From 37 Devastating Rejections to Best-Selling Author On Book 8 - Dwayne Claydon

Summary: <p>Why Write </p> <p>The reason I write goes way back to my childhood. My earliest memories are of my mother reading to me. When I could read on my own, I devoured the Hardy Boys series. When I was about ten, when my reading material was getting low, I’d take the bus from our house to Kensington used bookstore. I graduated from the Hardy Boys to Ellery Queen, Earl Stanley Gardner, and Agatha Christie. In high school, I loved writing reports in social studies class and in English class I wrote satire. Saturday Night Live stuff, except this was before SNL! </p> <p>Then career got in the way, but I co-authored four paramedic textbooks. In 2010, I was going through a major life change. One morning in October, I was showering and had an epiphany. I needed to write fiction. I Googled writing classes and one started the next week. The first piece I wrote and submitted to the instructor and classmates, everyone liked. For the next four years, I took writing classes pretty much non-stop. </p> <p>There was one point where I received feedback that devastated me. After giving a great pitch, I was asked to submit the CRISIS POINT manuscript. I excitedly opened the email with the review. The primary comment was, “It’s like a police show is on the TV in the other room, and I don’t care.” I set the manuscript aside for about three months. Thankfully, I signed up for another writing class and set to improving the novel. </p> <p>In 2015, I submitted CRISIS POINT to the Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis awards for the best-unpublished novel. Then my name was called as a finalist. There is no other word. I was Gobsmacked! Instead of wine, I celebrated with Whisky! I attended the Crime Writers of Canada Awards in Toronto at the end of May. It was like the Academy Awards of Writing. I didn’t win the award, and I was disappointed. But heck, making the finals was great. As she was leaving, the agent gave me her card and asked for my manuscript. </p> <p>I received thirty-seven responses—rejections. That was a gut punch. </p> <p>By now I had spent almost seven years on Crisis Point. I also admit that my biological writing clock was ticking. </p> <p>In April 2018, CRISIS POINT was launched and was a best seller in Calgary. There is immense satisfaction in holding your novel in print for the first time.  </p> <p>OUTLAWMC launched in March 2019. Wolfman is Back launched in November 2019. SPEARGRASS—OPIOID launched in September 2020. Novels five and six are written. </p> <p>13 DAYS OF TERROR will launch in November 2020 and Goddess of Justice in March 2021. </p> <p>Today, October 13, 2020, I am halfway through writing my seventh novel and 10,000 words into my eighth. </p> <p>I admit to being obsessed. I write every day. When I started writing in 2010, it was a struggle to write 500 words in a day. Now, 2500-3000 in a day is not unusual, and I have had days of over 6,000 words. I have a schedule with my editor until the end of 2023. The deadlines are important to keep me on track.   </p> <p>FIND DWAYNE: <br> dwayneclayden@mail.com <br> www. DwayneClayden.com <br> Facebook: DwayneClaydenAuthor <br> Instagram: DwayneClaydenAuthor <br> Twitter: DwayneClayden <br> “https://www.amazon.com/Dwayne-E.-Clayden/e/B0034PT4RI”<br> “https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17824826.Dwayne_Clayden<br> ”LinkedIn Author Page “https://www.linkedin.com/company/dwayne-clayden-author”</p> --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/the-naked-podcaster/message