Showing posts with label Call Down the Thunder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Call Down the Thunder. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Go by the gut

Do you think about craft while you are writing? (how to construct good characters, settings, plot) Or do you just let her rip and worry about that “later?”

by Dietrich


I don’t think about craft as I write, I just let it happen. If it feels right, it goes on the page. There’s always the next draft to catch what seems wrong or isn’t worth keeping, and I often chuck things out and add in better parts. The first draft usually runs a hundred pages or so, then by the time the second draft’s done, it’s more than doubled. And it grows with every pass. I never know until I get to the last page whether it needs more work. And I’ve learned when it’s done and not to overwork it.


Craft is the part that got me to the starting point where I felt I could let the creativity loose. I read some books on the subject, two of which I recommended a couple of posts back, and then there was some trial and error, and some instinct. Some of what I gathered seeped in by reading the works of great writers. One part that needed plenty of attention when I started was my rusty grammar. It had slipped from the time I left school to the time I actually started writing. So, I got a stack texts on the subject and studied until my eyes crossed. It was a great exercise and it came in handy. Now my subjects and verbs tend to agree; I know the difference between effect and affect, and I can spot a dangling modifier from a page away. Although the exercise did leave me wondering why the language mavens haven’t come up with a pronoun for when we don’t know if a person is male or female – we can’t just keep calling them ‘they’ or when there’s just one of them, can we?


The funny thing is I often toss the rule book of language right out the window and err on the side of what sounds right for the story; let’s call it style. Sometimes when I reread a page, there’s barely a grammar rule to be found. I let my characters speak in their own words, and I can tell you most of those marginals never studied grammar at all.


On constructing characters: Well, I come up with an idea for a scene or story and drop in the kind of character I’d like to see in the situation. Then over the course of the writing I get to know them, or rather I let them show me who they are. I don’t guide them, I let their nature do that, and that comes out as the story progresses. And by the time I’ve got a first or second draft, the characters seem pretty authentic and real.


The setting comes that way too. I think of a scene and then I come up with the best time and place for the situation, and the story builds by scene to scene.


Plot isn’t plotted, not in my house. I let my instinct take care of that too.


Do you just let her rip and worry about that “later?” Once I gained some confidence, a style or voice developed. I came to know my strengths and weaknesses, like when something isn’t working and has to to taken out, and I’ve come to know when a story is finished, and it’s time to stop polishing it. So, yes, these days I just let ‘er rip.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Showing up for downtime

Besides writing, what else do you do? What’s on your writer’s bucket list?

by Dietrich


It’s too easy to get wrapped up in a story. Even when I’m not writing, I often want to jot down notes as I think of a scene, or work out details for one in my head. So, it’s important to pry myself away and leave time for other things. Writing is solitary, so I need time to be social. And writing means a lot of sitting, so it’s important to get off my butt.

Art is entertaining, and I like anything from theatre, dance, live music, visiting an art gallery, to stopping to listen to a busker on a street corner. Whether I’m writing or not, I’m often listening to whatever music that suits my mood. I’m partial to my music on vinyl, and I know LPs are gaining popularity again. It’s interesting, I’ve been around long enough to see how we play music go full circle from records to eight tracks to cassettes to MP3s and back to vinyl again. And I still listen to much of the same music from the days when I first started collecting LPs. Does anybody remember those cheap little transistor radios we used to carry around, playing the top 40, even before the days of those suitcase-size boom boxes?

Not that I make much time for it anymore, but I occasionally paint, abstracts mostly, and I like to dabble in photography, creating images a different way. And I play guitar and create my own sound, or in my case, noise.

“I know a good many fiction writers who paint, not because they’re any good at painting, but because it helps their writing. It forces them to look at things. Fiction writing is very seldom a matter of saying things; it is a matter of showing things…Any discipline can help your writing: logic, mathematics, theology, and of course and particularly drawing. Anything that helps you to see, anything that makes you look.” — Flannery O’Connor, Mystery and Manners 

“I basically like to apply paint onto canvas. I just like the act of it — I make it up as I go along. I really don’t analyze them that much.”  — Paul McCartney.

It’s interesting how many writers are musicians, and musicians who are also writers: Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, Nick Cave, Cat Stevens, Leonard Cohen, Steve Earle, Josh Ritter, Stephen King. And many musicians and writers who are visual artists: Charles Bukowski, Miles Davis, John Lennon, John Mellencamp. Ronnie Wood, Grace Slick, David Bowie, Kim Gordon, Tony Bennett, George Frayne, and the list goes on.

