BONANZA BACKGROUND
Part 2 – Writing “Bonanza” (and other Western) Fanfiction
by Becky Sims
December 2001 – February 2003
Ver.3, revised September 2003

“Bonanza Background” has been a long time in the making, and was compiled from information I've gathered from shows, from people who've seen episodes I haven't seen yet, some of it is my speculation based on behavior I’ve seen in episodes, and some (especially in Part 2) consists of my personal opinions and preferences.

Feedback, corrections, and additional information are very welcome and will be incorporated if possible. Email them directly to me at <BeckyS91@cox.net>

Thanks to Sharon B and Irish for major corrections, comments and suggestions on the original document, to Gwynne and Kate P. for major input into the revision, Rick for straightening me out on the geography as well as other information, as well as to many others for shorter – but no less significant – contributions to both versions.

Please note that I make no claim to ownership of the characters or situations – bless Mr. David Dortort for creating this wonderful world! – they are owned by Bonanza Ventures. Otherwise, ©2003 (as allowable) by Becky Sims

Please do not reproduce in any form, except for downloading or printing once for a fanfic writer’s personal use – which would be considered a compliment.
 
 

CONTENTS:

Part 1 – The World of “Bonanza” (previous page)

Introduction

The Setting
– Nevada
– Virginia City
– Climate
– Lake Tahoe and Surrounds
– Indians

The Cartwright Men
– Ben
– Adam
– Hoss
– Joe

The Wives
– Elizabeth
– Inger
– Marie

Additional Characters
– Hop Sing
– Candy
– Jamie
– Griff
– The Sheriffs
– The Doctors
 

Part 2 – Writing “Bonanza” (and other Western) Fanfiction

Some Comments for Fanfic Writers
– The Cartwrights
– Out of date/out of place words
– Some basic medical information
– Variant spellings
– A second look at variant spellings: dialogue
– Female names
– Mary Sue
– The “awe” factor
– H/C, torture and why a story exists
– The geography (again)
– Plots we’ve seen before
– What belongs to whom?
– A few final notes

References and Further Reading
– Nevada and Western History
– Nevada Fiction
– Writing – The Mechanics
– Writing – The Art
– Other interesting and useful books and materials
– Writers who inspire me
 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Part 2 – Writing “Bonanza” (and other Western) Fanfiction

SOME COMMENTS FOR FANFIC WRITERS

While I’ve tried to make everything up to this point as based on fact as possible, I now slip into the personal.  Everything below is my own opinion, and is based on input from wonderful beta readers, some good teachers I’ve had, reading & reviewing of various books (many listed below), and just plain common sense.  I’m not saying to *not* do most of the things I’ve pointed out – I’ve seen everything here done beautifully – but just be aware that these are common situations you may want to watch out for.

The intent of this entire document is to help keep a writer from inadvertently tossing a reader out of a story by innocently using something that doesn’t work.  This could be anything from an incorrect spelling or a characterization that’s way off to historical inaccuracy.  Yes, I’ve had the comment thrown at me more than once that, “This is a story!  I write for enjoyment.”  Well, if you’re going to publish your story, do everyone a favor and get as much correct as you can.  We will all forgive the minor error in clothing styles (zippers didn’t exist until the 1900s, btw) or the appearance of a poem ten years before it was written, but if you have someone traveling east by train from Reno in 1859, you’re going to have a few eyebrows raised and you’ll lose credibility.

Please note, though:  If you find that reading the sections below puts you into a writer’s freeze for fear of doing something wrong, ignore the entire section! My intent is not to scare you off; it is simply to help writers be aware of certain pervasive problems.  The important thing, though, is for you to WRITE!  Take a few of the more general hints, then, when you feel comfortable, come back for more.  There are a couple of things here that are really for more advanced authors.  Don’t let this section scare you away from writing!
 

THE CARTWRIGHTS:

You don’t need to put the entire Cartwright history into every story.  Most people already know that the three boys had different mothers and that Adam lived a good portion of his childhood on the road.  If it isn’t relevant to the story, leave it out.  Physical descriptions also need to be handled carefully.  Although most of us know exactly what the C’s look like and find descriptions of them redundant (though not necessarily tedious, depending upon the type of detail included), a few hints here and there would be useful for people who’ve just tripped over the fandom and haven’t seen the shows.

PLEASE note that there are certain descriptive phrases for the Cartwrights which have become trite through repetition.  Use them with caution:

>> First of all, there’s “you think you’re so high and mighty”; “Mr. High-and-Mighty Cartwright”; “the high and mighty Cartwrights” and all the variations (take your pick).  Usually spoken by a bad guy about to do something nasty to our boys.

>> BEN:  “patriarch” and “silver-haired patriarch”; “Patriarch of the Ponderosa” (That last one always makes me think of Peter Piper picked a . . . well, you get the idea.)  If you’re going to call him the “patriarch,” do it in context – such as when you’re discussing his role as the creater, owner and leader of the Ponderosa.  It rings false to use it simply as an alternative to “Pa” or “Ben.”

>> ADAM:  keeps his emotions hidden behind “a mask” or “wall”; “Yankee Granite-Head”; “Plato of the Ponderosa” (back to Peter Piper . . . )

>> HOSS:  “gentle giant” or “giant.”  Yes, Hoss is big, but like the comment above about Pa being the patriarch, use this in context, not because you think you’ve used his name too many times in a paragraph.  Also often referred to as “the peacemaker of the family.”  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen this next sentence in a scene after Adam and Joe have a fight, generally when Hoss is saying something to try to maintain the peace: “He hated it when his brothers were at odds with each other.”

>> JOE:  gets a “necessary little talk” (spanking); “Shortshanks”; and – the one that sparks strong feelings for and against – “heart of the Ponderosa.”  While a lot of fans feel that this last phrase is nothing less than the truth, using it also generates a chorus of “Oh, PLEASE!” comments from others.  I’m not taking sides on this one, but I’ll add a note that any phrase that pops that many readers out of your story should be used with caution.  When upset or in pain, Joe also quite often blinks and “a single tear ran down his face.”  This, while a marvelous image and beautifully portrayed by Michael Landon, has been overused to the point of losing its impact.  By the way, Adam generally calls his youngest brother “Joe” rather than “Little Joe,” even in the first years.

Of all the nicknames, I think “shortshanks” (for Joe by Hoss), “Yankee granite head” (by Joe referring to Adam’s resiliency after being whacked on the head), and possibly “Plato of the Ponderosa” (Joe referring to Adam who is quoting poetry?) are the only ones used in the show.  I don’t object to the use of these nicknames any more than I object to a writer having Adam call Joe “little buddy” – but these nicknames and phrases get repetitive if used as a constant substitute for the Cartwrights’ names.  Once per story is usually enough – or more than enough, for those who read a lot of fanfic.  And if you think you’ve said “Joe” too much in a paragraph, then just use “he”.  Trust me, it’ll work more often than you think.

A comment here about writing Joe: Many fanfic writers sketch the youngest Cartwright as a child, regardless of how old he is in their story.  Aside of having Ben call him “precious” and “sweetheart” (which usually starts a near war between those who have fathers who’ve said that to their boys and those who just can’t imagine Ben saying such a thing), they apply modern standards to his age, often stating that he can’t sign papers, isn’t responsible for himself and generally has no legal standing whatsoever because he isn’t yet 21.  In fact, young men on the frontier in the mid-1800s were considered grown as soon as they acted grown – as young as even 12 and 14.  By the time they were 21, they were experienced cowboys, ranch owners, shopkeepers and miners, often with their own wives and children.  Joe was under his father’s authority because of Ben’s personality and their love for each other, not because of his age.  Sorry if I’ve just shot a hole in your plot . . . you can always ignore me.

While I’m on the subject of content – and this next part does not necessarily reflect my opinion, just a reporting of what I’ve observed – Bonanza fans are some of the least tolerant in the fandoms I’ve visited for AU, cross-overs and particularly slash.

AU (Alternate Universe – such as putting the Cartwrights into the 21st century) is tolerated, particularly if it’s well-written (and after all, isn’t the prequel show “Ponderosa” really AU anyway?) and cross-overs (stories with characters from other shows) are enjoyed and then generally set aside, but the few who’ve posted anything even slightly resembling slash (male/male sexual relationships) have generally been bombarded with outraged email.  If you want to write that type of story, my humble suggestion is that you either do it for yourself or move to another fandom unless you have a flame-retardant in-box. Bonanza fans are drawn by the family relationships, and any added sexual overtones bring out charges of incest – not something these folks are interested in.

There is also, by the way, a small but definite contingent who do not want to read sex scenes at all (and a few who believe vehemently that the Cartwrights never had sex outside of marriage, nope, nada, not at all) – as there is a contingent who appreciates a well-written scene very much.  If you choose to include one in your story, it will be tolerated much better if it is important to the plot and is handled tastefully.   There’s a concept known as “pwp,” which is alternately known as “plot, what plot?” or “porn without plot,” and this type of story is not particularly well-received in the public Bonanza fandom.  (What appears in private forums is sometimes quite amazing, but, being private, is their business.)  Again, write it if you wish and send it to a selected few, but be prepared for a stronger reaction from Bonanza fans than you would get in other fandoms if it appears on a public site.
 

