Brad Smith on blue-collar characters, the art of storytelling, and importance of reading
- Sheelagh Caygill
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Brad Smith on blue-collar characters
Brad Smith is an internationally acclaimed novelist and screenwriter from Canada. His upcoming novel Billy Crawford's Double Play will be published this autumn by Wolsak and Wynn. His novel, The Return of Kid Cooper, won the 2019 Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. Red Means Run, the first novel in his Virgil Cain series, was named among the Year’s Best Crime Novels by Booklist in 2012. And he was shortlisted twice (with One-Eyed Jacks in 2000 and Copperhead Road in 2022) for the renowned Dashiell Hammett Award, which “is granted to the writer whose novel embodies literary excellence in crime writing“ (cbc.ca). Exploring Brad Smith on blue-collar characters, and his advice to writers.
OCW: What life experiences have shaped your writing style?Â
BS: I write primarily about blue-collar types, and I like to think that my work experiences over the past few decades inform the reader on this. I’ve been a farm worker, railway signalman, bartender, roofer, truck driver, supply teacher, insulator, maintenance man and any number of others. A person can write about farming all day long, but until he’s spent a few hours in a hay mow in 35 degree heat, he hasn’t lived the life.
In addition, work experiences such as these introduce a writer to a diverse and limitless array of characters. You never know when one of them might pop up in a book!
A deep dive into underdogs and common themes
OCW: Can you trace any common themes across your writing?
BS: I seem to be drawn to underdogs, whether they come from the world of sports or business or politics. Billy Crawford's Double Play is the most recent example. There’s something gratifying about turning the world on its ear and having such a person persevere. Not that they always do in my books.
OCW: Do you use social media to engage readers, writers, or publishers and, if so, which platforms?
BS: I have a website, a Facebook author page and an Instagram account. I was on Twitter but got off for reasons we don’t need to get into here!
Crafting a story: Plotting, pantsing, and unexpected characters
OCW: Are you a plotter or a pantser?
BS: I’m a plotter, but only to an extent. I always know the beginning, middle and end of a book when I sit down to begin, but I definitely do not know all the details in-between. I know some writers who create elaborate outlines at the start, sometimes lining their walls with notes on Bristol board. That’s fine – whatever works – but I have always thought that that approach might take away from the spontaneity of the writing. There is always one character in my books who surprises me. That might not happen if I over-plan.Â
BS: What advice/guidance would you give to writers?
BS: READ . . . a lot. I am amazed when I’m sometimes approached by young writers, asking how to get published, and when I ask who they read, they can’t come up with a single name. It’s as if they want to be professional baseball players, yet they’ve never even seen a game. A writer – particularly a fledgling writer – needs to read a lot. Good books, bad books, middling books. Those books will tell you what to do…and at times what not to.