There is a writing rule: say no to your protagonist. If they want something, don’t let them have it. If they have something, take it away. At every point possible, make the protagonist’s life harder.
In April 2019, I was sitting by the pool in Las Vegas running the story through my head and looking at the final chapters of Wolfman is Back. I knew the ending needed to be rewritten but couldn’t figure out what that was.
By the last day by the pool, I knew that either Lobo or Maggie had to die. A few readers had threatened me that neither of them could be killed, or my life was in jeopardy.
Lobo was my first dog. Shortly after I finished police training, I was working by myself on a very slow day. I drove to the animal shelter to see what dogs they had. There was this beautiful one-year-old German Shephard. Adopting a pet was easier then and just before the end of my shift I picked up Lobo. Many of the Lobo stories, especially in Crisis Point, are real. He did fetch rocks from the Bow River, and I did mark the rocks to confirm he was getting the same rock each time. After a night shift, I quickly fell asleep. Lobo had been alone all night and wasn’t happy that I went straight to bed with no playtime. When I woke up, there was the rubber sole of my boot. He’d eaten the leather and the laces. I couldn’t kill Lobo.
Maggie and Brad had become part of my life. Good friends that I wanted the best for and the thought of killing Maggie was devastating.
We boarded the plane for home. As I buckled my seatbelt an idea came. I grabbed a pen and a note pad and started writing. I wrote during take-off, through the three-hour flight, lifted my pen as we touched down in Calgary, and wrote until we stopped at the gate. The final chapters of Wolfman is Back were done. For the last hour of that flight, I cried. The tears flowed in a steady stream as I wrote. The next day, when I typed in the final chapters, the tears flowed again. I have never experienced emotions like that in my writing. The final chapters are almost exactly as I wrote them on the plane. Taija cleaned it up as she always does, but most of that was punctuation and rearranging a few sentences. But the chapters were solid without plot holes.
In Crisis Point, readers said the death of Curtis and the funeral were emotional. I’m sure your emotions got the better of you in the last chapters of Wolfman is Back.
In the next novel, Brad will deal with the devastating events in Wolfman is Back. His world collapsed at the end of Wolfman is Back and the road to recovery will be challenging. Emotionally, he’s not ready to be back at work. But he won’t have time to wallow in pity as a new threat terrorizes the citizens of Calgary and he is thrown in the middle, as always.
I am very fortunate to have an awesome team supporting me and I want to recognize them for their time and encouragement.
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Credits:
Valerie West
Valerie has supported my writing right from the beginning. She understands that when I’m on a writing roll, I might not make it to dinner. I might not make it out of my office for hours and sometimes I will write late into the night. She’s always my first Beta Reader and provides just the right amount of critique and encouragement. I’d be so lost without her.
Jonas Saul
A year and a half ago (May 2018) I was speaking at the Creative Ink Festival in Burnaby, B.C. Also speaking at that conference was the New York Times bestselling author of the Sarah Roberts series, Jonas Saul. I attended a panel he was on and some of his comments hit me dead on. After the panel ended, I waited to talk with him. We had a brief discussion, then he was off to another session. He said we’d talk later. From previous experience at conferences, when a big-name speaker says, “We’ll talk later,” later never comes.
But a couple of hours later there was a tap on my shoulder—it was Jonas. He asked if I had time to talk. What? Did I have time? He didn’t want to interrupt what I was doing. I said that was a great time to talk. From that began a friendship and mentorship. Jonas provided direction for my writing, encouragement to keep at it, and pushed (gently) for me to have goals and deadlines. It worked. Wolfman is Back is my second novel released this year. Perhaps there will be three novel releases next year! Thank you, Jonas for mentorship and friendship.
