James D. Best

In novels, a story arc usually refers to rhythm of a story from introduction, to big trouble, to resolution. Basically, the rise and fall of...

Rod Pennington writes that "Sunday's Oscars ceremony takes place during one of the gloomiest times for the film industry in rec...

Mitchell Corn Palace We recently moved from Arizona to Omaha and are still getting to know the neighborhood. Friends—and sometime relat...

Hollywood doesn’t like Westerns. They keep trying to make them into something else. If a traditional Western is a success, like Unfo...

I was never a fan of signing cowboys. Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and lesser lights were too goody two-shoes for me. I categorize heroes as w...

I watched the final episode of Justified last night. A little tardy you might think. Not to my way of thinking. I never watch any TV ...

I believe Mark Twain is the greatest western writer of all time. Not only did Tom and Huck live on the frontier, but Roughing It des...

Still From John Ford's Stagecoach In the Old West, stage travel took patience and stamina. Wells Fargo published a set of rules f...

Some author’s dread poor  reviews from  readers. I like to hear what readers think and find I learn more from critical reviews. Besides...

The Wholesome and the Good Hollywood overdoes things. If something works, they just keep doing it until it doesn’t. There were 26 We...

Agatha Christie as a Young Woman Agatha Christie is often listed as the bestselling novelist of all time. If the list is for fiction ...

Looking the Part I'm not a hat person. Although I own dozens of hats, I seldom wear one. I don't even like helmets. I grew up ...

My last posting was about Hollywood remaking The Magnificent Seven , one of my favorite western movies. No sooner did it go to press ...

Hollywood is remaking The Magnificent Seven , one of my favorite westerns. (Darn, I wished they had asked. I could have sold them mat...

Hondo by Louis L'Amour In 1949, Joseph Campbell published The Hero with a Thousand Faces . Campbell studied myths and stories dow...

Six tips on writing from Pulitzer Prize winner and Nobel laureate John Steinbeck. Abandon the idea that you are ever going to fin...

Denver & Rio Grande Railway I started the next book in the Steve Dancy Tales . When I say started, I mean barely begun. I have a ...

I moved to Omaha last year, so I found this 1877 article from the Omaha Herald interesting. For those who loath TSA, tiny seats,...