to the story. I like there to be that moment when someone's reading that they go, "Oh, that's where the title came from." It's a dumb little thing, but I always think about it. I've done my fair share of ghostwriting for other series and get sick of stuff like, "______ River Vengeance" or "Hellfire on the _____ Trail". Just fill in the blanks and you've got about six dozen different books in a dozen other series.

I don't always get to use my own titles, which can throw me off. THE MAN FROM BOOT HILL wasn't my original title for the series. I didn't like it at first, but it grew on me and I like it just fine now.

Some titles are happy accidents, like NO ANGELS FOR OUTLAWS. That one just came out as dialogue from Nick's father and I instantly knew that had to be the title for the next one.

Some titles can be somewhat generic, but still very cool and appropriate for the book. The reason I'm bringing all of this up is because I'm trying to think of a title for the next Compton and am having some trouble. I had an original title in mind, but that got shot down. It's fine, because I wasn't too crazy about it anyway. The problem is that nothing else is coming to mind. Oh well. I'll think of something. Times like this, it's always good to just keep chuggin' along and wait for that title to hit you. It will hit you. If little creative things don't hit writers every now and then, they shouldn't really be writers.

Donkey kick

Tax time has come and gone. Being self-employed, I generally don't get to cheer about getting a return. In fact, I get to guess what my income will be, send the money to the IRS and hope they don't want more. Usually they do. This year, doing my taxes felt as good as getting a powerful kick straight to the goods in the cellar if you know what I mean. Ugh. Surely lots of you can feel my pain. If you got a bunch of money back (or even some), then good for you. I don't want to hear about it, but good for you.

A big hit with the ladies

Today was my signing at Borders and it went pretty well. It’s a beautiful day here, so some folks were probably outside getting fresh air and sun instead of coming to see me. Those folks need to check their priorities. Just kidding. The Borders people were great as always and it was a nice setup. I even got some free coffee, which is always a plus.

What set this signing apart was the fact that only women came over to talk with me. Since the western genre is pretty much skewed in the male direction, that’s usually the crowd that comes by to see me at a signing. There are always a few women that show up, but it’s mostly men. This time, every last person to notice me at my table was of the womanly persuasion. And hey…who can blame them? It was great seeing you all and I thank you so much for keeping me company.

More specifically:
Heidi – I hope you actually read that book you bought. I told you I’d blog about it.
Samantha – Enjoy No Angles for Outlaws. That’s still my favorite title of the bunch. Don’t worry, your characters will start cooperating sooner or later.

See? Show up and you too can be immortalized in a western writer’s section of the internet. There’s no better way to spend a wonderful Saturday afternoon. Oh yeah, I suppose there is the whole “outside and sun” thing, but that stuff will be around all summer.

Crossing fingers.....now

Just thinking about my signing this Saturday. There was an announcement in the paper as well as on the Borders website, so everything seems to be on track. Still, I hope it goes ok. Just to be safe, I might bring some wrapping paper so I can be of some use if I'm mistaken for an employee (see previous post about signings). I'm sure it'll be great. Right? Right.

Peru State College

I spoke to some students, faculty and other folks at Peru State College today. It's a great school about eighty miles or so south of Omaha. I hadn't been there before, but am really glad I went. Everyone there was very nice and there was actually a good turnout for my lecture (speech, talk, whatever you'd want to call it). I always get nervous with these things, but I still enjoy doing them. Let me clarify that. I enjoy doing them as long as it seems like it was worth doing. Sometimes, nobody shows up or they look like the sound of my voice is something close to broken glass scraping against their eardrums. This, however, was definitely worth doing.

First of all, it's a personal triumph for me because I, like plenty of other people, spent a good deal of my life being petrified at the very prospect of speaking in front of anyone. Sure, this lecture was just me talking about writing and the whole publishing process which I know something or two about, but it's still public speaking. Everyone at Peru was very nice and made me feel right at home. Plenty of folks showed up, which was great. Nobody fell asleep while I was talking, or they covered it up well enough that I didn't notice. That's a plus. There were even some great questions. All in all, a fun experience and I hope to do it again sometime.

If anyone from Peru is reading this, it was great meeting you and feel free to drop me an email or comment on this blog. That goes for anyone else too, by the way. I don't leave the house much, so any word from the outside world is always welcome.

Now...back to work.

Top o' the world, Ma!!

Well, maybe not the absolute top, but it's a few steps up from where I was before. I was putzing around on the Borders website and found an actual announcement for my April 5th signing. Now, this may not seem like a huge deal, but it's the first time a signing of mine actually made the site. I've had plenty of them at plenty of other places and never got onto the place's website.

This brings to mind the subject of signings in general. Most new writers (myself included, back when I was wet behind the ears) picture their signings as these huge events where you're finally recognized for all the hard work and dedication you've poured into your craft. More often than not, unless you stack the signing with your own friends or family, these things end up with the writer sitting at a table somewhere fielding questions like, "Do you work here?" or "Can you wrap this for me?" or the ever-popular, "Why are you sitting there?"

One of my signings started off with the bookstore manager forgetting I was supposed to be there, which wasn't too bad since there were only 2 copies of my book to sign anyway. That's not a typo, folks. TWO copies. Now, don't get me wrong. Some signings are really great and no matter who shows up it's great to see them. It's just the ones where NOBODY shows up that sting the ol' ego. I know I'm not a #1 Bestseller or anything, but sitting at a folding table in a mall while people walk by and throw peanuts at you just plain sucks. Fortunately, it's been a while since I've had one that bad. With some experience, all writers tend to get philosophical about these events. At least our books are in those stores. SOMEbody usually stops to talk to you and that's fun. Also...free peanuts!