The Blog

The title, Wandering West, came to mind at about the same moment as the image of a guy wandering toward the sunset.  I knew immediately that that would be the title of my novel, even before I had a story.  As I have stated in an earlier post, I begin with a feeling, a mood, rather than with a storyline.  I suppose that’s backwards to most writers, who at least have a general outline in mind.  For me, it’s the mood that inspires me to write.  As Wordsworth once put it, “writing is the spontaneous overflow of human emotion,” or words to that effect.  In my case, it’s the key to getting started.  Once I flesh out a character or two, the story begins to take shape.  The characters really do write the book.  They develop the general outline, and eventually, the detailed storyline.  I just have to give them plenty of toys to play with.

So, I begin with a mood.  For me, the term ‘wandering’ connotes indecision, aimlessness, even confusion.  My main character, Jack Stiler, because of the obstacles placed before him, has reached that point in his life where he is a little lost, a bit confused, and weary, but he knows he doesn’t want to remain in this state of mind.  He understands how truly defeating that would be.  The term ‘west’ may refer to a geographical direction, but in the abstract, it can imply a broad range of things.  For me here, it symbolizes not only an end but the hope for a new beginning.  ‘West’ is a place for leaving the past behind and for starting over.  In many ways, on many levels, Jack is wandering west.  He is growing older, and his sunset is within view.  How he gets there and what is to follow are the remaining questions of his life, now the most important questions of his life.

I admit to getting a little put off by those who, on assumption, want to categorize Wandering West as a contemporary western, pure and simple.  It is set in a rugged, desolate part of Texas, and it does have its wild-west moments, I’ll grant them that.  But it is more than that.  At its core, Wandering West is about the life of one who has reached a crossroads, about one who is wounded but not broken, beaten but not defeated.  Indeed, it is about searching for direction in a confused and difficult time, and in so doing, it’s about acceptance, discovery, and renewed hope.

Wandering West is the title that the story commands it to be.

Welcome. My name is Gary C. Stalcup, author of Wandering West. I’m so happy to have you as a visitor to my blog about my new book. This project is very special to me, and I hope to share some of that excitement with you here.

I’ll be using this blog to interact with you about Wandering West, expanding on some of the topics in it and posting on some of the ideas related to my book. This is a great place for you to get to know me, and I’m looking forward to getting to know you, too. What did you think of Wandering West? What questions do you have for me? How do you relate to my book?

I’ll be returning here frequently with new posts and responses to feedback from you. Until next time, tell me a little bit about yourself.

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