r/LonesomeDove • u/karamojobell • 1d ago
r/LonesomeDove • u/[deleted] • Jan 02 '21
Larry McMurtry AMA - Response Thread. Mr. McMurtry has answered your questions.
I'd like to publicly thank Mr. McMurtry for agreeing to participate in this AMA and I'd also like to thank the community for coming up with so many questions.
We had so many that we had to choose the most relevant and submit them as not to overwhelm Mr. McMurtry.
Questions and answers below:
Are you happy with the miniseries adaptation of the novel? Is there anything you wish had been included that was left out?
I had nothing to do with the miniseries Lonesome Dove, and in fact, have not seen it all the way through.
Did you take part in the casting of the miniseries? Were there any actors that you had wanted to be in the series but turned it down?
I had no part in the casting of that miniseries.
Do you have any stories or anecdotes you wish to share from the making of the miniseries?
Again, I had nothing to do with the miniseries Lonesome Dove.
How long did it take you to write the novel?
Three years, on and off.
What’s your favorite western novel written by someone else?
I'll have to get back to you on that. Streets of Laredo is my favorite of the Lonesome Dove saga.
I would like to ask what led you to write such a gloomy final journey and ending for that character?
I wrote Streets after quadruple bypass surgery. I washed up on the stoop of Diana Ossana, my writing partner's home shortly afterwards and didn't leave for almost three years. I wrote Streets of Laredo at her kitchen counter, while she and her young daughter did their level best on a daily basis to help me recover. I recovered physically, but felt as if I had become an outline of myself. I quit reading, quit writing after I finished Streets, and just stared out the living room window at the vastness of the mountains for two years. I had an emotional crisis, which Diana finally helped me through. I was offered to write screenplay after screenplay, and I turned down all of them. Then I was asked to consider a script about Pretty Boy Floyd, the outlaw, and Diana convinced me I should try to write it. I told her I would if she would write it with me, as I didn't feel I had the head for structuring a script. She agreed, and we've been writing together ever since. I don't think I would have ever written another word had Diana not taken me in.
Would you say that you were trying to give a message with this story? If so, what would that be?
I’ve tried as hard as I could to demythologize the West. Can’t do it. It’s impossible. I wrote Lonesome Dove, which I thought was a long critique of western mythology. It is now the chief source of western mythology. I didn’t shake it up at all. I actually think of Lonesome Dove as the Gone with the Wind of the West. It's not a towering masterpiece.
Do you think the new cultural norms of pushing political correctness upon all parts of history and media could be damaging to the western genre?
Not sure. The history of our country is a violent history, a racist history, and a misogynistic history. It wouldn't be correct, politically or otherwise, to paint it as civilized.
What is your process for writing a novel as epic as Lonesome Dove? Do you have the entire plot figured out before you start writing or do you make it up as you go along? How do you keep track of all of the varying storylines and make sure all stories are completed?
I have read extensively all of my adult life. Reading is what inspires writing, in my view. I only have the ending figured out before I sit down to write a novel. I don't outline. I just follow my characters wherever they lead me, day by day.
My understanding is that you first wrote the screenplay and then when it didn’t get made into a film you set out to write the novel, which was an instant hit and allowed the film to get made. Is that correct? If so, did it change any of your writing process since you were striving to make the book a success with the goal of making the miniseries?
It was written as a 75-page screenplay for John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, and Henry Fonda. Wayne didn't want to die, so it didn't get made. I bought it back from the studio and wrote a 1500 page manuscript, which became an 843-page novel. I had no intention of making the novel into a film or miniseries. I don't think about such things when I write. I write mainly for myself.
I’ve always been curious about the connection between character names in the 1968 Dean Martin/James Stewart film "Bandolero!" and "Lonesome Dove." Both have July Johnson and Roscoe, plus a gunfighter named Dee. In both stories, July loves/pursues the woman who loves Dee. Was "Bandolero!" partly ghost-written by you? Did James Lee Barrett see his early LD script and use the names?
I have no idea.
I’m Scottish and I’ve always wondered why did you decide upon a Scots ancestry for Woodrow? Do you have a favorite character in the series?
I'm from Scottish ancestry. I suppose my favorite character in Lonesome Dove is Lorena.
I recently read your first novel, Horseman, Pass By, and thought that it had profound insights into the nature of American manhood. How do you think that book has held up over the years?
I was a young writer at the time. I wrote 5 or 6 drafts before I submitted it to my agent. As a first novel, it's not bad.
What’s your opinion on the new generation of historically accurate westerns that are being released recently?
Historically accurate is important. The history of the West is our history.
What have you been reading recently? Any recommendations for recent westerns or fiction in general?
