DC

Palter

[Recorded: 8.28.2024]

Ask Me Anything

Author ● Tech Pioneer ● Venture Capitalist

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FROM SHOWA TO TODAY

Those able to tell stories of a life on two continents, of a career that continues to cross into in disparate fields, of a capability for creative output traversing multiple mediums and genres occupy a relatively short list. This list, which DC sits on, shrinks with each and every one of his new adventures.

Creating a "Must Have"

You have an idea for a book. It's the 90's. Your idea is to write about a unique dialect spoken in the western region of the country you call home; a nation housing only thirty-eight thousand or so of your fellow compatriots. That country is, of course, Japan. You remain undaunted. You find a friend who is Japanese. You pitch the book. One of the world's foremost publishers covering Japan signs you to a deal, and prints the darn thing for what appears to be an eternity. What the what?

Building a Platform

Writing is easy enough. Having a few people read you—a little more challenging. Becoming a "known entity"—Sisyphean. Tackling all three in tandem? できひん. Unless, perhaps, you possess enough leverage, inventiveness, and a heavy bit of chutzpah to figure it all out. Somehow, a mere three years into the life of Japonica, DC appears to have done just that just that. All while enabling the craft in others instead of squashing it, and without an ounce of opportunism. Go figure.

Write What You Know

One secret to breaking through the scourge of the blank page is to tell the story of you... through the eyes of another. It's familiar advice to those who take up the pen; achieving the distance required to have the writing remain as as enjoyable to craft as it is to consume, however, is more than complex. His ability to tackle a number of writing styles has informed his approach... what then, are some of the best ways to start with you and finish as someone else—repeatedly?

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN WITH DC

What has and hasn't changed about work in Japan since his first arrival in 1988.
Tips and tricks an engineer can give you to master kanji.
Understanding the pull of sake, what it was like to intern at a brewery on Sado island, and which brands he's enjoying now.
How and why he realized his first career choice shouldn't be his last, and how to spot yours and leap before you miss it.
His best advice for asking for what you want out of life (and from others).
Why he writes for free and how he created a platform on Medium from scratch.
How he pitched and sold a truly must-have Japanese language book as a foreigner—twenty years ago!
How the drive to always be learning has impacted his life.
What it's like to team-write (and win!) short story competitions with his legendary ikibana teacher wife, Satsuki.
How he makes the most of air-travel to and from Japan so he can do it as much as he wants, and how he finds interesting, off-the-beaten path journeys here in Japan.

DC's American Fiction Awards Finalist for Best Debut Novel

Engrossing and Inventive. Modern and Classic. Cut through the streets of Silicon Valley's Japantown in this fast-paced crime thriller where vast sums of money, inspired dreams, and a unique darkness channel just below the surface in a savory broth of intrigue you'll hardly be able to escape.

OUR WELCOMED GUEST

DC Palter

DC Palter first arrived in Japan in 1988. Once settled, he took up work as a research engineer at Kobe Steel and wrote the Kansai-ben guidebook, "Colloquial Kansai Japanese." After obtaining a joint MBA between UCLA and Waseda, he joined a tech startup, and has been building, advising, and investing in tech startups in the 30 years since.

DC now splits his time between Los Angeles and Kobe, and is the editor of Japonica, an online publication of Japanese culture, as well as the author of two popular mystery novels set in Silicon Valley's Japantown.

(Photo L to R: DC Palter, short story contest judge, Mami Sone, from the Los Angeles Consulate-General of Japan, and Satsuki Palter)

A JAPANESE LANGUAGE PROGRAM LIKE NO OTHER.

Maplopo helps intermediate and advanced learners of Japanese internalize language through the power of story—all in a single learning platform. Maplopo is rigorous, structured, and handcrafted for serious learners of Japanese.