Why write Westerns?

Here's an article written by Larry Sweazy about why he writes Westerns.

Why I Write Westerns, by Larry Sweazy.

Why do I write novels? The simple, more guttural answer is that I love cowboys. Something about that image makes my knees weak. On a more poetic front, the Wild West to me was a time of simplicity. The Civil War came to pass, bringing with it change...people were making the switch from rustic living to using more contemporary fixes in their lives. The guns and the horses and the sheriffs and outlaws have me enamored, totally and completely.

That, and I like cowboys.

JLH

Writing dialogue in your character's native tongue--what is appropriate?

I am in the very, very early stages of a five-book fantasy romance series, as you've read. My five ladies scatter across the universe on various journeys in the hopes of discovering their respective mates as chosen for them by the gods. It just so happens that a couple of these men are native to certain countries.

The entire population of the universe in my series speaks one universal language--let's say Esperanto for now--but the people who inhabit the varying planets have all descended from Earth in some way...they all still practice, or at least possess traces of the languages their ancestors spoke way back when.

My books are written in English, obviously, with the strong implication that it's Esperanto they're really speaking. But, at times, there is an interchange of a different language by the heroes with the heroines or other characters in the books.

So, here's my question: do I actually, physically, type out that bit of dialogue in that language? And, if so, does it matter how long the passage really is?

Example 1: Sebastyan

Sebastyan Adonis Ruiz is my hero in Book 4, born to a Spanish merchant and an Italian opera singer. He takes pride in his ability to speak many languages fluently, the few he uses almost exclusively in the series being Spanish, Italian and English (Esperanto). As I know how to write in Spanish, choosing a few phrases, verbs, exclamations and terms of endearments are not difficult to me, and as the Spanish and English alphabets are the same, this is no challenge.

That brings me to Example 2: "Nik"

Nik ("Nik" is his placement name. I have yet to form this character completely), is a Russian descendant, a bold move by me as I do NOT speak any Russian. Looking up phrases and terms of endearment are a simple Google search away, which would be fine if it wasn't for the fact that the Russian alphabet is much unlike the English one. A lot more people would be able to recognize Spanish over Russian.

Now, again, Sebastyan's mutterings of "mi amor" and "nena" are simple and they flow well with the text, even when italicized. I have no idea what to do with the Russian sweet nothings of, "Милая моя", "Ангел мой", or "Ты красивая". Do I use the Russian letters, or do I include the phonetic spellings instead? Or neither, as saying "MIlaya Moyna", "Angel moy" or "Ti krasIvaya" is just as disruptive to a reader as their authentic counterparts?

What should I do? What do you do?

JLH

Casting my characters.

I did something last night so exciting and helpful that I had to share. While struggling through editing of my latest novel, I'm working on bits and pieces of my fantasy series. Over the week I had compiled a list of actors that remind me of the heroes. Last night, I looked up images of them and saved them under each hero's folder for safekeeping...as if I was casting for that story's movie.

For some of these, it was rough, and as I perused many Google Images pages it became quite clear--and I don't know why I didn't think of it before--that I need to consider the character that actor played, and not necessarily that actor himself. The same actor could look so different in a few different movies, so much that he would fit the archetype and appearance of different heroes.

Here are a few choices I have:

For Kray's "Rok", here's Dougray Scott ("Ever After" is what I like him in. This picture is not from that, but damn hot):


For Kayt's "Rowan", I chose Josh Duhamel (also playing with Timothy Olyphant and Ryan Reynolds):


For Kailyynn's "Sebastyan", here's Alexis Georgoulis ("My Life in Ruins"), and Jake Gyllenhaal ("Prince of Persia"):



For Karyi's "Dagibyr", here's Josh Holloway, but I want him with darker hair and lighter skin. I'm also interested in Colin Farrell and Gerard Butler, in the right movies:




The middle child, Kayla, has a story that has barely been started. I don't know what her hero looks like, so that's going to have to wait. Also, I don't know what the girls themselves look like. Next step is finding some actresses to fit my heroine archetypes.

J

Editing is a bitch.

Is it common for a writer to feel unenthusiastic about the work he or she just completed?

On November 30th of last year I finished my first novel. My self-imposed deadline for editing completion is January 31st. Like, done done. Finished. Ready for peer critiques followed by manuscript submission. I feel like I have postpartum depression.

My husband told me that he has read in many books that a writer often feels anything from disinterest to total dissatisfaction for the novel he or she just wrote. That's why editing sucks so much. Sometimes it's best to put your novel away for six months before you even consider editing.

This makes me feel better, and it explains why I'm turned off to my completed work and am turning my attention to the development of a new fantasy/erotica series. Of course, who wouldn't be excited about erotica?

