May 27, 2024
There are several disputed photos of Josephine "Sadie" Marcus in her youth, but none of them seem to capture her alleged frontier beauty. That's why Bat Masterson's comment that Sadie was a dead ringer for a popular actress of the day is so helpful and instructive.
A Dead Ringer for Sadie Marcus Earp?
And, by the way, while Doc and Kate were spending the night in Gillette, Arizona on the road to Tombstone, Sadie and John Behan were shacked up at nearby Tip Top.
How 'bout them apples?
Once and for all, what does it take to make a clean and mean short story? It has taken me almost half a century to find the answers to that question.
"A Century Plant at The Half Century Mark"
Free Fall
Here's the deal: start as close to the end as possible, keep a blistering pace, suggest a backstory but don't elaborate, appeal to the five senses and edit until it hurts!
I once stumbled upon a disturbing truth in Old West history and I got this reaction from someone I looked up to.
"You cannot use this! You will lose everything you have fought for your entire life."
"Why? It's the truth."
"Come on, man. People don't want the truth. They want a plausible story, told well. I'm telling you this as your friend. You are going to lose your ass on this, not to mention your credibility."
"Okay, you win."
"You're not serious? You're going to give up that easily?"
"No. I'm going to buy a magazine and print something like this in every issue."
"Villains are the heroes of their own stories."
—Sarah Gribble
50% of the people, 50% of the time, want the truth.
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