Writing a Western - Behind the Scenes

In the early 20th Century, the Western genre was one of the most popular genres going around in both film and literature. People were captivated by the myth of the cowboy, the legends of gunfighters, the courage of law officers, and the trials and tribulations of people seeking to improve their livelihood across the wilderness of a lawless frontier, as mythologised in much-loved dime store novels. However, the genre has seen a steady decline in both literature and film, due in part to the genre having less appeal outside America. Even though I'm an Australian, the American West has always fascinated my curiosity; outlaws in the old west were similar to bushrangers of the Australian countryside. My goal has always been to write a Western that inspires people from around the world to make connections between their lives and the lives of people in the past and engage with the genre once more. While Hollywood has overdone the tropes and cliches - bar brawls, villains with narrow eyes, quick-draw shootouts, tumbleweed drifting across the desert, etc... I wanted 'One Shot' to be as authentic to the late Victorian period as possible. Planning and writing a book set in the 1890s has been a lot of fun and an immense learning experience, but it has also been a significant challenge. Here are some things I learned and experienced while planning and writing a Western.

Research, Research, Research

My Google search history is interesting, to say the least. Particularly when you use your wife's laptop to research "what does it feel like to get shot", "tuberculosis", "image of back burned fire" and "old west architecture". She'll certainly receive some interesting targeted ads.

When I first put finger to keyboard, I (believed) I had already conducted extensive research by reading several articles, the True West magazine, and the entire Time-Life Wild West Series collection, which I picked up for $2 each at an opp shop. Thanks Vinnies! Through my reading, I created a document of notes, words and reminders. That document grew substantially as I wrote, and I hadn't researched anywhere near as much as I thought. The further I got into the story, the more research I undertook, the weirder the Google searches became, and the document grew exponentially. My notes included: a list of reference images and period-specific words, slang & lingo, notes on the layout and construction of towns, politics, clothing, occupations, animals/wildlife/fauna, weather patterns, horse breeds, gender expectations, weapons, laws and regulations... the list goes on. Having to conduct a mountain of research slowed me down considerably, but it meant I could present the setting accurately and authentically as possible, far beyond the Hollywood stereotypes. While One Shot is set in a fictional county, I based a lot of the settings in the book on actual American cities. I won't spoil which state and city Moonsong is based on- although I'd love to hear from you if you can work it out! The movies portray old Western towns as a simple, single road lined by weatherboard buildings with false fronts. But towns and cities were far larger than that. While gunfights were seemingly plenty, most towns actually had strict gun laws, with stricter laws ensuring people were unable to even carry in public. Oh, and I also learned a lot about horse breeds. I'm ready to open a ranch!

The other challenge I faced was researching the etymology of words and phrases. I think I would've searched the etymology for almost every word in the manuscript. As a lover of language, I found it interesting - such as the history of goody two shoes - but as a writer it was incredibly tedious.

Deciding to create a fictional setting based on the real American West

Being a fair dinkum Aussie, and unfortunately never having been to America, (although wearing a cheesehead and freezing to death while watching the Packers play at Lambeau Field is on my bucket list), I felt it would be unjust and inappropriate to set my novel somewhere I've never been. Basing the story on fictional locations: Moonsong, Cathay, Violent Valley, allows me to exercise greater creative control over some of the details regarding the setting, meshing together elements from various real locations. It also allows a broader appeal to readers outside of America. Hopefully One Shot will encouraging people from Australia and around the world to explore other novels in the genre, and to maybe even write one themselves.

The first chapter is available here and please like and follow my facebook page for more updates. Can't wait to release the book to you on 28.11.21.