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(This work is in the public domain because it was published in the United States
between 1923 and 1977 and without a copyright notice.)
Have Gun -- Will Travel was one of the few television shows to spawn a successful radio version.
Did you know that?
I remember watching the re-runs on TV in the late nights when just a boy.
Each episode opened with the same visual:
Paladin drawing his gun
while delivering a line of dialogue from the coming episode,
after which the pistol is uncocked and holstered briskly.
Some have seen a bit of Paladin in my Samuel McCord,
though both are quite different, they both wear black and are educated.
Those of you who have read my books know that I like to start each chapter
with a tantalizing title and a quote to tease what is to come.
Take two chapters from my latest WIP:
THE NOT-SO-INNOCENTS AT LARGE
CHAPTER
TEN
TREACHERY
IS LIKE DIAMONDS
“Men, like musical instruments, seem made to be played upon.”
– Qing Long, the Azure Dragon
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
A GRAVE OF DEAD GODS
“Where is the graveyard
of dead gods? What of Huitzilopochtli?
In one year - and it is no more than
five hundred years ago - 50,000 youths and maidens were slain in sacrifice to
him.
Today, he is not revered at all.
Such a waste of life, but that is the way of humans to waste the
precious to serve the useless.”
- Lady Meilori Shinseen
What do you think?
Do beginning chapter quotes add to the book? You know what I think by my use of them.
Starting a chapter with a quote is known as an Epigraph.
See? Don't you feel more informed now?
My grandfather used to talk about this show :)
ReplyDeleteThe great thing about cable is that old TV shows do not die, they only find new audiences. :-)
DeleteNever thought about adding a quote at the beginning, but it does add to it.
ReplyDeleteI think of it as prose trailers for the chapter to come. :-)
DeleteMore informed, am I :) Interesting post, Roland. I don't think I know enough quotes to be able to use them at the beginning of each chapter and I'm probably not interested enough to go on the hunt for them. I hold my head in shame :)
ReplyDeleteMy quotes are often bits of dialogue I write myself so those "Quotes" are easy to find!
DeleteYeah, that was a great series. The rights were held up in court for a while, but it eventually made its way to VHS and now it's available on DVD.
ReplyDeleteSad when legal wrangling derails the public from being able to see a beloved series, isn't it?
DeleteYes, I like epigraphs and have used them in my scifi. A lead in for a blogpost is similar in that it gives a idea of what's to come. . .I do feel more informed. AND I liked Paladin, he was a smart gunslinger for hire, and he was a man of action!
ReplyDeletePaladin helped me realize that Western Heroes could be literate and deadly all at the same time. :-)
Delete...^^^ Yes indeed, I do believe Epigraphs are often insightful, and lovely to see, at the beginning of a Chapter; Your's especially Roland.
ReplyDeletePS: have you seen the "Preacher" Series? I'm hooked, as the story is tantalizing, never a dull moment. Gotham is pretty good as well.
Yes, I have been watching the PREACHER tv series. The first few and these last few are the best episodes. Have you seen STRANGER THINGS? It is even better than PREACHER. :-)
DeleteNo, I haven't seen stranger things, yet. This is the first I've heard of it in fact. Not much slips by Kenneth, when it comes to great shows, movies, et al. But obviously this one did. I will be looking for that show, thanks Roland, (tip of the hat)...
DeleteI like epigraphs (I've just learned a new word so I have to use it!) although I haven't thought about using them for any of my books. I might have to think about using quotes in the future.
ReplyDeleteI definitely remember watching Have Gun Will Travel when it was on TV. I suppose that dates me? I think Richard Boone stay on St. John back in the day. I was just a little girl.
Paladin is the midwife, of sorts, to my Samuel McCord. I enjoyed his stories when watching the re-runs as a child. If we date ourselves, at least we are alive to do so, right? :-)
Delete