OUT OF DATE/OUT OF PLACE WORDS:

One of the pitfalls of writing fanfiction for a historical show is using words and phrases (and inventions) that are modern.  This tends to throw the reader right out of your story.  Although I’m not hung up on being completely authentic (sorry, I simply don’t have that kind of time, and y’all likely wouldn’t enjoy reading that style of writing anyway), the use of modern slang in particular will drag a reader out of the mood you’re trying to create.

For example, it wasn’t “DATING” in the 1860s, but rather “courting” or “sparking” or “coming to call.”  A “courtship” was more formal, and had an engagement and marriage as a desired result.  (See “The Writers’ Guide to Everyday Life in the 1800s” for more information.)

There were no HAY BALES in the 1860s – balers came along later, and the same goes for BARBED WIRE.  The Carwrights missed out on them by about ten years.  Imagine what fun you could have, though, putting Little Joe and a haystack together!

The online Merriam-Webster dictionary <www.m-w.com> has dates for first usage of words and phrases, which you can use to help determine if what you’re writing will fit.  When in doubt, check.  And thank goodness the author of the story with the girls in spandex either changed it or withdrew it.

Did you know that Hawaii was known as the Sandwich Islands in the Cartwright days?  If you aren’t sure of 1860s geography, the Library of Congress “American Memories” website (see “Resources” below) has a lot of maps that you can search by date.

A personal thought on the word “okay,” and yes, I’m getting really nitpicky here.  My preference is to see it spelled out and not in caps.  There’s a simple visual reason for this – anything in caps screams at the reader.  If you see OK on the page as opposed to okay, you get a different emphasis in the reader’s mind.  In fact, the two-letter caps version was the correct use at the time, as it was an abbreviation for “oll korrect” (1839) or all correct.  I just prefer not to use OK because it usually places undue emphasis on that part of the dialogue.

And while we’re on the subject of how things look on a page:

ELLIPSES, or those little dots you find in the middle of the line

>> An ellipsis consists of three dots when it falls in the middle of a sentence . . . and four dots when at the end, no more and no less . . . .

>> If you want a quick break in the text, such as one character cutting into what another is saying, use a dash—

>> If you want the text to trail off, useful when someone is tired or confused, use an ellipsis . . . .

>> If you want the text to trail off emphatically, replace the last period with an exclamation point . . . !  (The same for question marks.)

Except for ellipses, it is never correct to have more than one of the following at the end of a sentence: period, exclamation point, question mark.  If you want to emphasize that someone is speaking loudly, instead of:
.   “What are you doing?!”
write:
.   “What are you doing?” he exclaimed.

PLURALS AND POSSESSIVES:  Use ’s to show that something belongs to one Cartwright, use s’ to show something belongs to more than one Cartwright, and use just the s to show you are talking about more than one Cartwright.  So: The Cartwrights rode to town where the man at the livery stable took three of the Cartwrights’ horses into the stable, except for the youngest Cartwright’s, which he took to the farrier for new shoes.

The question of whether or not to add an ’s show possessiveness with a word ending in s is pretty much up for grabs.  Stephen King says to add the extra s (so you would have Hoss’s food), but other writers say to use just the apostrophe (Hoss’ food).  I tend toward the first, since it reflects how it would be pronounced, but that’s a personal preference.  Take your pick.

Here’s a quick summary on Commas, Periods And Semi-Colons:  Which one you use depends on whether you are working with independent clauses (what could be a complete sentence) or a combination of independent and dependent clauses (which lack a subject).  The coordinating conjunctions that get the comma are: and, but, or, nor, for, yet & so.  When Adam goes to town one day, we have:

>> Adam shopped at the mercantile.  He drank a beer at the saloon. (Two independent clauses treated as two complete sentences.)

>> Adam shopped at the mercantile, and he drank a beer at the saloon.  (Two independent clauses joined by the word “and” are separated by a comma.)

>> Adam shopped at the mercantile and drank a beer at the saloon.  (An independent clause joined by “and” to a dependent clause does not use punctuation.)

>> Adam shopped at the mercantile; he drank a beer at the saloon.  (Two independent clauses NOT joined by “and” but not individual sentences are separated by a semi-colon.  The two clauses should be closely related in topic; if not, make them two sentences.)

>> Adam shopped at the mercantile – he drank a beer at the saloon.  (A dash can serve as a substitute for a semi-colon, particularly if you want to be less formal or closely relate the two clauses.)

(Note that some writers will omit the comma when two independent clauses are joined by “and” IF the two clauses are closely related and the comma would interrupt the flow.)

Find a good writer and study the way the words look on the page.  Stephen King is a good example, as well as Rita Mae Brown, Lois McMaster Bujold and Larry McMurtry.
 

SOME BASIC MEDICAL INFORMATION:

An overused word in historical Western fanfic is “DEHYDRATE,” generally spoken by one of the Cartwrights or the doctor when describing an injured Cartwright.  The word did not come into common usage until 1876, so it’s highly unlikely that the ordinary person would have used it as casually as it turns up.  “Hydrate” was in use by 1802, but both words were used initially to describe chemical processes, rather than indicating that someone desperately needed water.   More important, though, is that the word is a technical/medical term, and simply not something the ordinary person says, even now.  You don’t hear folks at a picnic saying, “Where’s the nearest water fountain; I’m feeling dehydrated.”  They simply say that they’re thirsty.  Use this or other technical/medical terms, and your reader may suddenly feel they’re in the middle of an “Emergency!” fic.

There were no ANTIBIOTICS in the Cartwrights’ time.  None.  At all.  Herbal treatments, yes – Hop Sing knew some of ‘em and so did the Indians, but doctors typically didn’t use them.

SURGERY was considered a last resort and often resulted in death from infection, since sanitary procedures were not understood at the time – Joseph Lister published his “Antiseptic Principle of the Practice of Surgery” in 1867.  The Civil War taught doctors a lot about the importance of cleanliness, but it took a while for the information to spread.  Brain surgery was barely dreamed of.

A rudimentary water THERMOMETER was invented in 1593, but the medical thermometer wasn’t invented until 1867.  (Sorry, unless you’re writing post-series, you’ll have to take the temperature of a sick Cartwright with your hand.  Too bad, huh?)

The STETHOSCOPE had been around since the 1820s, but was generally a single cylinder, sometimes telescoping.  The “binaural” or “bi-aural” (for two ears) stethoscope began to be used in the early 1850s.

The first SYRINGE that had a needle fine enough to pierce the skin was developed in 1853, although there were ways to accomplish intravenous injection as early as 1670.  The first syringes were used to inject morphine intravenously.  Commercially manufactured hypodermic syringes became available in 1861.

ETHER, CHLOROFORM and NITROUS OXIDE (“laughing gas”) were in use by dentists as early as the 1850s, but were not generally used in hospitals for surgical patients until the turn of the 20th century.  Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital was an exception, with the first surgical patient being put to sleep with ether in 1846, for removal of a tumor in his jaw.  The man who administered the ether was a dentist.  Use of these drugs by a bad guy should be explained, as it’s unlikely that people without a medical background would be aware of them.

One more note on treating Cartwrights . . . when the doctor has to leave a sick or injured Cartwright for another patient, for a while fanfic writers almost always had him leave to attend a woman giving birth, usually breech or twins.  Considering the lack of women out west, there are lots of other more likely options, y’know: messengers arriving with notice of broken legs from bronc riding, mine cave-ins, saloon fights, frozen toes in the winter . . . well, you get the picture.

It is also very interesting to go through Florence Nightingale’s book on nursing (see “Resources” below).  She has quite a few things to say about the proper way to treat the sick and keep people who are well from getting sick.  Since the book was originally published in 1859, it’s worth taking a look at it.

For more information than you’d likely ever need about 19th century medicine (unless you’re really getting involved with a medical condition or procedure), go to <http://inventors.about.com> and start browsing the medical section. “Civil War Medicine : An Illustrated History” (see Resources below) is another good source.  Remember, though, that medical innovations were slow to make their way west (with the exception of surgical techniques for the removal of bullets, which was a much bigger business in the West, and so those techniques tended to migrate in the other direction).
 

HE SAID, SHE SAID

Finding ways to identify your characters in conversation with each other or when the action gets hot can be a real challenge.  A hint: write the scene from the heart, then go back later and take out every instance of your characters’ names that is humanly possible without hopelessly confusing the reader.  Just remember that they’re smarter than you think and can usually figure it out – especially if you insert little helpers.

Helpers can be in the form of dialogue style (it’s easy to tell who’s who in a conversation between Adam and Hoss), description of the character (“his dark eyes burned with conviction”) or action (“he settled his bulk into the buggy, tilting it dangerously to the left until his brother climbed up and – almost – balanced the load”).

One common error among beginning writers is to constantly use the character’s name instead of “he” or “him” or “his” or whatever.  If you’ve used someone’s name twice or more in one paragraph and the character is alone at the time, you know you need to work on this one.

And don’t worry about using “he said” over and over.  It’s invisible to readers.  It’s much more disconcerting to see a section with “he laughed” then “he chortled,” and then “he chuckled,” “he sneezed,” “he wheezed,” etc.  Pretty soon, your reader is focusing on what you’ll come up with next, rather than the dialogue.
 

