A Visit with Author Vannetta Chapman

Today we're happy to visit with Vannetta Chapman, author of Amish romance and mystery novels. Even though it's Halloween, you'll find nothing scary here. Read on without fear!

So tell us a little about yourself. Have you always wanted to be an author? If not, what made you decide to write, and how long have you been at it? 

I have always been a reader. I was sick a lot as a  child, with asthma and allergies. So I had a lot of bed time and a lot of reading time! I remember in 4^th grade, begging my mom to go to the library with me so I could get an ADULT library card. We had two rooms in our small library, and I’d already read everything in the children’s section. I was thrilled when mom agreed. I’m sure my love of writing was born in my love of reading.

Are you a plotter, a pantser, or a combination? 

I sit down at the computer and make it up. I don’t have an outline, and I don’t have any idea where the story is headed. I do have my characters firmly in my mind. When I reach about a quarter of the way through the story, I stop what I’m doing and write the ending. This may be another quarter of the story. Then I go back and fill in the gap. This might not work for anyone else, but it’s definitely worked for me.

Do you write full time, or do you work it in alongside a full-time job? 

For 15 years I taught full time and wrote on the side. Then starting in the fall of 2011 I turned to writing full time. I could have kept doing both, but I was missing out on a lot of family time. I found myself working most weekends and many nights. So I made the decision to tighten the old family belt, and only work ONE job. It’s turned out fine, and I thank God daily that I have work to do.

What do your kids think about your being a writer? 

I went through a lot of rejections before I was published—picture several nails on the wall filled with rejection letters. I remember asking my son to go and get the mail. He was 10 at the time, and we had to walk down our front walk to the mailbox. He said, “Do you mean you want me to pick up your rejection letters?” He laughed and dodged out of my reach. I know he’s very proud of me now, and we can look back on that day and laugh. I hope I taught him to be stubborn and never give up.

How do you get your best ideas? 

From real life. The folks I know, the places we go, the news I read. All of my stories are based in something I’ve experienced or something someone around me has experienced. The current book I’m working on is my Murder, Freshly Baked. It’s an Amish mystery, but I have an Englisch guy in town who is a veteran and is suffering from PTSD. I live near the Ft. Hood Military base, and I see military personnel a lot. They have my abiding respect and gratitude.

What do you do to get past writer’s block? 

I don’t like that word at all. I don’t even SAY that word. Ack! I have a certain number of words to write every day (except Sunday when I rest). I write them no matter what. Even if they’re bad, stupid, impossible scenarios—I write them. What happens to me more often is I start feeling tired and grumpy. When that happens, I know it’s time to take an afternoon off and go for a walk or to the movies. But I do my word count before I go.

Do you like to listen to music when you write? 

Some scenes I want quiet while I’m writing. Other scenes, I need the energy of music. I have a lot of iTunes “lists” – and I’ll click the one that best reflects what I’m writing at the moment. Those lists include everything from gospel to classic rock to c&w to instrumental.

Writing is a sedentary occupation. What do you do for exercise? 

I try to go to the gym for 45 minutes a day, and also take another walk in the evening. I think it’s important to keep moving and take care of ourselves, and it does help keep the ideas coming.

What fun fact would you like your readers to know about you? I’m a little phobic about tall bridges … you know the flyover types? I’ll go FAR out of my way to avoid one. 

Vannetta Chapman is the author of several novels, including A Promise for Miriam and Falling to Pieces. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace in Albion, Pennsylvania. Vannetta won the 2012 Carol award for best mystery. She is also a multi-award-winning member of Romance Writers of America. She write Amish romance for Harvest House, Amish mysteries for Zondervan and Amish novellas for Abingdon. Vannetta was a teacher for 15 years and currently resides in the Texas Hill country. For more information, visit her at www.VannettaChapman.com.

You can also link up with Vannetta on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Youtube.

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow, when you can enter to win a free copy of Vannetta's latest release, The Christmas Quilt!

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What is Character-Driven Fiction? by Vannetta Chapman

What IS character-driven fiction? If you've been writing more than a week, you've heard that term. Whounderstand what that means? How does an author achieve it, and most importantly why should you--as an author--care?

What: Character-driven fiction is a fictional piece whose plot is propelled forward by the personality of the main characters (my definition).

Who:  English professors, seasoned writers and readers understand what it means, though you aren't likely to see someone browsing the B&N shelves looking for the "character-driven" section. Let's focus on the last one. Readers know a character-driven book because they relate to the character. You'll hear them say things such as "Vannetta did an awesome job pulling me into the lives of Miriam, Gabe, and Grace." (Amazon review, A Promise for Miriam). Notice there is no mention of the plot in that review. It's all about the people. 

You know what I'm talking about it if you think like a reader. These are the types of books where the "people" stay in your head long after you've read the last page.

How: So how do you do it? How do YOU write character-driven fiction? You allow your character to determine what happens next. (I hear you people who outline grinding your teeth.) Your character's personality is everything to your story, and so he/she has to be someone that we can relate to, someone we are rooting for, and someone that we want to follow through whatever plot twists you've concocted. It's all about the people. Is this someone you could be best friends with? Is this someone you would know if you met them? Is this someone you will miss when you've finished writing? "It makes me want to get in my car, drive to Shipshewana and befriend these women" (Amazon review, A Perfect Square). She wants to meet my characters. I heard this repeatedly from readers--how they yearned for the type of friendship my characters had for one another. 

You can create the same attachment between your readers and your characters--regardless of your plot or your genre. The key is in your character, including enough details and back story (not too much--ever have someone tell you their WHOLE life story) to render them real.

Why: We all have our own style, our own tales to tell, and our own writing methods. So why should you be concerned about whether you have a character-driven story? Because you want people to read your story. You want them to read it and the next one and the one after that. You want them to stay up all night seeing what will happen next. They don't do this because of the plot--they do it because they care about the character. "This book had my heart pounding one minute and the next minute I was smiling and giving a little fist pump! The love between family, friends, and how far one is willing go to protect them is captured beautifully." (Destination Amish review, Material Witness). Her heart is not pounding because of my antagonist or my plot, but because someone she cares about is in peril.

You can achieve the same connection between your characters and your readers, but you have to be willing to put a lot on the line--expose more of your character's weaknesses, allow your outline to detour if your character calls for it, and always be sure this character is someone that we would want to tell our friends about.

Vannetta Chapman writes character-driven fiction for Zondervan Press, Harvest House and Abingdon. Her mystery, Falling to Pieces, was recently nominated for a 2012 Carol Award. Chapman lives in the Texas hill country with her husband.

For more information, visit her at 

webpage -- www.VannettaChapman.com 

blog -- http://vannettachapman.wordpress.com

facebook -- www.facebook.com/VannettaChapmanBooks, and 

pinterest -- http://pinterest.com/vannettachapman

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