"I'm a painter first, and a musician second.” — Joni Mitchell

And it’s interesting how some famous writers incorporated their outside interests into their work. Dame Agatha Christie accompanied her husband on archaeological digs, her experiences inspiring several novels. Tolkien studied languages, and Hemingway was an avid outdoorsman.

Aside from painting and music, I’m an avid reader, and I’ve always got a stack on books on the go with the occasional audiobook tossed in.

So, as you can see, I don’t live life on the edge; I don’t run with the bulls, or jump out of planes or off cliffs or bridges with a big rubber band attached to my foot. And while I’m in pretty good shape for a fiction writer, I don’t compete in many sports these days. In fact, my sports are pretty much limited to the TV. And these days, it’s down to soccer, mostly European matches and tournaments, and the world cup every four years. 

“It’s better to do a dull thing with style than a dangerous thing without it.” — Charles Bukowski

I don’t know that I really have a bucket list, but I do like to travel, and there are a number of places that I’d like to see. One of my favorite places to go once the rain clouds start to gather here in the northwest is down the coast to California, and we get down there every chance we get. In fact, it’s just about time to get out the suitcase as I get set for another book tour down the coast. 

Which reminds me, I should mention my new one Call Down the Thunder will be released October 15th. You can order a copy or find out more at www.dietrichkalteis.com or at www.ecwpress.com.

Here’s the short pitch: 

Sonny and Clara Myers struggle on their Kansas farm in the late 1930s, a time the Lord gave up on. The land’s gone dry, barren and worthless. And the bankers, greedy and hungry, make life even more impossible, squeezing farmers out of their homes. The couple can wither along with the land, or surrender to the bankers and hightail it to California like most of the other farmers. But Sonny comes up with a way for them to stay on their land and prosper while giving the banks a taste of their own misery.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Dog days

The end of summer is fast approaching. Did you find a happy balance between writing and social/family time?
Any humorous/interesting/exciting tales to share from your summer? What are your writing and publicity plans for the fall?


by Dietrich

It’s always about a happy balance. Naturally, I want to get outside in the nice weather as much as possible and work on my writer’s tan. So, I use the mornings to write and the afternoons to play outside. There’s nothing like going for a long walk along the seawall or through the woods in the summertime, sitting under a shade tree or lying in a hammock with a good book and a cold drink. The evenings are a good time for family, friends and socializing.

On my walks, I’ve had the good fortune to watch a pair of eagles nesting near my home. I never get tired of hearing their calls and seeing the adults fly to the nest.

I’ve also been working on a draft for a new novel. It’s still in the early stages, and I’m still playing around with some key details. All I can say so far is this one takes place in my own backyard, and it’s set in present-day Vancouver and involves an old man, a young kid, some sketchy characters, along with one killer motor home.

For publicity plans, I’ve got a new book coming out this fall. Call Down the Thunder will be released October 15th by ECW Press, and I’ve been putting together a book tour around its launch, in other words I’ll be following the sun down the coast to California. They’ve got some of the best beaches in the world and some of the best book stores to boot. There will also be a blog tour just ahead of the release. If you’re interested there will be more info on my website.

Okay, now that I’ve stirred your interest, here’s the elevator pitch: Sonny and Clara Myers struggle on their Kansas farm in the late 1930s, a time the Lord gave up on. The land’s gone dry, barren and worthless. And the bankers, greedy and hungry, make life even more impossible, squeezing farmers out of their homes. The couple can wither along with the land, or surrender to the bankers and hightail it to California like most of the other farmers. But Sonny comes up with a way for them to stay on their land and prosper while giving the banks a taste of their own misery.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Taking care of business

If you could be really good at one part of the business side of your career, what would it be? (Being a better speaker? Being better at organizing your events? Being a promotion god?)

by Dietrich

I try to stay open to ways of improving on the business side of things. When some new way comes along I may want to try it or find out more, but sometimes it just comes down to a question of balancing time for all the other things, like the writing.

It’s good to get out there and participate in reading events, and it’s important to get the rhythm of what I’m going to read. So, I usually read the chapter aloud a few times ahead of time, that way I won’t stumble over my own words. The idea is to sound like I’m telling it rather than just reading it off the page. I’ve heard Canadian author William Deverell a number of times, and he’s a master at engaging an audience and telling the story instead of just reading it off the page. 

As far as promoting myself, I wish I knew the secret, if there is one. I think the best way is to just write the best book I can and gain readers that way, ones who hopefully will like the book enough to look forward to the next one and recommend my books to friends in person and online.

When a new book comes out, there’s the book launch, interviews, a book tour and/or a blog tour, usually all of these. And my publisher ECW Press plays a large part here, making arrangements and connections, as well as getting the ARCs out for potential reviews.