A FEW MORE WORDS ON WORDS:

One of Strunk & White’s most valuable rules is #17 (see “Resources” below) – OMIT NEEDLESS WORDS!  When you are getting comfortable with the writing process and wondering what your next step is to improve, start going through one of your pieces with an eye to cutting out anything that isn’t necessary.  Streamline your prose.  I’m not saying to cut out description, dialogue, action, or whatever – but if you’ve said it once, don’t say it again:

>> Joe sat down at the table, and as he was sitting, began to wonder where Adam was.

Okay, we know Joe is sitting, so either leave the first or second phrase out, or combine them:

>> Joe sat down at the table and began to wonder where Adam was.

Rule #16 is “USE DEFINITE, SPECIFIC, CONCRETE LANGUAGE.”  Use the best word possible – get the biggest bang for the buck.  This doesn’t mean the most high-falutin’ word you can find – it means the BEST word for what you’re doing:

>> Joe eased carefully into his chair at the dining room table and began to worry about Adam’s absence.

Now you’re getting curious about Joe’s physical condition (“eased carefully” instead of “sat down” – is he hurt?), and you realize something is wrong (“worry” vs. “wonder”).

One more valuable piece of advice from Strunk & White is rule #14:  “USE THE ACTIVE VOICE.”  Not the passive.  Beware of the various forms of the verb “to be” – they can be your enemy.  Consider which of these two has more impact:

>> Adam was sitting by the side of the road.  He was tired.

OR:

>> Feeling as worn and bruised as if he’d ridden a string of broncs to a standstill, Adam slumped to the grass at the side of the road.

This last is also an example of “SHOW, NOT TELL.”  The first tells us that Adam’s tired.  The second shows it.

Enough said?  Now, if you don’t already have it, go get yourself a copy of “The Elements of Style” and read it about 300 times.  (I’m on #179.)
 

VARIANT SPELLINGS:

One personal pet peeve is the pervasive use in all fanfic (not just Bonanza) of “lightening” for “lightning,” “vice” for “vise,” “loose” for “lose” (and the reverse), and other innocent mistakes:

>> “LIGHTENING” is technically a spelling variant for “lightning” in the U.K., but does not seem to be common usage there, either.  “Lightning” is the zap from the heavens in a storm.  “Lightening” is generally used in the sense of “the sky lightening as the dawn approached.”  Americans use “lightening” to also mean making a load weigh less: “lightening the wagon.”

>> “VICE” is how British-English speaking countries spell what Americans call a “vise” (the thing that grips hard), but “vice” has such strong connotations in the U.S. of drug use and prostitution that I recommend strongly against using it.

>> “LOOSE,” however, is an entirely different word than “lose”.  To “loose” a horse means to untie him from a hitching post and let him go without a rider.  To “lose” a horse means you don’t know where he went.  Use these two words cautiously, please.

>> “BREATH” (noun) is the air that comes out of our mouths.  You can see it when it’s cold out.  “Breathe” (verb) refers to the physical action of expanding and contracting the lungs. To paraphrase from HMG’s website listed below, when Hoss hauls Joe out of the river, he pleads, “Breathe, Joe! Please breathe!” not “Breath, Joe! Please breath!”

>> A King or Queen “REIGNS” over their kingdom.  You guide a horse with the “REINS”.  More information on horses and their equipment is available on this site – thank goodness Irish of the Tahoe Ladies wrote a piece about it, because I have to look it all up, too!

>> A “SITE” is a place and “SIGHT” is either the ability to see or is something you are looking at.  So it’s “website,” the “site” where Young Wolf was killed, Joe got his “sight” back after being blinded in an explosion, and Adam was quite a “sight” after Hoss encouraged him to get into the water trough in Toy Soldier.  To “CITE” something, btw, is to detail where you found it, as in a “citation” to a magazine article.

>> “AFFECT”/“EFFECT”.  These two can be tough, but generally, if it’s a verb, use “affect” (to move, such as emotionally or physically).  If it’s a noun, use “effect” (the result, an influence, a change).  This is not always true, but for Bonanza fanfic it works most of the time.  “Adam’s speech affected the mob, who then broke up to go home, but it had little effect on his youngest brother, Joe.”  There are exceptions, depending upon the meaning of the word – a good book on usage will define them clearly for you.

>> To give the U.K.-English speaking world their turn, they use “full stop” instead of “PERIOD” as the term to mark the end of a sentence.  Use the word “period,” and they’ll be thinking you’re talking about either a specific length of time or a woman’s monthly “visitor.”

>> “POURING” vs. “PORING.”  Pour: To cause to flow in a stream, to dispense from a container.  “The rain poured down onto the parched ground.”  Pore (verb):  To gaze intently, read studiously, usually followed by “over.”   “Ben pored over a map.”  When someone writes that “Ben poured over the map,” I have to ask, poured what?  His coffee?

>> PIQUE/PEAK/PEEK:  “The comment piqued his interest.”  “The mountain peaks were too high to climb.”  “His career was at its peak.”  “He peeked in the window.”  Also in use in casual American: peaked (PEE-ked) to mean not well.  “Lil’ brother’s lookin’ mighty peaked, Adam.  We better get him to bed afore Pa finds out he’s been drinkin’ agin.”

>> Watch out for “FLAIR/FLARE” (she expressed her flair for clothing by wearing a dress with a flared skirt); and for heaven’s sake, don’t use “SHUTTERED” for “shuddered”.  The first one refers to the wooden door-like structures that cover windows to protect them from bad weather; the second is an involuntary movement of the body.

>> “LAY/LIE/LYING/LAID/LAIN”: You’re probably just going to have to memorize this, keep it on a cheat sheet or simply choose a different word:
-- LAY (present tense): I lay the book on the table.
-- LIE (present tense): I lie down.  I am lying down.
-- LAY (past tense): Yesterday I laid the book on the table.
-- LIE (past tense):  Last night I lay down to sleep.
-- LAY (present perfect): I have already laid the book on the table.
-- LIE (present perfect): I have lain in bed all day.
When you are writing dialogue, it’s perfectly acceptable to have Hoss and even Joe mix these up.  Adam and Ben would get them right, though.  Many thanks, Gwynne!

>> And then there’s the ever-present problem of IT’S/ITS, YOU’RE/YOUR, WHO’S/WHOSE and their compatriots.  The first of each pair is a contraction (“it is”; “you are”; “who is”), and the second is the possessive form.  Easy way to remember this – if you see an apostrophe, say it in your mind as the two words instead of the contraction.  Would you say, “The cottonwood lost it is branches in the high wind” or “The cottonwood lost its branches . . .”?  And how about, “Hoist you are saddle over here” or “Hoist your saddle over here”? and “Who is horse is that?”

One more commonly misspelled word – these days it’s “PAIUTE.”  In the books written in the time of the Comstock, you’ll see it as Pah-Ute, and Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins’s autobiography has it spelled “Piute.”  A case can be made for the use of either of those spellings, but it most definitely is not “Piaute.”  Add it to your spell-check dictionary, if you find it difficult to remember.

Get a good dictionary and look these things up.  If you don’t know what it is that you don’t know, then get a book on grammar and usage and read the sections on these types of words.  The “Gregg Reference Manual” (see below) is good, if a bit pricey, but just about all books on grammar will have a section on at least the most common errors in usage.

Again, the purpose of this process is to smooth those bumps in the road of reading.  If it’s going to toss the reader out of the story, don’t do it.  If you’re working with a recent word processing program, you have spell-check and grammar-check, which will catch the bulk of your errors.  Use them – although take the grammar check suggestions with a grain of salt!

And if there are American-English words used a lot that look strange to British-English speakers, I’d love to know about them!
 

A SECOND LOOK AT VARIANT SPELLINGS – DIALOGUE:

Be careful about writing the way people speak – sometimes it gets very distracting to try to figure out what the character is saying.  For example, Hoss might say something that actually sounds like, “Yah got sumpin ta say ‘bout ‘at?”  While this is what you would hear Dan Blocker say, it’s hard to read.  You can get the effect of his casual speech without making your readers spend time and energy deciphering the words by writing, “You got somethin’ to say ‘bout that?”

One of the hardest characters to write dialogue for seems to be Hop Sing.  Don’t change the spellings more than you absolutely have to.  “Mistah Cahtlite, Leetle Joe eat alla stlahbellies, no dinnah leady” is going to stop your reader dead in the water while they try to figure out if the sentence contains something important.  Keep an eye on Marie’s dialogue, as well.  You want your readers focusing on the storyline, not trying to decipher what the characters are saying.  Generally speaking, the fewer variants you use, the better.

Watch also for spellings that don’t sound the way you want the character to sound.  Something I see a lot of is “what’ca doing” (as in “what are you doing”).  In standard English pronunciation, it reads as “what kah” which makes no sense.  Another is the use of “ya” for “you.”  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Read your dialogue out loud to make sure it works.  Be careful with these variants, and don’t use more of them than is absolutely necessary to give the general sense of the character.  Anne Lamott said it well: “Dialogue that is written in dialect is very tiring to read.”  Are you trying to entertain your reader or wear them out?

If you are not a native English speaker, more power to you for the courage to write in another language, but you might want to find a native-English speaker to beta read for you, to catch these things.  (Now if I can just find someone fluent in Apache, lol.)
 