Taija Morgan
One of my biggest challenges wasn’t writing, but finding the right editor. In the first seven years I worked my way through several editors. They provided great edits and suggestions, but something wasn’t quite clicking. Last year I met Taija. OutlawMC was in the final editing stage and I had a few chapters I was struggling with, and I needed to write a new first chapter. I asked Taija to look at those chapters and especially the first chapter. When I got the edits back, I knew I had my editor for life! She not only edits but teaches through her comments. The best part is her comments throughout the manuscript. “I love this scene.” “I didn’t see that coming!” “You had me laughing out loud.” Comments like those mean so much to an insecure writer. Thank you, Taija, for your awesome edits, but also for teaching me to be a better writer.
Travis Miles, ProbookCovers
Travis created all the book covers for the Brad Coulter series. His designs are outstanding. Readers frequently comment about the high quality and creativity in his designs. They certainly stand out amidst other novels.
Bill Sturgeon
My good friend Bill Sturgeon was a classmate of mine at the police academy. For reasons neither of us understand, we became friends. After Crisis Point, Bill complained that the novel had needed a brilliant Ident Sergeant. (Bill finished his Calgary Police Services career after more than twelve years in Ident.) So, in OutlawMC Bill made his first appearance. He assists Brad in Wolfman is Back. Bill is now campaigning for his own series with an Ident Sergeant as the main character. Anything is possible.
Dave Fowles
Dave was another of my police academy classmates. He went well beyond policing, got a law degree and became a Crown Prosecutor in Calgary. Dave reviewed the courtroom scenes and provided great suggestions.
Sheila Clayden - Mom
My mom is my biggest fan (sorry, Susan Sturgeon). My fondest memories were of her reading to me, then teaching me to read. I’ve had a book or seven in line for reading since I discovered the Hardy Boys. I don’t know if it was natural progression, but she had prepared me for writing by sharing her love of reading. She has a copy of the first draft of Crisis Point. She hopes someday it will be worth a lot of money.
Beta Readers
I have a great group of Beta readers that give me early feedback on the plot and characters. Each provide their unique perspective, which collectively gives me the direction I need.
Bill and Susan Sturgeon—Bill, a retired Calgary Police Sergeant, and Susan, retired RCMP, provide feedback on policing. Susan, as well, provides advice on Brad’s love life and with each novel threatens me if I do something she doesn’t like. Of course, I make sure to add those to the novel. Susan is my second biggest fan and shouts out to everyone she knows (and some she doesn’t) that they should buy my novels.
Craig Ilott, as always, pointed out plot errors and out-of-character character responses to situations. I’d be lying if I said his comments didn’t make me cry. He’d tell me suck it up and make the changes.
Colleen Peters provides feedback from the reader’s point of view. An avid reader of crime fiction, she understands the genre, knows what she likes, and reads some of the best authors, Lee Child and Michael Connelly. Best of all, she said I fit in with them.
A Final Note to My Readers
I am overwhelmed and touched that you like my novels and how enthusiastic you are in your emails. I even like the pressure you put on me to get the next novel out. At times, I’m obsessed with writing.
On days when the words aren’t cooperating, an email from you reminds me why I’m doing this, and I forge on.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are awesome!
About the Author
Dwayne Clayden uses his knowledge and experience as a police officer and paramedic to write cri
me thrillers. His first novel, Crisis Point, was a finalist for the 2015 Crime Writers of Canada Unhanged Arthur Ellis award. His short story, Hell Hath No Fury, was published in AB Negative, an anthology of short stories from Alberta Crime Writers.
His vast experience working with emergency services spans over 40 years and includes work as a police officer, paramedic, tactical paramedic, firefighter, emergency medical services (EMS) chief, educator, and academic chair.
Dwayne is a popular speaker at writing conferences and for writing groups, providing police and medical procedures advice and editing to authors and screenwriters. The co-author of four paramedic textbooks, he has spoken internationally at EMS conferences for the past three decades. He is on the Board of Directors for the Crime Writers of Canada and the Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society.
Wolfman is Back, the third book in the Brad Coulter Series.
DwayneClayden.com
[email protected]
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