As a New Pulp writer, Gordon Dymowski has written many short stories, including the 2019 Pulp Factory Award-winning tale “Knights of the Silver Cross.” He has also crafted non-fiction essays for Crazy 8 Press, ATB Publishing and the DePaul Pop Culture Celebration. He also regularly contributes to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere and the National Institute of Social Media. He has published with Pro Se Productions, Pilot Studios, Airship 27 Productions, and Space Buggy Press.Tell us a bit about your latest work.
Currently, I have a short story titled “The Mists of Koramu” in CNI Classified Volume 4 from Blue Planet Press. I am also working on a Sherlock Holmes tale and a non-fiction project.
What are the themes and subjects you tend to revisit in your work?
I rarely, if ever, think about themes when I’m writing. It feels rather pretentious and can often seem rather deliberate in a “read-this-because-it-has-the-secrets-of-the-universe” way.
Looking back, however, I find myself focusing on issues around personal integrity, social justice, and complex morality. That’s one of the reasons I consider myself a pulp writer: I can write about such issues simply and directly without feeling like I’m pandering or lecturing. Although I’ve been more direct in my writing about such issues (see “One Bullet Too Many” in Pilot Studios’ Always Punch Nazis Volume One), my preference is creating fictional scenarios to explore those themes. To paraphrase Alfred Hitchcock, some stories are slices of life...mine are slices of cake.
What happened in your life that prompted you to become a writer?
I grew up an only child, so I learned to entertain myself by creating stories when I was alone. My mother had given me a beat-up clipboard and used computer paper when I was six, and I remember consistently drawing and narrating stories. For a third-grade paper, I wrote a story about a boy who wanders into a “haunted” house making strange noises... and discovers a lost dog.
But both parents fostered a love of reading: my father purchased several Dr. Seuss books right after I was born. My first “alone” trip was heading to the Brighton Park branch of the Chicago Public Library where I discovered both Sherlock Holmes and Doc Savage. In high school, I was often part of the “marketing” team for various events, even down to writing and making announcements over the intercom. (My Joe Piscopo Sports Guy impersonation is second to none).
In college, I wrote a semi-regular column for the Loyola Phoenix, as well as various humor and music zines. That led to an online writing gig with Comic Related (which you can find via the Wayback Machine), which led to Airship 27 and Pro Se Productions, and the rest, they say, is history….
But if you want something more colorful, I was rocketed to this planet by my parents when Krypton exploded. That works.
What inspires you to write?
There’s a store on 32nd Place and Aberdeen in Chicago, just across the street from the yellow pushcart hot dog stand. Head to the hot dog stand, and ask Mike for a “Nelson Algren special, hold the poppy seeds.” After that, I’m allowed into the store and I buy ideas three for a dollar.
You don’t believe me, don’t you?
Inspiration comes from everywhere. It’s usually a case of me finding something or someone interesting and asking “What if?”
It also comes, on some level, from my fellow creatives. My fellow writers frequently craft stories that make me go “I wish I had thought of that”, but enable me to create something different with the same vibe. My musician/performing friends inspire me to stay in the moment, to “follow my muse” when I’m “in the zone.”
(I’m Generation X, so using “quotation marks” in that context is on-brand)
What writers have influenced your style and technique?
Let me just name names and you can draw your own conclusions: Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Sara Paretsky, Jim Thompson, Elmore Leonard, Octavia Butler, Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir, Robert R. McCammon, Robert B. Parker, Jonathan Kellerman.
Where would you rank writing on the "Is it an art or is it a science continuum?" Why?
It’s both an art and a science.
Now, the obligatory rant: two words are used when describing the creative arts that get on my nerves. They are franchise and content.
I know franchise is used as a shortcut for “movies highlighting a character, characters, or premise”, but it makes such entities sound too clinical. It’s like characters are fast food. But content is extremely evil since it makes any kind of creative endeavor (novel, movie, book, comic, web site copy, social media posting) as equal...and they’re not. Each piece of media serves a specific purpose and has a specific set of instructions. We’re seeing too many people call it all “equal”…
Yes, I am calling out advocates of generative AI to craft “content.” It takes more time to craft the “ideal” prompt to get halfway workable prose and “tweak” it than to think through what you’re attempting to write and craft it.
One is focusing on quantity, the other quality.
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
Finding the time to write has been challenging, since I have been busy the past few years. Caring for my mother until her passing in 2022, dealing with a less-than-professional property owner, and regaining my professional footing have been exhausting. Plus, since my day job is focused on online meetings and consultations (I work as a copywriter and affordable housing advocate), that means I would rather not face the keyboard or sit down to write. Luckily, I manage to get some writing done per day, but it can be especially challenging at times.
Any other upcoming projects you would like to plug?
Besides my short story, I encourage people to become a free or (preferably) paid member of my Patreon community. I’ve been working on increasing my outreach (and have been editing and writing some things), but I could really use the grassroots support.
For more information, visit:
Website: https://www.gordon-dymowski.com/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/gordondymowski