FEMALE NAMES:

The names Kate, Catherine, Cat and Jenny are used frequently (shall I say “a lot”?) for wives and girlfriends.  They also all seem to have green eyes and quite often long, thick red (or occasionally black) hair.  The profession of doctor seems to be popular for these women, particularly for Adam’s wife (although there’s an exceptional one for Joe in a Tahoe Ladies series).  As a matter of fact, there were female medical practitioners (addressed as "Doctress”) in Virginia City in the 1860s.  They generally treated only women, though, as the black doctors generally treated only the black population and the Chinese treated the Chinese.  Understand, there are wife characters with green eyes named Kate, Jenny, etc. that I love, just be aware it’s been done.
 

MARY SUE:

This brings me to the subject of “Mary Sue” stories.  Watch out for them.  Mary Sue first came to life in a Star Trek fanfic, and she’s been wonderful ever since.  She’s smarter than Spock, braver than Capt Kirk, cracks jokes better than Doctor McCoy, can teach Scotty a thing or two about engineering, beats Sulu fencing, is beautiful and witty and kind and has a tragic past . . . and the Enterprise men look like two-dimensional idiots next to her, oo-ing and ah-ing about how wonderful she is.  She saves the day, then usually dies beautifully (or leaves) with the crew of the Enterprise sadly mourning her passing.

Frankly, most of us don’t want to read about Mary Sue, we want to read about the Cartwrights.

Mary Sue appears in all fandoms and in published fiction as well (though generally not as blatantly there).  She’s the personification of the author, quite often a daughter in the Bonanza fandom, but also appears as a wife or girlfriend (who gets engaged to and sometimes even marries the Cartwright, or at least becomes “really special” to them).

The young Mary Sues in Bonanza fic tend to be girls who are adopted into the family and then take over the story.  This is the key point – they take over the story.  They are often a feminized version of Little Joe, getting into more trouble than he ever did, and he is often portrayed as standing on the sidelines watching it go on, amazed at her nerve.  The wives/girlfriends often can doctor better than Hop Sing (or at least as well as Doc Martin), ride broncs better than Joe, whip up a meal in minutes that satisfies Hoss, win arguments with Adam, and have a philanthropic nature that puts Ben to shame (and yes, that describes one character).

And don’t think that giving them a single flaw (“can’t sing”) keeps them from being a Mary Sue.  Look at the whole character, and look at what happens to the Cartwrights as a result.  A hint about adult Mary Sues in Bonanza fic – if the woman gets married to a Cartwright and doesn’t die, then, unless she’s been written very well, she’s probably a Mary Sue.

If you wonder and worry that your female lead has turned into a Mary Sue and taken over your story, you might be safe; if you think there’s no way this great character you’ve created could possibly be one – she probably is.  For more information on her, go to <www.google.com> and search for “Mary Sue litmus test” and pick your fandom.  Melissa Wilson is the author of the original litmus test, which is based on an article she wrote called “Dr. Merlin’s Guide to Fanfiction.”  The relevant section is called “Who is Mary Sue and Why Does She Have to Die?”

There are some fine stories with women who may or may not be actual Mary Sues, but in my opinion, they’re rare.  Two excellent examples of three-dimensional female characters are Penelope in Wendy Byrd’s “The Angel and the Cowboy” and Miss David in Kate Teal’s stories.  These women are real, but not at the expense of the Cartwrights.
 

THE “AWE” FACTOR:

If you are aspiring to be considered one of the better fanfic writers, then you should be seeking balance in your stories.  Having one Cartwright do or say something while the rest stand around in awe tends to make your other Cartwrights two-dimensional and boring.  (And tends to turn the hero-Cartwright into a Mary Sue!)  One example of this from the series, in my opinion, is the episode “The Gamble,” where Joe escapes from jail and rides back to the ranch to gather up the hands, and brings them back just in time to save his family from being hanged.  There’s nothing wrong with this basic plot (and it’s amazing that a first-time writer could pull this script together over a weekend!), but what makes this a borderline “Mary Sue” story in my mind is that while Joe is rushing around being the hero, the other Cartwrights have very little to do except stand around and wait for Joe to rescue them, and not much to talk about except how much they love him.

I’m not telling you not to write a hero story, but this scenario happens enough that you need to be on guard against it.  Treat your characters equally.  Even if you are writing an Adam h/c story, if you also injure Hoss, give him equal time with Pa fussing over him.  Or at least don’t have him completely disappear from the story for three days as he recuperates when you had everyone hovering at Adam’s bedside for pages.
 

H/C, TORTURE AND WHY A STORY EXISTS:

And what about h/c stories – that is, someone gets “hurt” so they can be “comforted.”  This is a standard fanfic plot which many people love, and it is wonderfully satisfying to read when done well.  It can be taken to extremes, though, and hurt (especially extreme injury that falls into the realm of torture) solely for the sake of a comfort scene can turn readers off.  (Actually, some say that this entire sub-genre is another example of “plot, what plot”.  I don’t happen to agree that they all fall into this category, but I see their point.)

I read a long time ago that a story is about the most important moment in the main character’s life.  Whatever happens in the story should lead the character to some kind of change.  While writers couldn’t make any extreme changes to any of the Cartwrights because of the recurring nature of episodic TV, there should still be some point to what happens, some change in either the Cartwrights or the guest characters because of the events.

Besides, the injuries some fanfic writers have had the Cartwrights (and other fandom characters) sustain just can’t be recovered from as easily as they are written, particularly in the 1860s.  (Scriptwriters are just as guilty, by the way.)  That old standby of a gunshot wound to the shoulder will damage bone, muscle, ligaments and nerves that are delicately balanced to make that marvelous construction called the human body work.  Disturb that balance with a bullet that smashes and destroys all in its path, and the shoulder won’t work right ever again.  Even a dislocated shoulder can cause severe disability and pain for months.  And people who’ve been seriously injured are mentally scarred as well.

Now, as the author of “Body Trauma” (see “Resources” below) writes, we need stories that test our heroes, and physical injury is certainly a severe test.  And so we blithely whack them on the head, pull their shoulders out of their sockets, shoot them just about everywhere on their body, knife them, beat them up, bury them under landslides, toss them down hills and off horses – and they, being heroes, get up off the ground, dust themselves off, and pull themselves together to face a new day.  Well, most of the time.  I’m not saying you can’t injure a character – some of my favorite stories involve Cartwrights overcoming painful injuries to help a loved one – but be careful.  Think about what you’re doing and write what you choose because you choose, not out of ignorance.
 

THE GEOGRAPHY (AGAIN):

A common goof (which is perfectly understandable, considering most people have never been anywhere near Nevada) is the relative time it takes for the Cartwrights to get to Virginia City, Carson City, and Reno.  Geographically, Carson City is much closer to the ranch than Virginia City, so it doesn’t make sense to have Ben go on a business trip to Carson City and have the boys go to Virginia City to send a telegram to him asking him to come home. See the section on “Setting” (previous page) for more information, or go to <http://maps.yahoo.com>, type in Virginia City NV, and start browsing.  David Dortort had the boys going into Virginia City rather than Carson City all the time because it’s historically a much more interesting place, and I’m not going to quibble with that.  Just keep the facts in mind.

By the way, if you’re writing a Ponderosa story, the route (which is now U.S. 50) from Eagle Station (Carson City) through the Sierras to Hangtown (Placerville) wasn’t used until around 1853.  Even then, you couldn’t get there and back in a day . . . check your history and/or a map.  And if you can’t find a source, just post a note to one of the Bonanza lists.  SOMEONE will come back with an answer for you!
 

PLOTS WE’VE SEEN BEFORE:

“Many writers of fan fiction labor under the mistaken belief that their stories do not require a plot.”     -- Holy Mother Grammatica

As far as plot is concerned, I’m not going to address how to create a good one much beyond HMG’s quote above and detailing certain plots that I’ve seen all too many times.  There are better sources for how to construct a real plot (including HMG who breaks it down into the short, sweet and simple), so I won’t waste your time by repeating it here.  See the “Resources” section below for books and websites (including HMG’s).

Plots and non-plots that are heavily used in Bonanza fanficdom include:

>> “Little Joe gets in trouble” with the sub-genre
       - “and gets spanked”
       - usually followed by hugs from Ben

>>“Adam and Joe have a fight” with the subgenres:
       - “because Adam’s just returned from college”
       - “because Adam is mean to Joe”
       - which are usually followed by
            -- “and Joe runs away”
            -- “and Joe gets hurt”
            -- “and Joe runs away & gets hurt”
and almost always finished off with “and Adam feels guilty” along with “and Adam gets yelled at by Pa for being nasty to his poor little brother.”  How about something new instead?  How about letting Joe be the mature young man he really was on the show?  I haven’t seen all the episodes, but in fact, I’ve never seen one where Adam was mean to Joe.  Strict, yes; mean, no.

>> “A girl joins the family and gets into much more trouble than Joe ever did.”  This is almost always a Mary Sue story, and often barely even includes the Cartwrights, except for Ben, the perfect father.  Sorry, I read Bonanza fanfic for Ben, Adam, Hoss, and Joe – I have very little interest in anyone else (though I’ll make an exception for Candy, Jamie and Griff, if one of the original Cartwrights is the focus of the story).  I know that some readers just adore these “add-a-girl” stories, but I’m not one of ‘em, and I doubt I ever will be.  If I want non-Cartwright fiction, I pick up Lois McMaster Bujold.