It’s a good idea to sound like I know what my book is about. When somebody asks, I’ve got a short synopsis in my head, a kind of elevator pitch. There’s nothing worse than standing like a deer in headlights when someone asks, “So, what’s your book about?” And the first word out of my mouth is, “Uhh …”

For promotional items, I keep it simple and go with bookmarks for each new title. I pass them out at events, books stores and conferences. Who doesn’t love a bookmark? I’ve considered other kinds of loot, but let’s face it, I can’t bribe somebody to read my book. At every writers’ conference there’s a table scattered end to end with authors’ promotional items from bookmarks, pens, buttons, notepads, pamphlets, business cards and more. Does any of it work, especially when you consider the cost? 

I post upcoming events and any news on my social media pages, as well on my website. The trick is to update the website like clockwork, like every week or more or anytime I have something new to add. And I write here and at my own blog, Off the Cuff.

Networking through writing organizations and taking part in festivals and conferences is a great way to promote and meet others in the business of writing. Conferences and festivals also attract many readers, plus they offer a chance to catch up with friends I’ve made along the way, ones I don’t get to see often enough.
As well as other writing events, I organize Noir at the Bar here in Vancouver, including the one for Left Coast Crime here this past March. If you’re in the Pacific Northwest and would like to come and check it out, the next one happens here on May 1st.

And speaking of self promotion …
Coming October 15, 2019
Sonny and Clara Myers struggle on their Kansas farm in the late 1930s, a time the Lord gave up on. The land’s gone dry, barren and worthless. And the bankers, greedy and hungry, make life even more impossible, squeezing farmers out of their homes. The couple can wither along with the land, or surrender to the bankers and hightail it to California like most of the other farmers. But Sonny comes up with a way for them to stay on their land and prosper while giving the banks a taste of their own misery.

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

On a Roll

Has your approach to writing changed during the time you’ve been published? What was the change in response to? Or, if not, have you considered other approaches and rejected them? What were they, and why?

by Dietrich

There are times I think it’s best to stick to what works, and then there are times I want to try something new. 

Since I started writing the process has become easier. Confidence came along, and I generally know when I’ve got it right. I’ve also learned to recognize when it’s time to stop. But, I don’t want to become so comfortable that the writing becomes routine. So, it’s good to take a new approach or a chance now and then. I’ve tried different genres, different points of view and perspectives and explored various settings and eras.

My first three novels were unrelated modern-day crime stories written in third person, all set on Canada’s west coast where I live. Then I tried a historical novel, House of Blazes, set in San Francisco during the great quake and fire of 1906. It was interesting and involved a lot of research and fact checking. Then it was back to Vancouver for the onset of the punk rock era during the late seventies. It was an intriguing period in music and that one, Zero Avenue, was seen through the eyes of a female protagonist. I followed it with the current one, Poughkeepsie Shuffle, written in first person and set in the mid-eighties in Toronto where I used to live, and alternating between upstate New York. The one coming out in October is Call Down the Thunder, and it’s set in Kansas during the dustbowl days of the late 1930s. Again, there was a lot of research. And I followed that with a story that starts in Vancouver and takes readers up to Alaska. It’s due out next year. Right now I’m focused on a true story about a couple of lesser-known bank robbers who were at large in the Plains during the late thirties.

I wrote my third and fourth novels simultaneously, alternating between drafts. I thought that taking a long break from the first draft of one while getting started on the next one could be a good way to go. Then I alternated back and forth until they were both complete. It did work out in the end, and they were both finished in about a year and a half, but I doubt that I’ll try it again.

My first drafts are usually penned in longhand. There’s something organic about it. Then I type the second draft into my computer. It’s so much easier to deal with the amount of changes I make at that stage. Plus, I can only imagine my publisher’s reaction if I sent them a manuscript written in longhand.

I generally do my best writing early in the day, and I often go from the time I get up until about noon. Sometimes I write again in the early evening. I just have more energy and a clearer head at those times.

One thing that remains the same for me, it’s a creative expression, one that needs a high level of belief and enthusiasm in what I’m doing. And that level needs to carry me through from beginning to end. I think if I couldn’t maintain that, then I doubt a reader would want to stick with the story either.

For inspiration I read a lot, and I like anything from crime novels to science fiction to autobiographies, as long as I feel the writing is good. I’ve recently revisited a couple of old favorites: A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, published in 1962, and Deliverance by James Dickey, published in 1970. I also just finished George Pelecanos’ The Man Who Came Uptown, The Good German by Joseph Kanon, and House of Earth by Woody Guthrie. All very good and all very inspiring.