Ever Heard of a Karimption? Western Slang Devotional by western author Stephen Bly Old Jack Ferguson had a special role in our church. He counted the folks who attended the worship service. But he didn’t bother with exact numbers. He had 3 western slang rankings: Funeral size. Sunday rodeo comfort. Or karimption. A funeral size […]
The West Will Truly Be Won: From Cowboy Poetry Western Book
The West Will Truly Be Won, from cowboy poetry western book by western author Stephen Bly The West Will Truly Be Won (from When The Cowboys Come To Town, a cowboy poetry western book) When the world came West in ’49, it was called the promised land. Big and wild and open and free, room for all […]
Code of the Western: Why SHE Likes Readin’ A Good Ole Western
The Classic Western Style Perhaps more than any other genre, there’s a code of the western. “Westerns require adherence to some fairly strict guidelines. Writing in this genre requires knowledge of its expectations,” says R. L. Coffield in her article, “Sexuality and Cursing in the Western.” The code of the western applies especially to the […]
Character Name Calling: Fun For Writers
In my book Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon, the narrator is never identified by a particular character name. He is just called “Little Brother” by the six old cowboys. However, had he a real bona fide character name, what should he be called? I was pondering that as I read this week the 10 MOST […]
13 Ideas For Favorite Author Book Promotion
Janet Chester Bly Want suggestions for how to do book promotion for your favorite authors? You can make a difference! Here’s 13 things you can do for your own personal favorite author book promotion campaign … pick one or more: 1) Tell a friend what you liked about his or her work. Word-of-mouth book promotion […]
The Rodeo Dance Two-Foot Landing
Steve at Maranatha in Michigan Rodeo Dance At The Bucking Horse Sale by Stephen Bly A rodeo dance with sales and plenty of other fun events. Quite a doin’s. That’s part of the Miles City, Montana, bucking horse sale every year. A stock contractor friend of mine often heads there to check out good horses […]
Western Slang: Get Your Hog Back by Stephen Bly
Stephen Bly Never know in my area when you’ll hear some western slang … An insurance salesman and I chatted at a nearby coffee shop when Prairie Bob entered, covered from hat to boot in oil and grease. We’ve got several fellas named Bob around our western town … so one gets called Prairie Bob, […]
Novel Research: Finding the Romance
Finding the Romance in Novel Research by western author Stephen Bly When a cowboy writer does novel research, the sight of a landmark can spark an idea for a full-fledged novel … or just a poem. Southeast of Four Corners, New Mexico is Shiprock, an impressive example of a volcanic neck or a […]
Brand Names Power: That Stetson-Justin-Kelley Quality
There’s Something About Brand Names … by western author Stephen Bly Long before radio and TV, even among the cowboys and ranchers of the Old West, brand names meant something to them. John B. Stetson made beaver hats with high crowns and wide brims like no one else. A man only had to buy one […]
Writing Ideas Pop Up In Strange Ways
Writing Ideas at Any Time, Any Place This morning I helped gals from our small church take down Christmas decorations and do overall cleaning. While mopping the bathrooms, I thought through some writing ideas. Then a memory of long ago came to mind. Back in the early 1970s, while hubby Stephen attended Fuller Seminary in […]
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