It’s interesting to note that the above plots seem to come from the same writers over and over.  One has to wonder what pain they’re working out from their own past.  This is not a slam, by the way.  Writing fanfic is one of the best ways I know to work out issues, current and past (and is certainly cheaper than a psychiatrist), and past pain can make a heart-tearing story in the right hands.  (I have my own demons that turn up over and over, too.)  In the less-experienced hands, though, these stories quickly become same-old-same-old and will receive only cursory readings from most fans.

While I won’t advise that writers never use these topics (I enjoy many of them, just like everyone else), remember that if you’re looking for a fresh idea, you might consider looking elsewhere.

And by the way, there aren’t nearly enough Hoss stories out there . . . .
 

WHAT BELONGS TO WHOM?

Be careful of taking characters, situations or events from someone else’s fanfic story.  One of the purposes of this guide is to clarify what is canon and what is fanfic invention (fanon).  See Part 1 for clarification of some of these.  You’re generally safe to take some of the general characteristics people have brought out – Adam’s hardships on the trail as a boy, Hoss’s battles with other children as he grew bigger than any of them – but watch for specific things.  For example, BO THE BEAR was created by Helen Adams and should not be used without her permission AND a note in your story that he belongs to Helen.

Although it is by no means mandatory (there is nothing mandatory about fanfiction, LOL), it’s helpful to readers if you at least try to find out if someone has already used the title you want. This saves a lot of confusion.  Check the major Bonanza fan fiction sites and, if you can, the print anthologies first.  Again, a note to one of the major lists will get you all the help you need.  And if someone has used the title you want, just tweak it a bit.

A second note on giving credit . . . while it’s admirable to provide the source (author and title) for bits of literature that you use in a story such as poetry or quotes, it isn’t necessary – nor is it desirable – to include the information in the text of the story.  It tosses the reader right out of the universe you’re building.  Most fanfic writers don’t use more than one or two quotes anyway, which can easily be cited at the end of the story, or at most, at the end of the chapter. Sometimes you can even have the character provide the information.  If you feel you simply must include the source in the text, then use a footnote.  You’ve worked hard to draw the reader into your story – let them stay there.

And while I’m on the subject of putting quotes in stories, a couple more notes:

>> It’s rarely – got that?  RARELY – necessary to put an entire poem or song into the heart of a story.  If you feel you absolutely must, then please break it up into small bits.  Put some space between the stanzas.  It’s very hard for most folks to read poetry in the first place, let alone a piece that gives no clues as to form and shape.  Remember, you know the poem or song lyrics (and in the case of a song, the melody, too), but your reader probably doesn’t.  Give them small bits to chew on so they can enjoy it instead of being overwhelmed.

>> Regarding songs – my personal (and to-be-ignored-if-desired) advice is to not use contemporary songs in fiction that takes place in the 1800s.  Sorry, but it tosses me right out of the mood of a Cartwright romance-by-the-lake-at-night-with-the-stars-twinkling-brightly story when I suddenly hear Elton John in the background.
 

A FEW FINAL NOTES

1)  Everyone needs someone to review their work.  (Even Baryshnikov worked with a coach.)  Find yourself a good beta reader and take their advice.  What makes a good beta reader?

 - Someone who has a good grasp of grammar, spelling and punctuation.
 - Someone who knows the Cartwrights.
 - Someone who writes better than you do.
 - Someone who will tell you the truth (nicely).

How do you find one?  Read a lot of fanfic, pick out someone whose work you admire and then ask.  Don’t be disappointed if your beta-reader of choice doesn’t have time to go over all (or any) of your stories.  Everyone is (hopefully) busy writing, and it takes a lot of time to do a thorough and quality beta.  BUT, if someone you admire takes the time to give your piece a good going-over, pay attention to what they tell you.  There are few things more irritating to someone who’s taken time to carefully consider a story than to be ignored.  Do too much of it, and the person will stop helping you.

2)  Always remember, your fanfic should create a mood – tension, angst, the giggles, tears – and it is up to you to make sure that the reader stays in the mood you create.  It should be our goal as writers to do as few things as possible that would jar the reader out of that mood, whether it is from incorrect spelling, unclear punctuation, poor choice of words, or the appearance of something that just couldn’t exist back then.  Know your Cartwrights, know the era, and if you diverge, diverge only for a very good reason – for a quick punch to the emotional gut that you can’t get any other way.

3)  A big thank you for writing Bonanza fanfic.  It’s a wonderful world to lose yourself in, and the fandom is full of very nice people.  It’s through people like you, who are willing to take a chance with their heart by putting forth their best for everyone to read, that we can almost endlessly visit with our beloved Cartwrights.  Keep writing!
 
 

Please send any corrections or additional information to me so that I can make this as accurate as possible.  THANKS!  And I hope you enjoyed it and found it helpful.
 

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

I’ve drawn much of my knowledge of Bonanza-land and writing from the books, websites and materials listed below. I’m sure there are many other good sources out there, and I’d appreciate hearing about them.

Many of these titles are out of print, but can be borrowed from libraries via the international InterLibrary Loan program.  Copies for purchase might be found by searching the following websites:  <www.abebooks.com>, <www.powells.com>, <www.half.com>, <www.amazon.com>.  Only after you have exhausted these websites should you look on eBay where you can easily get sucked into financially disastrous and unnecessary bidding wars.

There are more titles that should be on this list, especially the non-fiction section, but I haven’t located that box from our last move!  There are also some wonderful websites, but in the interests of not making this thing any longer than it already is, I’ve only included a few that I don’t expect to ever disappear.

The first section, “Nevada and Western History – 19th Century,” consists of books that were written in the 1800s, many of them by men who lived, worked and traveled in what is now Nevada and California.  I’ve also listed Florence Nightingale’s ground-breaking book on nursing in the section titled “Other Interesting Books and Materials.”

Items with a double asterisk are of particular use in researching Virginia City.  Items marked “(1)” are good ones to start with if you don’t have anything on the subject.

A brief note on the identifying numbers that follow each entry:

>> ISBN (International Standard Book Number) – a unique (99.9% of the time) ten-digit identifier for every book that’s published.  This number helps bookstores order your books.  It was not used regularly, however, until about 30 years ago, so older books might not have it.  (If it has an ISSN, it’s a magazine, journal, or other material published in a series.  Also a unique identifier.)

>> LCCN (Library of Congress Card Number) – assigned by the Library of Congress (United States) to books they add to their collection.  The first two numbers generally indicate the year the book was added.  When you are trying to obtain a book through a library, this number is useful when an ISBN is not available.  LC has been using this system for a long time, so you can often find an LCCN when there’s no ISBN.

>> OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) – an enormous database used by library catalogers that contains descriptive data on books, journals and other types of informational material (including photos, movies, audiobooks, etc), this number is useful when you are trying to obtain a book through a library and you don’t have an ISBN or LCCN.  I have access to the numbers because I’m a librarian.  No one BUT a librarian is likely to have a clue what these are, but I’ve included it for one of the titles below because there simply wasn’t anything else.
 

NEVADA AND WESTERN HISTORY – Written in the 19TH CENTURY:

**(1)  “The Big Bonanza : An Authentic Account of the Discovery, History, and Working of the World-Renowned Comstock Lode of Nevada” by William Wright.  New York : Crowell, 1969, c1947 [reprint “History of the Big Bonanza” 1876].  ISBN: 0223105231, out of print.   (Author also known as Dan DeQuille, who was a newspaperman on Virginia City’s “Territorial Enterprise” during the Comstock years.)

** “Comstock Mining and Miners” by Eliot Lord.  Berkeley, CA : Howell-North, 1959 [reprint of 1883 edition].  ISBN:  0913814075, out of print.

** “History of Nevada : With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers” by Myron Angel. New York : Arno Press, 1973 [reprint of Oakland, CA : Thomas & West, 1881].  ISBN: 9992516054, out of print.

“The Oregon Trail” by Francis Parkman.  Washington, DC : National Geographic, 2002 [from “California and Oregon Trail : Being Sketches of Prairie and Rocky Mountain Life”, New York : G.P. Putnam, 1849].  ISBN:  0792266404, $14.00.

“The Prairie Traveler : A Handbook for Overland Expeditions” by Randolph B. Marcy.  Bedford, MA : Applewood Books, 1988 (reprint New York : Harper & Brothers, 1859).  ISBN: 0918222893, $10.95.

**(1)  “Roughing It” by Mark Twain.  New York : Signet Classic, 1994 [reprint Hartford, CT : American Pub Co (and others), 1872].  ISBN: 0451524071, $6.95.
 

NEVADA AND WESTERN HISTORY – Written in the 20TH CENTURY:

“The American Frontier : Pioneers, Settlers & Cowboys, 1800 – 1899” by William C. Davis.  Norman, OK : University of Oklahoma Press, 1999.  ISBN: 0806131292, $17.84.  William C. Davis has several books that might be of interest to Western fanfic writers – just search on his name at Amazon.com.

“California : Land of New Beginnings” by David Lavender.  Lincoln, NE : University of Nebraska Press, 1972.  ISBN: 0-8032-7924-8, $19.95.  (Chapter 17 for the Comstock Lode, Chapter 18 for the Transcontinental Railroad.)

“California’s Sierra Nevada” text and photography by George Wuerthner.  Helena, MT : Farcountry Press, 1993.  ISBN: 156037036X, $9.95

(1)  “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Old West” by Mike Flanagan.  New York : Alpha Books, 1999.  ISBN: 0028629450, $16.95.  Good overview, from the Native Americans who crossed the Bering Strait through the turn of the 20th century.

