First and foremost, writers must tap into their imaginations to inspire and influence their work, but they must also go beyond that to produce quality stories that speak to readers. Thorough research must be done to create authenticity when writing specific fiction genres, such as westerns. Award-winning western author Larry D. Sweazy utilized historic journals and newspapers when researching for his critically acclaimed Texas Ranger novels. These documents provided insights into how people of that time period thought, spoke, and viewed the world. By allowing what he was reading to live in his mind, he was able to understand mannerisms of the time and what influenced people, which greatly enhanced his storytelling. Sweazy was also inspired by the western TV shows and movies that he watched as a child and revisited these as additional research.