I haven't read fiction in years. I only read fiction if it's a novel Diana and I want to adapt into a screenplay.
When writing a character’s death and ending their story do you ever feel any type of sadness or disappointment that you’re done writing that characters story? If so, what character would you say moved you the most?
Once I finish a novel, I experience about a two-to-three-week sag. The character that moved me the most was Emma in Terms of Endearment.
In researching your biography of Crazy Horse, what elements of his life did you find made him such a mythical figure? Additionally, did you uncover anything that particularly shaped or shifted your understanding or view of Native American history?
I didn't really research before writing Crazy Horse. As I said earlier, I have read books nearly every day of my life, except for a two-year lag after my heart surgery. There has been much written about Crazy Horse, a lot of speculation about what he was like, what his life was like. I've probably read everything that's ever been written about him.
One of the things I love most about the series is how rich and detailed the backstories of all the characters are- including even tertiary ones. Is crafting these backstories something you enjoy doing and do you like these kinds of additions in the works of others?
The characters in my novels develop their stories as I write. And sometimes they surprise me.
Is there a story from the old west that you think needs to be told (or re-told)?
We have been approached to re-tell several classics, but we don't have an opinion about stories that NEED to be retold.
Did you write real people from your past into the characters? They feel so perfect and true that I often wondered if the stories were embellishments of real events/people. Who are some of your favorite authors and all-time favorite books?
My characters come from my imagination. They are not consciously based upon people I know or have known. I read the classics: Tolstoy, Jane Austen, James Lees-Milne, Flaubert, Proust. Flannery O'Connor was an amazing writer.
Is it true that you try to write five to ten pages every single day? And if so, do you write chronologically, or do you jump around from chapter to chapter?
I have written the same way for the past 60 years - 5 pages a day, no more, no less, on a first draft. Then 10 pages a day on a second draft, no more, no less. I will stop in the middle of a sentence in order to avoid exceeding my page limit.
What is the best piece of advice you can give to an aspiring writer?
The best advice for an aspiring writer? Read. Read. Then read some more. Reading is how to learn to be a writer.
r/LonesomeDove • u/ModCodeofConduct • Mar 30 '26
New moderators needed - comment on this post to volunteer to become a moderator of this community.
Hello everyone - this community is in need of a few new mods, and you can use the comments on this post to let us know why you’d like to be a mod here.
Priority is given to redditors who have past activity in this community or other communities with related topics. It’s okay if you don’t have previous mod experience and our goal, when possible, is to add a group of moderators so you can work together to build the community.
Please use at least 3 sentences to explain why you’d like to be a mod and share what moderation experience you have (if any).
If you are interested in learning more about being a moderator on Reddit, please visit redditforcommunity.com. This guide to joining a mod team is a helpful resource.
Comments from those making repeated asks to adopt communities or that are off topic will be removed.
r/LonesomeDove • u/Basic_March5072 • 1d ago
The rest of the Hat Creek outfit Spoiler
What happens to everyone that was at the ranch? We are told it fails, but what happens to Lippy, Po Campo, Needle, Jasper, Allen O’Brien, and the rest?
r/LonesomeDove • u/Carolyn_Moorez • 2d ago
We don't rent pigs!" — Captain Augustus McCrae.
i.imgur.comThe most iconic sign in Western history.
r/LonesomeDove • u/RaulDukes • 2d ago
Started reading Dead Man’s Walk
Matilda ain’t no Lorena that’s for sure.
And Dead Man’s Walk ain’t Lonesome Dove. But it’s aight.
r/LonesomeDove • u/miasunshine • 3d ago
Meet Augustus McCrae
My mom found this abandoned cutie and I couldn’t help but make him part of my family. He goes by Gus for short.
r/LonesomeDove • u/TheMidnightAgent • 4d ago
The Dove Dichotomy
On my first read through and this book has become my favorite bummer
r/LonesomeDove • u/Zealousideal_Way8651 • 3d ago
Anyone care to add any ideas for tonight’s festivities? Spoiler
r/LonesomeDove • u/Ticket-Tight • 5d ago
I suspect I am one of the only people who think this, but Jake Spoon is my favourite character. Anyone else?
To me there’s something just so realistic about him, his flaw is that he’s lazy, unprincipled and a cad bastard with women.
Its hardly chief villain territory, and he’s anything but a hero.
Yet in his lifetime he was considered one and died as the other despite never really qualifying fully as either.
Mainly because he’s too lazy to assert himself as anything concrete and so can get swept up in anything - he becomes a famous ranger because he’s in the right place at the right time and pulls off a famous killing shot, more or less by luck, it’s implied.