“Cowboy Slang” by Edgar R. “Frosty” Potter.  Phoenix, AZ : Golden West Publishers, 1986.  ISBN: 0-914846-23-X, $5.95. (“The man who wears his holsters tied down don’t do much talkin’ with his mouth.”  Also includes a dictionary of horse gear, horse colors, and slang names of horses such as “gut-twister”, sections on cattle brands, ear crops, rodeos, and barbwire – which hadn’t been invented during the Bonanza years – as well as uses of bandannas, types of whiskey, and euphemisms for killing.  Fascinating and a lot of fun.)

“Everyday Life in the 1800s : A Guide for Writers, Students & Historians” by Marc McCutcheon.  Cincinnati, OH : Writers Digest Books, 2001.  ISBN: 1582970637, $16.99.

“Historic Sites Along the Oregon Trail” by Aubrey L. Haines. St Louis, MO : Patrice Press, 1981.  ISBN: 0935284214, out of print.

“Historical Atlas of the American West” by Warren A. Beck and Ynez D. Haase. Norman, OK : University of Oklahoma Press, 1992.  ISBN: 0806124563, $24.95

“History of Nevada” by Russell R. Elliott. Lincoln, NE : University of Nebraska Press, 1987. ISBN: 0803267150, $27.95.

“History of the Sierra Nevada” by Francis P. Farquhar. Berkeley, CA : University of California Press, 1989 (reprint 1965).  ISBN: 0520015517, $18.95.

“The Humboldt : Highroad of the West” by Dale L. Morgan. Lincoln, NE : University of Nebraska Press, 1985.  ISBN: 0803281285, $26.95.

** “A Kid on the Comstock : Reminiscences of a Virginia City Childhood” by John Taylor Waldorf.  (Vintage West Series).  Reprint Edition.  Reno, NV : University of Nevada Press, 1991.  Out of print, ISBN: 0874171725.  Originally published Palo Alto, CA : American West Pub Co, 1970.

** “Lake Tahoe : A Photo Essay of the Lake Tahoe Region” by Larry Prosor.  Truckee, CA : Fine Line Productions, 1988.  ISBN: 0962014826, out of print.   (Beautiful photographs of Lake Tahoe and surrounding countryside during all four seasons.  Also includes a brief history of the area.  There’s another book out, “Above Tahoe and Reno : A New Collection of Historical and Original Aerial Photographs,” that I’m dying to get my hands on.  It’s by Robert Cameron, San Francisco : Cameron & Co, 1995.  ISBN: 091868451X, $14.50.  Guess I’d better take my own advice about using InterLibrary Loan, huh?)

“Mark Twain’s America” by Bernard DeVoto. Lincoln, NE : University of Nebraska Press, 1997.  ISBN:  0803266073, $15.00

** “Nevada State Library and Archives (Department of Cultural Affairs) : Historical Myth a Month” by Guy Rocha, Nevada State Archivist.   Every month, Mr. Rocha debunks a myth that is perpetuated throughout Western history books and websites.  As of July 2003, he’s up to #100.  These are fascinating and fun to read, and also give you a yardstick for evaluating the value of books on Nevada history. http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/nsla/archives/myth/default.htm

“Nevada Towns & Tales” (two volumes) edited by Stanley W. Paher.  Las Vegas, NV : Nevada Publications.  V.1: North – 1981, ISBN: 0913814415, $19.95; V.2: South – 1982, ISBN: 0913814458, out of print. (Storey County is in V.1.  Bear in mind that these are definitely “tales” and the facts as given are not necessarily quite what really happened.  Also fascinating reading, though.)

“Nothing Like It In the World : The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad, 1863 – 1869” by Stephen Ambrose.  New York : Touchstone Books, 2001.  ISBN: 0743203178, $16.00.

(1)  “The Old West” by the editors of Time/Life.  New York : Time Life, [various years] out of print.  Of particular interest:
v. 1 – The Cowboys
v. 2 – The Indians
v. 6 – The Forty-Niners
v. 7 – The Pioneers
v. 8 – The Gunfighters
v.14 – The Loggers
v.16 – The Spanish West
v.21 – The Ranchers
v.23 – The Women
v.25 – The Gamblers.
To get a complete list of titles, go to www.google.com and enter “Time/Life” “Old West” (with the quotation marks) in the search box.  You’ll find several dealers.

“Ordeal by Hunger : The Story of the Donner Party” by George R. Stewart.  Lincoln, NE : University of Nebraska Press, 1960 (reprint New York : H.Holt, 1936)  ISBN: 080329171X, $7.95.

“The Routledge Historical Atlas of the American Railroads” by John F. Stover.  New York : Routledge, 1999.  ISBN: 0415921406, $17.95.

“Sierra Nevadan Wildlife Region” by Vinson Brown.  (Fourth edition)  Happy Camp, CA : Naturegraph Pub, 1996.  ISBN: 0879612274, $8.95.  (Not in my collection, but recommended by a fanfic author for information on the flora and fauna around the Ponderosa.)

“Transcontinental Rails” by Thomas K Hinckley [pamphlet].  Palmer Lake, CO : Filter Press, 1969 (reprinted 1999).  ISBN: 0910584133, out of print.  (Has detailed information and data on construction of the railroad.)

(1)  “The Writer’s Guide to Everyday Life in the Wild West : From 1840 to 1900” by Candy Moulton.  Cincinnati, OH : Writers Digest Books, 1999.  ISBN: 0898798701, out of print.

“The WPA Guide to 1930s Nevada : Nevada Writers’ Project of the Work Projects Administration.”  (American Guide Series)  Reno : University of Nevada Press, 1991.  ISBN: 0874171709, $15.95. (out of print) (reprint, with a new foreword, of “Nevada : A Guide to the Silver State,” Portland OR : Binfords & Mort, 1957, 1940.)  Recommended by a fanfic writer because of the first section, which contains a concise history of Nevada, as well as the touring sections, which contain historical information as well as physical descriptions of the land.  It was originally published with a map in a back pocket.

“The Year of Decision : 1846” by Bernard DeVoto. New York : Griffin Trade Paperback, 2000 [reprint Boston : Little, Brown, 1943].  ISBN: 0312267940, $16.95.
 

NEVADA (AND SIERRA NEVADA) FICTION:

“Calico Palace” by Gwen Bristow. New York : Crowell, 1970.  ISBN: 0329121940, out of print.  (While this is not actually Nevada fiction, it covers San Francisco & the Sierra Nevada gold fields and provides a lot of good perspective on an area that at least Ben and Adam would have been familiar with.)

**(1) “Comstock Lode” by Louis L’Amour.  New York : Bantam Books, 1998 (reprint New York : Bantam Books, 1981).  ISBN: 0553275615, $5.50.  (Takes place in Virginia City in 1859 and after.)

“Lily Nevada” by Cecilia Holland.  New York : Forge, 2001.  ISBN:  0312874162, $12.95. (Takes place in Virginia City in the 1870s, and on the railroad from VC to Sacramento.)

**(1)  “One Man with Courage” by Thomas Thompson.  New York : Media Books, 1966.  ISBN: 0421194700, out of print. (Scriptwriter for many excellent episodes of the show.  A Bonanza story.)

“The Ox-Bow Incident” by Walter Van Tilburg Clark.  New York : Modern Library, 2001 (reprint New York : Random House, 1940).  ISBN: 0375757023, $9.95.  (Although the story takes place in 1885, it relates the struggle of civilized justice in an era of frontier justice.)

“Sierra : A Novel of the California Gold Rush” by Richard S. Wheeler. New York : Forge, 1998.  ISBN: 0812542886, $6.99.  (See notes under “Calico Palace”.)

**(1)  “Sun Mountain : A Comstock Memoir” by Richard S. Wheeler.  New York : Forge, 2002.  ISBN: 0812580117, $6.99.  (History of Virginia City, thinly disguised as fiction.)

Also, many of the short stories of Mark Twain and most of Bret Harte’s works are set in the Sierra gold country.  They are a treasure trove of description as well as fine examples of typical humorous writing of the time. Many are available via Project Gutenberg, at http://promo.net/pg/

Bonanza fanfiction that is particularly well researched historically includes the Heritage of Honor series and the story “Centennial” by Sharon “Puchi Ann” Bottoms, and the story “Odyssey” by Lissa Brown.  “Centennial” and “Odyssey” are on the Best of the West website, <www.williamsmith.org/bonanza.html>, and all of Sharon’s stories are at:  <http://pages.sbcglobal.net/harveybottoms/Puchi.htm>.  There are a couple of other thoroughly researched stories I really wish I could list, but the site where they were posted has been removed so they are no longer available.  If I find that they’ve turned up somewhere else, I’ll include them later.
 

WRITING -- THE MECHANICS:

Of particular interest to the beginning writer who is confused by punctuation, grammar and word usage, and very handy for the more advanced fanfic writer:

(1)  “Cliffs Quick Review Writing : Grammar, Usage & Style” by Jean Eggenschwiler.  Lincoln, NE : Cliffs Notes, 1997.  ISBN:  0822053675, out of print. (Good book to work through, but no index!)

(1)  “The Columbia Guide to Standard American English” by Kenneth G. Wilson. New York : Columbia University Press, 1993.  ISBN:  0231069898, $20.00. (Includes explanations of differences between similar words; level of usage such as standard, formal, slang; differences of usage between “American” English and “British” English, etc.)

