Scott Harris's Blog, page 8

Mile 20: Visit Locations

My last entry was about locations, especially the importance of accuracy if you’re writing about a real place that is readily researched. With this entry, I’m going to suggest you visit as many of those locations as possible. Most Westerns take place in the western half of the United States, which means if you live

Movie Review: Trail End

Barry Corbin stars in this 2007 movie. In truth, Barry’s just about the only one of any consequence in this 25-minute film. In the spirit of full disclosure, Barry is a friend of mine, and I only heard of this film for the first time when he was kind enough to give it to me.

Forum Featuring Douglas R. Cobb

When — and why — did you first fall in love with Westerns? My Dad really loved reading Westerns long before I ever decided to check one out and see what made him love the genre so much. I’d say his love of reading Western novels, which he also passed on to my two older

Colorado Wind

“Colorado Wind” is the first novel of Michael D. Abbott’s that I’ve read — and I loved it. We’ve done a couple of projects together. Mike contributed to two of my 500 word micro-short projects: “The Shot Rang Out” and “A Dark & Stormy Night.” Plus, he was the highlighted author for my Aug. 24

Mile 19: Locations

As you’re writing your novel, you’ve already come to realize something: it’s got to take place somewhere. The question is — where? There are really two options available to you as you pick the location(s) for your novel. First, and this is the most challenging, write about a real place. For those of us who

Movie Review: Hondo

1953’s “Hondo,” directed by John Farrow, is one of those fantastic pairings where both the book (“Hondo” by Louis L’Amour) and the movie (John Wayne) are spectacular. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s a treat. This one even took an interesting detour. “The Gift of Cochise” was a Louis L’Amour short story

Forum Featuring Johnny D. Boggs

When — and why — did you first fall in love with Westerns? Watching them on TV as a kid. “Gunsmoke still rules.” The West looked and felt a whole lot different than the tobacco fields and swamps where I grew up in South Carolina, and it’s true: I did play hooky my senior year

A Bullet in the Neck

“A Bullet in the Neck” is a collection of four short stories from an author relatively new to writing Westerns, Russ Towne. While Russ has written quite a few books over the past few years, this is just his second foray into our genre, and it’s a good one. I blogged about his first entry,

Mile 18: Author or Writer?

Mile 18 may not help you write your first Western, but it might help you when talking to friends. When I first started writing, I wasn’t sure what to call myself — writer, author or candlestick maker. Somehow, in my head, author seemed more “serious,” more “literary,” than I felt my writings were. Writer seemed,

Book Review: Scott Harris U.S. Marshal

First, let’s just get this out of the way. This is a weird review to write because the book is a tribute to me. I’m still getting used to this honor, and it remains surreal. However, I figure I could get away with writing this because, while all of the stories have me as the