KEEPING THEM GUESSING.
Brenda Chapman, a Westboro mystery author, believes writing what you’re passionate about is key to successful writing.
Photo by Kristy Wallace
When Brenda Chapman’s daughters were in elementary school, she decided to write a mystery novel that they could read when they got home. Then one day her youngest daughter, Julia, paid her a compliment that motivated the budding Westboro author to write more.
“She said I wrote like a real author,” Chapman said with a laugh.
From there, Chapman got her book published while also holding down a government job. Writing, she said, is something she’s always enjoyed ever since elementary school.
“It was my favourite subject in school, but I didn’t believe that I had what it took to be an author,” Chapman said. “And I had never met an author. They seemed like something magical to me.”
Crime and mystery novels were always Chapman’s favourite genre to read, so writing these kinds of books was always an enjoyable experience for her.
Chapman also said she developed her own method of writing mystery and crime novels, which includes keeping the plot moving and not having an outline.
“I have an idea and I know where I’m heading,” she said. “I plot in my head as I go along. I thought I should be outlining, but a lot of authors like to let the characters take over, and the plot unfolds.”
The key to writing a successful and interesting mystery novel, according to Chapman, is making the story and characters believable.
The author has written novels for both children and teens that she’s quite proud of and said she tries to address in her books some of the problems facing young people.
She said she found her ideas through her work as a special education teacher, and saw how issues like divorce affected children and would include it in her novels.
“You can also pull from your own childhood,” Chapman said.
As much as she enjoyed writing children’s novels, Chapman said she prefers writing stories that are aimed at more of an adult audience.
“There’s a freedom you have when you write for adults,” she said. “When I write for kids, I’m very cognizant of the language I’m using. But when you write for adults, you can go all out.”
Chapman also published a book that was directed for adults who have literacy problems – an issue that is very much a part of Canadian society.
“You’d be amazed at how many people have low literacy skills,” she said. “There are new immigrants that can’t read in English, but kids also get very good at hiding (their literacy skills).”
Chapman said if someone is interested in writing mystery novels, it’s much easier if they have an interest in the genre.
“I don’t know if I can write science fiction,” she said. “But anything you’re interested in, you can teach yourself to do.”
Chapman added that her advice for budding mystery authors is to have fun with it.
“Just dive right in,” she said. “Even just finishing a novel is amazing, and to get it published is even more amazing. It takes perseverance and hard work, but it’s also very enjoyable and gives you a lot of satisfaction.”