“Court Reporting : Grammar and Punctuation” (2d ed) by Diane Castilaw.  Cincinnati, OH : South-Western Pub, 1993.  ISBN: 0538705779, $43.95.  (Of exceptional use in learning how to punctuate the way people really talk.)

“The Deluxe Transitive Vampire : The Ultimate Handbook of Grammar for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed” by Karen Elizabeth Gordon. New York : Pantheon Books, 1993.  ISBN: 0679418601, $23.00.  (It helps to have a least a minimal grasp of grammatical terms before using this book – then it’s hysterically funny.)

“Divided by a Common Language” by Christopher Davis.  Sarasota, FL : Mayflower Press, 1998.  ISBN: 0966094573, $12.95.  (Strongly recommended by a British fanfic writer to make her dialogue more “western” than British.)

(1)  “The Elements of Grammar” by Margaret Shertzer.  New York : Longman, 1996.  ISBN: 0028614496, $9.95.  (A classic.)

(1)  “The Elements of Style” (Fourth Edition) by Strunk & White.  Boston : Allyn & Bacon, 2000.  ISBN: 020530902X, $7.95.  (THE classic!)

“The Gregg Reference Manual” (Ninth Edition) by William Sabin.  New York : McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2000.  ISBN (spiral-bound): 0028040473, $30.64.  (Very helpful, particularly for those pesky words like all ready – already; how to abbreviate; concise explanations of grammar; excellent sections on punctuation.)

“The New Well Tempered Sentence : A Punctuation Handbook for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed” by Karen Elizabeth Gordon.  New York : Ticknor & Fields, 1993.  ISBN: 0395628830, $16.00.  (See notes above for “The Deluxe Transitive Vampire.”)

“Synonym Finder” by J.I. Rodale.  New York : Warner Books, 1986.  ISBN: 0446370290, $16.95.  (Large, easy to use.)

“21st Century Synonym and Antonym Finder” by Barbara Ann Kipfer.  New York : Dell, 1993.  ISBN: 0440213231, $6.99.  (Pocket size – good for traveling.)

(1)  “Roget’s International Thesaurus” by Barbara Ann Kipfer.  New York : HarperCollins, 2001.  ISBN:  0060185759, $21.95.  (This is not the dictionary version – get this one and learn how to use it, it’s worth the time.)

“Roget’s 21st Century Thesaurus” by Barbara Ann Kipfer.  New York : Dell, 1999.  ISBN: 0440235138, $5.99. (The dictionary version – handy when it works, but if it doesn’t, use the non-dictionary version.)

“Self-Editing for Fiction Writers” by Renni Browne & Dave King.  New York : HarperCollins, 1994.  ISBN: 0062720465, $14.00.  (Recommended by a fanfic author for sound practical advice on point of view, voice, dialogue mechanics, interior monologues and many other subjects.)

(1)  “Woe Is I : The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English” by Patricia T. O’Connor.  New York : Riverhead Books, 1998.  ISBN: 1573226254, $12.00. (Also an expanded edition, published July 2003.  ISBN: 1573222526, $19.95.)

(1) “Words Fail Me” by Patricia T. O’Connor.  New York : Harvest Books, 2000.  ISBN: 0156010879, $12.00.

(1)  And any good collegiate dictionary such as Webster’s.  I have a subscription to Merriam Webster’s (Unabridged) Third International online, but the free dictionary is also very good and includes dates words came into common usage (which is inexplicably NOT included in the unabridged version).  Go to <www.m-w.com>.

A good, quick, concise guide to problems most beginning fanfic writers run into is “Holy Mother Grammatica’s Guide to Good Writing,” referred to above as HMG.  It has a comprehensive list of words that are similar and confuse a lot of writers.  Pay attention – this one is excellent:  <http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/5307/guide.htm>.
 

WRITING – THE ART:

For books on how to write, how to get unstuck, how to do it all, try the following.  There are many, many other good books, but these are the best of the ones I’ve read:

(1)  “Art of Fiction : Notes on Craft for Young Writers” by John Gardner.  New York : Vintage Books, 1991.  ISBN: 0679734031, $12.00. (A classic.)

“Beginnings, Middles & Ends” by Nancy Kress.  (series: Elements of Fiction Writing)  Cincinnati, OH : Writers Digest Books, 1999.  ISBN: 0898799058, $12.99.  (Very useful for figuring out why you get stuck)

“Bird by Bird : Some Instructions on Writing and Life,” by Anne Lamott.  New York : Anchor Books, 1994.

“Building Better Plots” by Robert Kernen. Cincinnati, OH : Writers Digest Books, 1999.  ISBN: 0898799031, $18.99.  (Good for figuring out how to organize a complex plot.)

“How to Write Fast (While Writing Well)” by David Fryxell.  Cincinnati, OH : Writers Digest Books, 1995.  ISBN: 0898797381, out of print.  (Although this is mostly about writing non-fiction, there are some excellent tips that are applicable to fiction as well.)

“On Becoming a Novelist” by John Gardner.  New York : W.W. Norton & Company, 1999.  ISBN: 0393320030, $12.95. (A classic.)

(1)  “On Writing : A Memoir of the Craft” by Stephen King.  New York : Pocket Books, 2002.  ISBN: 0743455967, $7.99.  (IMHO, one of the best books out there on writing, one that will inspire you with down-to-earth advice.)

“On Writing Well : The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction” by William K. Zinsser.  New York : HarperResource, 2001.  ISBN: 0060006641, $14.00.  (Good advice for fiction writers, as well.)

“Starting from Scratch : A Different Kind of Writer’s Manual” by Rita Mae Brown. New York : Bantam Books, 1989.  ISBN: 055334630X, $13.95. (Mixed reviews on this one – I found the information on the writing lifestyle interesting and helpful, others think her emphasis on knowing Latin and other languages to be unnecessary.)

“Writing Down the Bones : Freeing the Writer Within” by Natalie Goldberg.  Boston : Shambhala Publications, 1986.  ISBN: 0877733759,  $12.95.  (A classic – kinda zen-like, but very useful for learning to let your creative side have rein.)

(1)  “The Elements of Style” by Strunk & While (Oh, I said that already?  Well, it’s worth repeating.  READ THIS BOOK!)
 

OTHER INTERESTING AND USEFUL BOOKS AND MATERIALS:

This is by no means a comprehensive list, nor is it particularly well-balanced.  It will show, however, just what sorts of interesting things there are out there on just about every subject imaginable.
 

Books:

(1)  “Body Trauma : A Writer’s Guide to Wounds and Injuries” by David W. Page, M.D. (series: Howdunit)  Cincinnati, OH : Writers Digest Books, 1996.  ISBN: 0898797411, out of print.  See also the other Howdunit books such as:
 - “Cause of Death”
 - “Deadly Doses”
 - “Armed and Dangerous”
 - “Just the Facts”
 - “Scene of the Crime”

“History of American Weather” series by David M. Ludlum.  Boston : American Meteorological Society, (1963-1970) out of print.  (Although we certainly don’t have to adhere to history when we write, it’s sometimes interesting to see what really happened.  The very act of research sometimes will put great story ideas into your head.  These books focus primarily on the eastern and southern states, as those were the areas that were settled during these time frames – which might be useful for those writing stories taking place in Boston – but there is occasionally information on states as far west as Iowa and Missouri.)
 - v.1: “Early American Hurricanes : 1492-1870” published 1963, LCCN:  64-000188.
 - v.2: “Early American Winters : 1604-1820” published 1966, LCCN: 67-007551.
 - v.3: “Early American Winters II : 1821-1870” published 1968, OCLC: 6363080.
 - v.4: “Early American Tornadoes : 1586-1870” published 1970, LCCN: 72-023901.

“Indian Herbalogy of North America” by Alma R. Hutchens.  Boston : Shambhala Publications, 1991.  ISBN: 0877736391, $19.95.  (There are a couple more books by Alma Hutchens, but I found this one to be the most complete.)

“Notes on Nursing : What It Is and What It Is Not” by Florence Nightingale.  New York : Dover, 1969 (reprint London : Harrison, 1859 & New York : Appleton, 1860).  ISBN: 048622340X, $4.95. (If Doc Martin is really as good as we all say he is, he’s probably aware of this book and abides by its contents.)

“The Science and Art of Tracking” by Tom Brown, Jr.  New York : Penguin, 1999.  ISBN: 0425157725, $12.95.

(1)  “Type Talk : The 16 Personality  Types That Determine How We Live, Love, and Work” by Otto Kroeger and Janet M. Thuesen.  New York : Delta (Dell), 1989.  ISBN: 0440507049, $14.95.  (Excellent for determining why people misunderstand each other, and what kinds of conflict their different personality types create.)

“Victorian and Edwardian Fashion: A Photographic Survey” by Alison Gernsheim.  New York : Dover Publications, 1982.  ISBN: 0486242056, $12.95.

NOTE:  To find out when a book was published (what is Adam’s reading list?), go to <http://catalog.loc.gov> and search for the book.  The Library of Congress doesn’t have EVERY book ever printed, but it sure has a lot of ‘em that were printed in the Cartwrights’ days.  (Which of Alexandre Dumas’s books were available in English in Adam’s time?)  Also, www.abebooks.com lists rare books for purchase, and they often have very good physical descriptions of the various editions.  You can sometimes find out, for example, if an 1850 edition of a novel had a design stamped in gold on the front and other such details.
 