Although, I have to say that I'm being obstinate. Editing requires reading my novel from start to finish, and running it through a fine-tooth comb. Why wouldn't I want to read through the stuff I wrote? It's something of a bad habit of mine, for when I should be writing I end up sitting down with my favorite passage and reading that over and over...

J

Desire, vision, focus.

Is it silly that I picture my novels on the shelves at Barnes and Noble? No, I didn't think so. It's a good way to visualize my dream and then work towards it. With my pen name, however, I noticed something kinda crappy...

First of all, I wanted my pseudonym initials to be the same as my real ones. Then, I wanted to pick a name that was bold, adventurous, romantic, and easy to remember. So I chose "J. Leigh Hunter". This was a name I picked many years ago. It wasn't a last-minute thing...an impulse buy, more or less. I spent days--months--working on my pen name.

And then I went to B&N and found out that there are two other (prominent) authors with the last name of "Hunter". One of which is Madeline, which is fine, but the other is Jillian. Jillian sounds an awful lot like "J. Leigh".

The bright side is that neither of these authors write Wild West/American Frontier historicals, mainly Regency. So that's not too much of a conflict of interest.

Another thing I noticed is that at B&N, and also at my library, the H authors are way down low on the bottommost shelf. Crap. That sucks the big one.

I'm not sure how marketing works for romance novelists and their publishers, but I can only hope for good reviews, peer ratings, and perhaps out-turned books when they hit the shelves. If customers are not coming in for my book, then maybe I can hook them with a really sexy cover.

J

Traditional boys' names that are more popular for girls.

In my current novel, I thought it would be funny if my hero was born with a more feminine name (something traditional for boys way back when, but is more popular as a girls' name now.) Not easy to do.

But I found a list due to my own meanderings around the web and through baby name books. See the following:

Ashley
Jocelyn
Leslie
Shannon
Valerie

My hero's referred to as "Colton" through the story, and I want him to finally tell the heroine his birth name at the very end. I want something girly...But what?

Would love to hear comments and suggestions!

J

Synonyms for "vagina".

Thanks, UrbanDictionary.com.

The female reproductive organ. Synonyms include:

copher, cunt, pussy, twat, cooter, beaver, fish lips, taco, camel toe, muff, snatch, fuck hole, garage, oven, love button, penis glove, cock sock, cock pocket, JJ, hoohah, bajingo, cum dumpster, sperm bottle, goop chute, slit, trim, quim, pooter, love rug, poontang, poonanie, cooch, tunnel of love, vertical bacon sandwich, bearded clam, cookie, cooleyhopper, nookie, the pink, honey pot, cunny, vag, meat curtains, hatchet wound, putz, fur burger, box, front bottom, gash, kebab, kitty, minge, snapper, catfish, vertical smile, lovebox, love canal, nana, flower, the cum dump, chocha, black hole, sperm sucker, fish sandwich, cock warmer, whisker biscuit, carpet, deep socket, cum craver, cock squeezer, slice of heaven, flesh cavern, the great divide, cherry, tongue depressor, clit slit,laps, fuzz box, fuzzy wuzzy, glory hole, grumble, man in the boat, mud flaps, mound, peach, piss flaps, the fish flap, he furry cup, stench-trench, wizard's sleeve, DNA dumpster, tuna town, split dick, bikini bizkit, cock holster, cockpit, snooch, kitty kat, poody tat, grassy knoll, cold cut combo, Jewel box, rosebud, curly curtains, furry furnace, slop hole, velcro love triangle, nether lips, where Uncle's doodle goes, altar of love, cupid's cupboard, bird's nest, bucket, cock-chafer, love glove, serpent socket, spunk-pot, hairy doughnut, fun hatch, spasm chasm, red lane, stinky speedway, bacon hole, belly entrance, sugar basin, sweet briar, breakfast of champions, wookie, fish mitten, fuck pocket, hump hole, pink circle, silk igloo, scrambled eggs between the legs, black oak, Republic of Labia, juice box, Golden Palace, fetus flaps, skins, sausage wallet, Holiest of Holies, sugar hole, The Death of Adam, home plate, Deer Hoof, Golden Arches, Cats Paw, Mule Nose, Yo Yo Smuggler, Mumbler, Dinner Roll, Crotch Waffle, Piss Fenders, crack, Melvin, Dove Breast, Brakepads, Vedgie, Slurpy, Vacuum Vulva, Pastrami Flaps, Hot Tamaki Walk, Buffalo Gums,Rooster Jaws, Wagon Ruts, Beaver Teeth, Mumble Pants, Ninja Boot, Marcia, Skin Canoe, Fatty, Mossy Jaw, The Big W, Chia Hole, Lip Jeans, Beetle Hood, Hungry Minge, Welly Top, Frum, Pancake Fold, Tongue Roll, Bologna Flap-Over, Furrogi (Poland), Fortune Nookie, Bearded Taco, Calamari Cockring, Displabia, Slot Pocket, Bluntfrunt, Fishamjig, Pole Magnet, Pocket Pie, Clamarama, kitty cage, Chicken's tongue, Conch shell, Crack of heaven, Dog's mouth, Door of life, Fly catcher, Fruit cup, Jelly roll, Lobster pot, bunny tuft, knish, her asshole neighbor, lotus, nappy dugout, moneymaker, womens weapon, tackle box, bone hider, red sea, pizzo, jizz recepticle, The Helmut Hide-A-Way, hairy heaven, furry 8 ball rack, crave cave, arbys with fur, fish canyon, toolshed, snake charmer, Furby, Enchilada of love, Ham sandwich, Camarillo brillo, Brazilian caterpillar, dick rack, boy in the canoe, flesh tuxedo, Mound of Venus, queef quarters, Venus butterfly, cream canal, apple pie, pie, wet mark, private area, thresher, punash, salami garage, slurpee machine, pink cookie, penalty box, ground zero, meat crease, bait, birth canal, holy grail, pole hole, pork pie, fuzz bucket, one-eyed python trail, bubble gum by the bum, stink rink, theme park, saloon doors, pink truffle, bitter & twisted, burger bar, meat counter, temperamental ringpiece, python syphon, big bud, the Wombsday Book, the condo downstate, snake lake, the indoor barbecue, pound cake, beef tomato, tickled pink, launch pad, horn of plenty, the indoor picnic, hamper of goodies, flapped bap, bonefish, close encounter with the turd kind, sperm bank, man's charity bash, bush tucker, midnight dip, the one-door vulva, the welcome opponent, the Twatlantic Ocean, temporary lodgings, field of dreams, bean, cooze, old catchers mitt, devil's hole, lucy, pish buffet, pooswaa, poonaner, davey jones locker, pink panther, tinker bell, south mouth, dick eater, wonder bread, wolly bolly, foxhole, hot pocket, head catcher, Lawrence of A Labia, silk funnel, dick driver, purple people penis eater, ponchita, cherry pop tart, fat rabbit, scunt, pee jaws, mingus, The Notorious V.A.G., dugout, babyoven, penis parking, cooter muffin, the promised land, cha cha, the shrine, bitch ditch, fury pink mink, mammal hole, ever-lasting cum stopper, the toothless blow job, happy flappy, wilt chamberlian's daily glove, the code defierthe salt water taffy factory, mommy's pie, the easy bake oven, the deflower patch, the virginator, the schlong sucker, the dea bone patch, the vegitarian's temptation, the vegan store, the blow hole, the pump protector, bag pipe, Spitball Bullseye, meat wagon, pickle stinker, jezebel's smell, yoni, willys haven, scrumpter, peach, sweat box, yeast pocket, penis warmer, tampon tunnel, penis pothole, cucumber canal, egg drop Box, sperm shack, dick dungeon, cock curator, b.o.b.'s bungalow, mommy parts, tuna pot pie, nice slice, peter vise, rack of clam, peters grove, penis purse, grandest canyon, fish dish, banana box, tuna spread, pink portal, count fapula, red river gorge, happy valley, revolving in/out door, baby zipper, richards house, stop-n-pop, bone polisher, packin shack, weiner wrap, clap trap, dildo hotel, axe gash, pearl hotel, sea food six pack, clam canal, coose canal, dick deposit, wand waxer, vidgie, erie canal, candy kiss, gauntlet, round mound of beehound,lick n' stick, lap flounder, tomahawk chop, chin-chin, pachinko, cuntry pie, lip tip, the big casino, one eyed worm hole, amazon forest, cock cave, fuck donut, coochie pop, babby, wet seal, pissy froth hole, bald biscuit, the unmentionable, mans ruin, peeshie, hairy potter, courtney cocksleve, panty hamster,deep pink, jaws of life, gizmo, faith, cock magnet, slippery slide, Meat tunnel, pink heaven, squid, dick basket, hot spot, poochika, pudding, bowl, love cave, squeeze-box, he bone collector, goodie basket, depository, pink turtleneck, bread-box, little debbie, pole hole, pandora's box,snail tracker, cuntzilla, homebase, pud pocket, bear trap, indian bones and the temple of poon, chanch, big montana, noochie, choot, golden valley, nappy roots, dick mitten, mystical fold, red bread, meat locker, douche luge, pushin cushion, cocktease.

What...that's it? :)

JLH