We recently connected with Heather Dixon and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Ever since I was a very young child, I loved to read. I fell in love with books by Judy Blume and Ann M. Martin and Beverly Cleary. From that love of reading, came a love of writing. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t writing stories. I only stopped for a while when I went to university to pursue an English Literature degree and spent most of my time writing essays.

After I had my daughters, I fell in love with writing again. I blogged about motherhood in the early days of parenting because it was so tied to my identity. That grew into eventually deciding I would try to write a book. So I wrote and wrote and wrote, thousands and thousands of words without actually knowing what I was doing.

My first manuscript was definitely my test book. It was when I tried to figure out how to write a book without actually thinking about the craft. After I was done, I realized there was a lot I didn’t know. So I went back to my original love: books. I found every book on the craft of writing a novel and studied plot, structure, character arcs, editing, and more.

I’m not sure I could have sped up my learning process because I think it’s a matter of putting in the time and the work. I needed to read books all my life, I needed to read craft books, but mostly, I needed to write. I’ve now written five manuscripts, and I’m still learning each time I start a new one. I think writing is a slow, steady marathon, and there isn’t really a way to get there quick.

In my opinion, the skills that are most essential in becoming an author are determination, dedication and passion. You have to want it enough to keep going, keep trying, no matter how many times you get told no. You have to set aside an entire manuscript you spent a year of your life on and move on to the next. It has to be something you love that much.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Yes, I’m an author who has written five books, and has three books lined up for publication. After I spent years writing manuscripts, an editor from an independent publishing house requested to see my third manuscript. She loved it and wanted to publish it. My debut novel is called Burlington and even though it wasn’t the first one I wrote, it’s what made me an officially published author.

After Burlington is published, my next two books will be coming out in late fall of 2023 and January of 2024.

I write fiction about regular people leading regular lives who are faced with a very difficult decision or are struggling with things we all want: a sense of belonging, to feel valued, to be loved.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Most writers who want to become traditionally published authors look for a literary agent. I did the same. I spent years querying agents. However, in the end, I ultimately received over 200 rejections from agents. I wasn’t able to find the perfect fit for me or the types of books that I write.

The thing was, I didn’t want to let that stop me.

Instead, I submitted to publishers who are smaller than the “big five”, but are still traditional publishers. That’s how I ended up with a deal for three books. I was able to make the deals and become an author without an agent.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is being able to look at what I’ve achieved. It’s hard to write a full manuscript. It’s difficult to get it published. It takes a lot of dedication and a lot of hard work, and I do it all in my spare time. I work a day job and also have three kids, but I’m still so in love with writing, that I’ve managed to make time for it no matter what. When I’m tired or have had a long day, or the kids are sick, or we’re living through a global crisis, I still write because I can’t imagine not doing it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.heatherdixon.ca/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heatherdixonwriter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heatherdixonwriter/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/hdixonwriter

Image Credits
Jessica Waugh