I’ve started a diary to track my progress and process making the 12 Westerns in 12 Months project. Every now and then I will be publishing these daily notes that were taken on my phone. They have not been edited at all.

If you are interested in helping us make our 12 Westerns, please donate at this link: https://www.gofundme.com/12westerns

NOVEMBER 21, 2018

I’m halfway through The Hangman directed by Michael Curtiz. I’m surprised and pleased at how cynical it is.

This morning I contacted Kseniya with an idea about doing a sketch poster for every Western. I showed her some samples of Remington’s sketches. She liked them and agreed to do it. Now I need to figure out which of the scripts to start with and what scene or character I want depicted. If all goes well, I hope we can auction off these sketches to help make the films.

Nick and I scheduled a meeting today to talk about Heart of the Gun on December 2nd. I hope he has some ideas about the movie to help me rewrite and that it gets the ball rolling on us working together again.

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

I didn’t do much today on the Westerns but read. I liked this passage from Dorothy Johnson’s short story The Last Boast: “The word love was in the language he used with women, but it’s meaning was not in his understanding when he met Annie. Even when he left her, he was not sure he knew the meaning, and after that he never had much chance to find out.”

I finished The Hangman which ended on too much a sentimental note. I liked that Taylor ended up with the woman but it was handled the wrong way.

While sitting out tonight on the front porch with Bandit watching the cars go by, I started watching Warpath, which I chose because it was directed by Byron Haskin. I don’t watch movies from beginning to end anymore unless I’m in a theater or with someone. If I’m alone, it’s just a couple minutes here and there.

NOVEMBER 23, 2018

“Being an outlaw is awful tiring on your facial muscles.” From I Woke Up Wicked, Dorothy Johnson

NOVEMBER 24, 2018

Yesterday I wrote an option agreement for Don Simonton, author of the Texas Red book. So far he’s very cool and no drama. I hope we make good collaborators.

I’m watching a movie called Warpath. I need to sit down and start going through these existing scripts, doing breakdowns to start making them more real.

NOVEMBER 25, 2018

This morning I’m trying something new, listening to my Western playlist on Spotify while I read.

“There never was a woman like Mary. Or if there was, he hoped she had a man who deserved her.”
From The Man Who Knew the Buckskin Kid

Warpath made me want to make a Calvary Western from the Native’s perspective. With no white character lens. I’ve thought about this before. Or a split perspective. The Calvary and the Comanche.

NOVEMBER 26, 2018

Terms of use: dry-gulched, road agents

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

The story A Journal of Adventure brought tears to my eyes. I wish I could option it for the Westerns.

I’m re-reading and rewriting Heart of the Gun in anticipation for my meeting Sunday with Nick.

What I liked most about Barbarosa were the wife and long shots that stuck around and didn’t cut to closeups. The film feels like it’s missing scenes with these big time jumps it makes that have no transition between. I think the film could be longer. It has a real novelistic quality.

-Travis Mills