The American Civil War:

Bruce Catton:
 - “This Hallowed Ground” (considered by many to be the definitive single volume on the Civil War)
 - The classic “Army of the Potomac” series which consists of:
     -- “Mr. Lincoln’s Army”
     -- “Glory Road”
     -- “A Stillness at Appomattox”
 - As well as his many other titles.
One of the great Civil War historians, Catton’s books generally cover the Union troop movements and perspective more thoroughly than the southern.

Shelby Foote:
The classic “Civil War : A Narrative” series which consists of:
   -- “Fort Sumter to Perryville”
   -- “Fredericksburg to Meridian”
   -- “Red River to Appomattox”
Shelby Foote was a major source for Ken Burns when making his film series “The Civil War”, and he excels in bringing the reader into the war on a more personal level than Catton.  He tends to present the Southern side more completely than the Northern.

(1) James McPherson: “Battle Cry of Freedom”.  Considered one of the best books on the Civil War, particularly in a single volume.  Written more recently than Catton or Foote.

Michael & Jeff Shaara:
The “Civil War Trilogy” was started by Michael and finished by his son Jeff after his death.  It consists of :
   -- “Gods and Generals” (made into a theatrical film)
   -- “The Killer Angels” (made into the TV movie under the name “Gettysburg”)
   -- “The Last Full Measure” (which is scheduled to be made into a theatrical film)

(1)  Ken Burns: His 1990 PBS series “The Civil War – A Film by Ken Burns” should be viewed by anyone seriously considering writing a story in that setting.  It’s available for purchase in VHS ($99.98) and DVD ($129.98).  Many libraries have copies, as do some of the bigger video rental stores.  There’s a companion book:  “The Civil War: An Illustrated History” by Geoffrey C. Ward.  New York : Knopf, 1992.  Paperback ISBN: 0679742778, $29.95.  Also in hardback.

The 1998 Hallmark TV movie “The Love Letter” (with Campbell Scott and Jennifer Jason Leigh, directed by Dan Curtis) has some extremely well researched footage which will give you an excellent glimpse of life (and clothing) in 1863 Boston and of the battle at Gettysburg.  Hallmark Home Entertainment, VHS $14.98, DVD $19.98.

“Civil War Medicine : An Illustrated History” by Mark J. Schaadt.  Quincy, IL : Cedarwood Publishing, 1998.  ISBN: 0966476808, $21.95.

(1)  “Everyday Life During the Civil War : A Guide for Writers, Students & Historians” by Michael J. Varhola.  Cincinnati, OH : Writers Digest Books, 1999.  ISBN:  0898799228, $16.99.

“The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Civil War Collectibles : A Comprehensive Guide to Union and Confederate Arms, Equipment, Uniforms, and Other Memorabilia” by Chuck Lawliss.  New York : Henry Holt, 1997.  ISBN:  0805046356, out of print.

Also v.3 of the “History of American Weather” series listed above (“Early American Winters II : 1821-1870”), which has a chapter on Civil War winters.
 

Native Americans:

*(1) “Life Among the Piutes : Their Wrongs and Claims” by Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins. Reno : University of Nevada Press, 1994. ISBN: 0615100756, $15.95. [originally published New York : G.P. Putnam, 1883.]  Note the spelling of “Piute” as opposed to the more commonly used today “Paiute”.

The Apache: Anything you can get your hands on by John G. Bourke is a must-read.  He was with General Crook in the 1880s, and did extensive field research into the Apache way of life.
 -- “On the Border with Crook” Lincoln, NE : University of Nebraska Press, 1971 (reprint: New York : Scribner, 1891) ISBN: 0803257414, out of print
 -- “Diaries of John Gregory Bourke : November 20, 1872 to July 28, 1876”  Denton, TX : University of North Texas Press, 2003, ISBN: 1574411616, $49.95
 -- “Medicine Men of the Apache” New York : Dover, 1993 (reprint: Washington DC : U.S. Bureau of American Ethnology, 1892), ISBN: 0486275425, $8.95
 -- and other titles which can be found using the Library of Congress online catalog: www.loc.gov
 -- A biography of John Bourke is also interesting reading:  “Paper Medicine Man : John Gregory Bourke and His American West” by Joseph C. Porter.  Norman, OK : Oklahoma University Press, 1986, ISBN: 0806119845 (out of print).

“Life Among the Apaches” by John Cremony.  Lincoln, NE : University of Nebraska Press, 1983 (reprint:   )  ISBN: 0803263120, $29.95. (One reviewer states that Cremony wrote this in a style that inflates his importance, it is nonetheless fascinating for its documentation of how white men viewed the Apache, and in particular, the Chiricahua.)

Medicine Men:  Aside of the excellent book on the Apache medicine men by John Bourke, there are two books about Rolling Thunder, a Cherokee medicine man, that are fascinating for their insight into how and why a medicine man operates.
 -- “Rolling Thunder Speaks : A Message for Turtle Island” by Rolling Thunder.  Santa Fe, NM : Clear Light Publishers, 1999.  ISBN: 1574160265, $14.95.
 -- “Rolling Thunder : A Personal Exploration Into the Secret Healing Powers of an American Indian Medicine Man” by Doug Boyd. New York : Delta Trade Paperbacks, 1982.  ISBN: 0440574358, out of print. (Revised ed by Ira A. Rubbins, 1988.  ISBN: 0440550521, out of print.)
 

Maps:

*(1) “Nevada Road & Recreation Atlas” [mapbook], by  Benchmark Maps, 2003.  ISBN: 092959181X, $19.95.  Also “California Road & Recreation Atlas” (3rd Edition), by Alan Stuart.  Benchmark Maps, 2002.  ISBN: 0929591801, $24.95.  Also available:  Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.  Absolutely superb mapbook, esp for those who want to know the contours of the land but just can’t read topographic maps.

*(1) “Nevada Atlas & Gazetteer” (2d Edition).  Yarmouth, ME : DeLorme, 2001.  ISBN: 0899333346, $19.95.

“Pacific Crest Trail : A Photographic Topographic Journey, Mexico to Canada” [3 CD-ROM set], by Ken Roberts.  North Clarendon, VT : MoreThanAMile Publications, 2003.  $40.00.  Maps and photos from along the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington, including a segment along the western rim of Lake Tahoe.  (NOTE:  www.pcta.org has links to journals written by people who do the annual hike from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail.  There are quite often descriptions of animals, vegetation, trail and weather conditions, where the mosquitoes are bad, etc.   There are also often photographs to accompany the journals.  The PCT has a section that runs along the western edge of Lake Tahoe.)

*(1) “Western Emigrant Trails, 1830-1870 : Major Trails, Cutoffs, and Alternates, 1999 edition” [map], by Robert L. Berry (map editor) and James A Bier (cartographer).  Omaha, NE : Western Emigrant Trails Research Center, 1999.  $8.50.)
 

A couple more useful things:

“Popular Songs of Nineteenth Century America : Complete Original Sheet Music for 64 Songs” [music] edited by Richard Jackson  (alt title substitutes words “Song Sheets” for “Sheet Music”).  New York : Dover Publications, 1976, 1990.  ISBN: 0844654566, out of print.

(1) The “American Memories” portion of the Library of Congress website should not be missed.  Go to <http://memory.loc.gov/> and prepare to spend some serious time.  Absolutely amazing stuff there, including photos, text and maps.
 

How do I find all this stuff?

 >> I browse my local libraries, for starters.  It’s absolutely amazing what you’ll trip over in a good library, especially ones that have been around for a while.  Ask the Reference Librarian for help.

>> I haunt the history and travel sections of my local Borders and Barnes & Noble bookstores.  When I travel, I always, always, always visit the “local section” of bookstores and the gift shops at national, state and local parks.  They frequently have the most amazing maps and pamphlets that you can’t get anywhere else.

>> I do searches on Amazon.com, the Library of Congress website, abebooks.com, and the web.  I follow links.

>>  AND, I ask people.  I ask writers whose work I admire.  A lot of us are building good libraries, and everyone I’ve ever asked has come back with titles that I’ve found fascinating and useful.  I ask historians.  I talk with re-enactors and booksellers and museum docents.  All of these people LOVE to talk about their interests and generally share freely with anyone who shows a genuine interest.  I’ll talk to anyone about whatever they’re interested in.

Talk about curiosity killed the cat – the number it does on my budget shouldn’t be brought up in polite company!
 

A FEW AUTHORS WHO INSPIRE ME (a very personal list):

Lois McMaster Bujold, the science fiction “Vorkosigan Saga” books.

Barbara Hambly’s “Benjamin January” mysteries set in 1830s New Orleans.

Georgette Heyer’s Regency romances, particularly “False Colours” and “Sylvester: Or, The Wicked Uncle.”

Louis L’Amour westerns, especially the Sacketts.  Great lit?  That’s debatable.  But it’ll sure give you a good feel for the “classic western,” and he’s particularly good at integrating descriptions of the terrain into the story.

The Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte.  (No, I read the translations.)

Stephen King.  I HATE scary stories!  I read him in spite of myself.

R.F. Delderfield.  English historical fiction.  “To Serve Them All My Days” is one of the best books I’ve ever read.

And, of course, Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”