WILD WEST MONDAY GUEST POST - KEITH CHAPMAN AKA CHAP O'KEEFE

Chap O'Keefe is a long time friend of The Archive - his full novel, The Sheriff and the Widow is available to read via the link in the right-hand sidebar of this blog. And he is often popping up in the comments section. His own novels published by Robert Hale LTD are hugely popular and of course he resides over the popular Black Horse Extra site.

Here Keith gives us his thoughts on western writing in general and the upcoming Wild West Monday The Third.




A few weeks ago, Gary invited me to be a guest blogger in the run-up to
Wild West Monday 3 -- an honour and a chance not to be missed.

But what was I to say? It was like being asked to an important party and
not knowing what to wear.

I don't, for example, do reviews per se of other authors' books.
Specifically, one of my quirks is that I share the stance recently put
forward by US writer and blogger Candy Proctor (aka C. S. Harris and C.
S. Graham): "I try never to criticize other authors in a public forum.
You never know when it'll come back to bite you on the ass."

I don't, for another example, feel equipped to give writing advice to
beginners, though I've spent 48 years in the business. I can only say
"this or that has worked for me", and suggest they study closely the
published books of the writers they most admire.

So I had the problem of what to blog about, exacerbated by having
already said all I thought I could say that was currently interesting at
the Black Horse Extra site.

The problem of what to blog about was solved the other day when Gary
interviewed Howard Hopkins (aka Lance Howard). Howard and I began
writing Black Horse Westerns at virtually the same time. His first,
Blood on the Saddle, appeared in October 1993; my first,
Gunsmoke Night in September 1993. We share many views,
though on a few points we differ -- particularly the right of fellow
established writers to be allowed their say without interference. In my
book, giving an honest view is never a crime, never grounds to try to
"remove" anyone.

Howard spoke powerfully about resisting the "naysayers", the people who
would "piss all over your dreams". He suggested new writers should avoid
them.

It's advice I have seen most fully expressed in a book titled How
to Get Published and Make a Lot of Money! by Susan Page (1998,
Piatkus, UK; Broadway Books, US). I recommended this very book to Gary
many months ago, before his huge sales success with The
Tarnished Star. In a late chapter in her book, "Monster 3:
Envy", Susan Page has a section called "Avoid Toxic People and Surround
Yourself with Support".

That said, we must not surround ourselves with warm fuzzies either. As
Howard pointed out, everyone eventually needs to be aware of "the
realities of the business". Sometimes these will be found bitter. You
will quickly encounter publishers with appetite for not a crumb of risk
who will hold your print-runs to very low levels, dismissing anything
other than concrete sales to customers with long-held accounts as a
reason for stepping them up: "The books are on sale-or-return -- some
might be sent back."

In the Black Horse Western field, other obstacles will loom to "cripple
your creativity". One apparently significant group will be the
"politically correct". Their demands will be various, but fall into two
broad categories characterized by the following objections, which
publishers feel constrained upon to lend weight:

"No, we can't have Indians (although it's the 1800s!) -- today they're
Native Americans and must be afforded the gravest of respect."

"No, we can't have a heroine who is reduced to nudity before a novel
showdown shootout -- these books go into libraries and children might
pick them up."

Then we have the other group, the literary intelligentsia. They will
sneer at the "little" westerns, or damn them with faint, joking praise,
not appreciating the craft that goes into well-honed prose, tight
plotting and the kind of characterization achieved in a few telling
strokes. This argument seems very seductive. Even the best writers have
been known to describe their westerns in terms that suggest writing them
is a way of filling in time between major, bulkier projects in other
genres. A pox on their apologies!

My message to everyone for June 1, Wild West Monday, is to be on the
lookout for the naysayers. If they try to stifle your enthusiasm as you
promote the genre to booksellers, libraries and the media, be ready and
swift with your answers. Tell them about some of the westerns you've
read that are well-researched, well-written, first-class entertainment.
Be prepared with titles of the books you've read and the ones you now
want to read. Know what should be available by checking the lists at
publishers' websites and the features at blogs like this one and ezines
like Black Horse Extra. Ask, "Where are they?" Make it clear you are a
genuine reader who will follow through when your requests are answered.

And snap up the bargains from online retailers like The Book Depository,
who offer new paperback, large-print westerns for as little £6.74 or
$10.32 American, delivery free worldwide!