ALL HAT AND NO CATTLE

NICE HAT

What is the origin of this term? I've heard this quotation more in the last few years than I ever have. What does this actually mean? I found definitions such as these:

"Full of big talk but lacking action."

"Talking like one is more important than one is."

"High-falootin' goals."

"I aim to be rich and a big shot."



BAD HAT!

I kept searching and believe I have found the original source:

An old Texas gal and her guy are in Paris and she is sort of teasing him/flirting with him, calling him a cowboy (which he isn't) and saying he's "all hat and no cattle," which may or may not teasingly mean that he's a pseudo-cowboy or low-level cowboy in the cowboy pecking order.

TEXAS RANGER

This term came to me as I watched the local news here...yep, in Texas. A sheriff was in front of a microphone explaining a break-in assault, but I became more intrigued by his Western wear, especially his hat. Now, let me say that wearing cowboy or Western hats in Texas is as common as grass burs so, I have no quarrel with the practice. Texas Rangers have always worn the Western hat since the mid-1800's, and they do today, even though they drive cars or pickups. (Note: in the open western part of the state, some law enforcement members drive pickups.)



COOL COWBOY AND HAT

I rather like a man in boots, jeans, and a cowboy hat, even though he might not be a rancher or ride a horse. It's only a manner of dress, when one gets down to it.

WILL AND KATE IN CALGARY

Did any of you see the photo of Prince William in Calgary in his white cowboy hat? I thought he looked so handsome! He'd pulled it over his forehead a little, and he could have been a hero on the cover of a Western romance novel.

THIS IS GOOD, TOO!

These are some of my favorites.

MARLBORO MAN--TOO BAD HE SMOKED

JAMES DEAN

JOHN WAYNE

 Now I've had my fun today. Most of the time, I've worked on something either inside or outside the house, so to entertain myself, I Googled "Men in Cowboy Hats."

What do you think of my choices?

Celia

How to Write the Perfect Excerpt

Excerpts—we love them, don’t we? There’s no better way to sample an author’s writing style than to read an excerpt. One entire Yahoo Group is devoted to “Excerpts Only for Romance Writers and Readers,” and many authors and readers post there on a daily basis.

However, there is a right way and a wrong way to post the perfect excerpt. Many writers have their own methods, from very long, to very short, somewhere in-between, at times concise, and at others, rambling. What is the best method of selecting a sample of your writing? How can you entice a reader to read your full excerpt? Choose one that contains dialogue or action, not just narrative, and keep it short and simple.

Consider the short story. The guidelines are: limit to a specific time, place, event, interaction, or character’s evolution. It is, in fact, a mini-novel, complete with a beginning, middle, and an ending, i.e., an abbreviated novel.

Attention span is the amount of time a person can concentrate on a task without becoming distracted. Continuous involvement without any lapse at all is as short as eight seconds. The average adult who is engaged in an interesting activity or topic will remain focused for twenty seconds. People are also capable of longer periods up to two and a half hours when they are doing something enjoyable or motivating, such as watching a movie. Researchers have found that the modern adult’s attention span shortens as time goes on. The phenomenon of instant gratification in our technological world deters the attention span even more.

Now consider the excerpt. The guidelines are perhaps the same as those for a short story: one idea, one interaction, in one short time frame, wrapped up with a beginning, middle, and an ending, approximately three hundred words—a mini-short story with a hook at the end.

Here’s a test for you. How many words are in this article to this point? (310) How long did it take to read it? (Average adult-one minute.)

EXAMPLE from a short novel for the Wayback, Texas Rodeo Series-Title: Showdown in Southfork.

Excerpt: Cody and Marla

Smiling lazily, he looked her up and down, at her short white shorts, pink stretch T, and red flip-flops. With that salacious grin, he continued back to her hair, hanging to her shoulders in a tangled mass of curls, but right now, there was no time to brush it properly. Some day she would just get it all whacked off and stop worrying about it.

“Stop staring,” she demanded.

“Well, I can hardly keep from it since you’re standing right in front of me.”

“Oh,” she muttered, straightened, and moved to the side.

Cody kept staring at her even though she’d moved out of his direct line of vision.

He drawled, “You know, if there’s anything I like in this world, it’s a woman with red hair.”

“It is not red. And if there’s anything I hate in this world, it’s a man saying my hair’s red. For your information, it’s strawberry blond.”

“Strawberry blond. Whadda you know? Now, I like that even better.”

Narrowing her eyes at him, she said, “Well, I’m just as pleased as punch.”

***

This short excerpt has three parts: Beginning: Cody stares at Marla while she watches him. Middle: they have a short argument. Ending: She has the last word. It contains 260 words. Reading time: 20 seconds.

Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas

http://www.celiayeary.blogspot.com/

http://www.celiayeary.com/

New Releases

Texas Promise-eBook-Desert Breeze Publishing

Making the Turn-print & eBook-Wings ePress

READERS' ANSWERS to the Question: What Makes a Good Blog?

Last week I asked the question: What makes a good blog? Twenty authors commented, and others commented on Yahoo loops. Several authors said the same thing, which meant the ideas were important.

The visiting authors:

Terry Spear; Adelle Lauden; Linda Swift; Skhye Purington; Steph Burkhart; Morgan Mandel; Cynthia; Miss Mae; Maggie Toussaint; Cheryl Pierson; Keena Kincaid; Paula Martin; Mona Risk; Pauline Holyoak; Diane Craver; Danielle Thorne; Jennifer Hudson Taylor; LK Hunsaker; Connie Chastain; and Savanna Kougar.

The most often mentioned answer was "a catchy title," one that would get the reader's attention and pique their interest. Another most often named was tags--something I often forget. Photos seemed to be very popular, as well as something different from writing topics.

One reader said, "A reason a visitor doesn't comment might be the difficulty of signing in, especially copying those little curly letters." I agree with this one hundred percent. About one out of four times I try to sign in an author's blog, the process becomes tedious. Much of the time I will not leave a comment.

Other suggestions: keep the blog current, don't stray into controversial subjects, promote your blog, and reflect what you write.

Keena Kincaid suggested a unique view: "Show energy and passion in your blog. People who like to blog often get more visitors, too."

Thank you for the ideas, and while I know they're important doesn't mean I remember to use them enough. I'll make notes of these, and hope to write an article soon.

Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas
http://www.celiayeary.blogspot.com/
http://www.celiayeary.com/
New Releases
Texas Promise-eBook-Desert Breeze Publishing
Making the Turn-print & eBook-Wings ePress