Writing Tip of the Week
Writing Tip of the Week
Citizen Dan
In a brilliant opening to a brilliant motion picture, Citizen Kane, Orson Welles crafted a timeline of events encapsulating the history of the protagonist. The technique was a masterful way to cover a lot of back story in a way that kept the audience involved through multiple viewpoints. It’s a technique that can work for a novelist.
While writing my Western novel Caldera II – A Man on Fire I wanted to cover a lot of territory (physical, mental and emotional) in a way that would not bog down the story. I was staring at the infamous mid-book muddle looming over the Arizona horizon. Mr. Welles, as he has done for so many artists, provided the inspiration that solved the problem. My character, a man called Caldera, had been falsely accused of murder and had gone on the lam. For many years he became a criminal in the press, but a hero to many in personal accounts. All this had to be covered before he emerged back into hero status. That was a lot of ground I didn’t want to cover.
I crafted a montage of events as seen through the eyes of many people. The first was a newspaper story written in the style of 19th century reporters. Here’s the headline.
MASS EXUCUTION
Four Slavers Slain!
DEYOUNG SISTERS FOUND, RESCUED,
RETURNED TO CIVILIZATION
A Full Account From Our Territorial Correspondent.
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I followed with another newspaper clipping about the kidnapping of the sisters by a bandit named Malon. I added a nice touch of Western history by heading the clipping with Exclusive News Via the Electric Telegraph. The clippings noted a mysterious rescuer, revealed much later as Caldera.
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A letter from the manager of a gold mine followed. He reported on the deaths of two workers who he believed to be hardened criminals hiding out. He also suspected they had been killed under mysterious circumstances, noting that one of their best workers, a “John Smith,” left immediately before the bodies were discovered. This bit established the vengeance-ride theme that dominated book two.
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A diary excerpt followed. The book related that an unknown man (Caldera the reader presumes) helps a few desperate pilgrims across a river. In part, the diary read “Well, we weren’t morn half a mile over the furst hill when we hear gunfire commencin’ like hale storm on a tin roof. Wilbur wanted us to go back for a looksee, but I wud have non of it. That man was engaged in powerful private business and it weren’t non o arn.”
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I used a fragment of a telegram as the next element. Dated 1976, it read, “…alias CALDERA or CALDERON or CALDER… in the disappearance of suspected member of Mal… hold for questioning.. armed and dangerous…”
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One of those DeYoung sisters reappeared next in a radio interview taped in 1932. Legend had grown that the sisters were rescued by a man named Chandler, a prominent secondary character in the novel. Miss DeYoung disagrees and says the real hero was another man (you know who). “… that man showed up to kill the men who kidnapped us. Don’t misunderstand me, young man. I am quite, quite happy that he did. I just don’t think he gave us much thought. He was there to kill. Saving us was an afterthought, and one I do not believe he relished.”
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That interview revealed in a few words a lot about Caldera’s character. The secondary character who was conducting all of this research on Caldera received a number of responses to his inquiries. Some are helpful to him. Others are not, but in bits and pieces in different voices they do contribute to the reader’s understanding of my lead character.
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While on his vengeance trail, Caldera remained anonymous, but he was given the nickname of “the Lynx killer,” which is explained in some detail in several chapters. Two wanted posters appear next. One is an official circular. The other is an unofficial circular from a vigilance committee. The story has developed to show that Caldera is knocking off the area’s worst killers. The poster from the committee included the lines, “Whereas the 666 Vigilance Committee wholeheartedly approves of said actions, be it therefore Resolved that the individual or individuals known as “The Lynx” should be left the hell alone, you ranching sons of bitches!”
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Another news clipping reports the mysterious death of the arch villain Malon. (by now the reader knows Caldera’s vengeance is being visited on men who earned it.)
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A section of a book on terms and phrases from a history of the Wild West includes:
Lynx (The) A robin Hood style desperado in Arizona Territory. Perhaps mythical.
Linx (The Fearless) A dime novel hero loosely based upon the above.
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An excerpt from one of the dime novels paints a gloriously over-the-top word picture of the rescue of the DeYoung sisters by the mysterious hero. It and the chapter ends with, “The hero returned to the cabin for one final task, a ritual that struck fear into the hearts of cowardly villains throughout the territory. In the hand of each, a marker and a warning, was placed a single link from a golden chain, priceless not for its metal, but for the justice it represented. He turned, walked through the door. Thuse into the darkness, into history, and into glory rode the Lynx.”
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I thought the technique did what it was supposed to do and that it worked out quite well as good Western literature. My reader got the information he needed to keep the story moving toward the climax while at the same time providing essential information without bogging down the piece. After completing that chapter, I realized I had the material for another novel or two in that material should I decide to go back to the well of Caldera. The rescue of the DeYoung sisters, the vengeance ride, the death of Malon, or even the conflict between what is real and what is media driven could be explored with that connection to the faux hero Chandler could be a complete novel. Additionally, that chapter was just a lot of fun to write.
Lessons learned. Study the masters, even in other media. Never fear to experiment.
Most important, enjoy the ride.
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Quote of the Week: “Study the past if you want to know what the idiots are going to do next.” Old Vaquero Sayings from True West
Recommended Reading: Great American Folklore – Legends, Tales, Ballads, and Superstitions from All Across America compiled by Kemp P. Battle
Plan Ahead: Desert Foothills Book Festival – October 19, 2024
Shameless Self-Promotion:
YouTube Appearances: Monster’s Lounge; Sasquatch Paranormal Podcast; Afraid of Nothing; Patricia Monna Talks with Pendulum Dowser Dan Baldwin; Journey Through the Gate: Old West Spirits with Dan Baldwin; Journey Through the Gate: Dan Baldwin Author/Psychic in the Superstition Mountains; House of Mystery Radio Show on NBC: Dan Baldwin Psychic Detective; House of Mystery Radio Show on NBC: The Psychic Detective Guidebook; Horsefly Chronicles with Julia & Phillip Siracusa: Dan Baldwin & George Sewell; Watchers Talk: Is It Possible to Communicate with the Departed?; X2RS: Speaking with Spirits of the Old West; Andy de Codes: Dan Baldwin; Vincent Zandri from The Writer’s Life Episode 851: Dan Baldwin; Rob McConnell Show: Dan Baldwin – The Psychic Detective Guidebook.
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