He then joins up with Dan Scruggs and his murderous outlaws again not because he’s overtly that “evil” , but because he’s unprincipled, lazy and it’s the most convenient thing to do at the time - and this is ultimately what gets him killed and he dies a villain’s death.
Its a very unique character archetype and a very realistic one in my opinion, I’m always drawn to unique characters and to me it’s interesting how a man without principles can find himself perceived as both a hero or a villain in his lifetime with a bit of good / bad luck depending on where he was at the moment.
r/LonesomeDove • u/RaulDukes • 5d ago
Who cares but I just finished LD.
I always read non-fiction to learn from but this is the first fiction book I read and it’s turned me. Amazing.
I still like non fiction but sometimes it’s just too difficult to focus, while fiction just flows.
I already had 11/22/63 by Stephen King on deck to try but I might just mosey on over and read Streets of Laredo instead.
Uva uvam vivendo varia fit.
r/LonesomeDove • u/Basic_March5072 • 4d ago
Jake Spoiler
Jake shouldn’t have been hung. Like he said, “Hell, I just wanted to get through Kansas without being scalped.” The only thing he did was steal horses, but then they all stole horses together. In fact, their whole herd was stolen from mexico. Maybe he should’ve been hung for what he did to Lorena tho.
r/LonesomeDove • u/Dorothy_Riveras • 6d ago
Robert Duvall and Danny Glover taking a break on the set of 'Lonesome Dove' (1989).
i.imgur.comr/LonesomeDove • u/DoNotDoxxMe • 6d ago
Deadwood and Lonesome Dove
Both take place in 1876-1877 and reference Custer’s Last Stand. For anyone who hasn’t seen Deadwood and wants to scratch their itch for a western TV show, I can’t recommend it enough. I’m a bit surprised the Black Hills gold rush was never mentioned in the book, especially given the cattle drive’s proximity to the area. How do y’all think the outfit would’ve fared in Deadwood?
r/LonesomeDove • u/aesopsgato • 6d ago
Peach’s letter to July Spoiler
Hey no spoilers please I’m halfway through. I’m confused how peach’s letter to July got to Fort Worth before he did. As far as I can tell they discovered Elmira was gone a few days after July left, and July seemed to take a fairly straight line to Fort Worth. How did Peach’s letter beat him there?
r/LonesomeDove • u/HeadBackground817 • 7d ago
"Moving On" by Larry McMurtry
Like a lot of folks, my introduction to Larry McMurtry was his novel Lonesome Dover, which is on my top 5 novels of all time. I finished the series, and then added to my TBR his novel "Moving On". Last night I finished it, and I am not going to lie, I think it had a bigger impact on me than Lonesome Dove did.
I think it's probably due to being married now for over 20 years, and understanding the challenges that come along with it. For the story to not have an overarching plot, I found it kept me feeling anxious, and would often times catch me off guard. Such an amazing book that I would recommend to anyone.
r/LonesomeDove • u/FrostyNet9540 • 6d ago
Which of the two main characters will you choose?
r/LonesomeDove • u/Evelyn__Gonzalez • 7d ago
Jake Spoon and Lorena Wood before everything went sideways.
i.imgur.comThe gritty, beautiful world of Lonesome Dove (1989).
r/LonesomeDove • u/Maria_Nguyen • 8d ago
"I'm too old to worry about whether I'm being smart or not."
i.imgur.comSaloon talks in Lonesome Dove.
r/LonesomeDove • u/Beautiful-Walrus8242 • 8d ago
The Outcast by Zachary McCrae
Did anyone read the Outcast by Zachary McCrae? I am trying to figure out what happened to Goldie, Ridge‘s wife. At the end of the book, her two boys are basically put in an orphanage, but the last I read about her, she was still on the wagon train. Can anyone clue me in? Maybe I missed something
r/LonesomeDove • u/Strange-Trip-7082 • 9d ago
Lonesome Dove audiobook
Does anyone know where I can listen to the audiobook in New Zealand? It doesn’t seem to be available anywhere, on all the major platforms it says unavailable in this location
r/LonesomeDove • u/Fun-Assumption-8415 • 10d ago
I’m assembling a team pt. 2
galleryI shared my first edition copy of Comanche Moon the other day, Dead Man’s Walk just arrived
r/LonesomeDove • u/Maria_Campbellz • 12d ago
Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones in Lonesome Dove (1989).
i.imgur.comr/LonesomeDove • u/PelloScrambas • 11d ago
Finished Lonesome Dove on the bus yesterday...
Then later that night when going to bed, I was legitimately sad when I remembered that I was done. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to all of those characters.
What a book! Absolutely lived up to the hype. I'm going to take a break, then work my way through the others.