Today my guest is Gisclerc Morisset. Welcome to Susana’s Morning Room, Gisclerc!
What inspired you to start writing?
For as long as I could remember I’ve had an interest in creative writing. From an early age I was repeatedly recognized to be the public speaker for special events and have excelled in writing speeches. As I reflected about my career paths and pondered what I wanted to do with my life, I found myself coming back to writing and doing something with the various story ideas I always have. I finally decided one day to stop thinking about it and give it a shot. Whether or not I become successful enough to make a full time career from my writing, I plan to continue writing the story ideas I have.
How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing for a little over five years. I took a break from my novel when I experienced some blocks with the story and became discouraged with the project.
What advice would you give to writers just starting out?
Working on your content, the actual story should be your top priority. But be sure to take some time out during the week to research on the technique of writing. There are many books available about avoiding the pitfalls that amateur writers tend to encounter. Join a couple of online groups for writers and learn from those who’ve been there before you. Look into the various marketing, promotional, and advertising actions you should be prepared to do when you’re book is finally published. Look into a “Virtual Book Tour”.
Patience is key to the publishing process. When your manuscript is done and you’ve sent it to the editor, sent it to get formatted, are awaiting the cover art to get designed, you have no control over these processes. Many times the snail pace of the process and the challenges you encounter will discourage you. But it’s all part of the process. Learn from it and do what you can to make it a smoother process the next time around.
Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
I suffer from writer’s block all the time. For me writer’s block is my mind telling me that I haven’t fully thought through a particular scene, dialogue, and/or section of my story. In some cases the best thing for me to do is to walk away from my laptop for a couple of days or even a week and let my subconscious work out the solution. In other instances I try and analyze what it is that I’m having a problem writing about. If I can discover the aspect of the story that is challenging me and analyze it properly, sometimes I am able to work it. Let’s say that I’m having trouble with the dialogue in a climactic scene between two characters and I don’t know the best way to write the end of the scene. Should I have one character walk out of the room, should someone slam a door etc. Well that goes towards understanding the personalities of the characters. By analyzing their personalities and knowing what behavior is consistent to each person, I can then finish the scene. Sometimes I envision a scene and instinctively feel that it is off. Dramatically, it would be a great scene, but when I analyze the dialogue and actions of the character(s) in the scene I recognize that it’s not consistent with what has been portrayed about the character.
What comes first: the plot or the characters?
For me, plot usually comes first. I usually brainstorm a story idea and then work on the personalities and characters that would be needed to bring the plot to life.
Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.
It’s an emotional story at times. In writing the book, I wanted to touch upon real life situations but confront them from non-traditional viewpoints. I didn’t just want to write a romance novel because it is a genre that is very popular with the public at large, especially women. In fact I wrote this novel to challenge cheating men to think about why they cheat. Many of the male readers who have read my novel have given me very good feedback from it. I wrote this novel with the intent of provoking some real self reflection of the personal and romantic relationships that my readers have.
What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading The Greatest American Speeches. While I mostly read non-fiction, I do read some fiction from time to time. I also like to read biographies of inspirational people. Sometimes I’m just looking for something entertaining to read, to give me that warm feeling when I read about someone overcoming adversity in their life. Other times I’m looking for inspiration for some character traits and dialogue to use in a story in a future novel.
What author or authors have most influenced your writing?
There are many authors who have influenced me over the years, but two who I would say who are the most influential are Issac Asimov and Frank Herbert. Both authors come from the science fiction genre, but their stories transcend their genre. They have written stories that depict some of the most critical issues humanity deals with. While their stories deal with humanity in the far off future, they deal with themes and plots that involve love and romance, suspense, politics and drama that I have not found matched by authors in any genre. Their ability to make their characters and plots so realistic has become a benchmark for me when developing my stories. If I can come half as close as either of them in capturing the human condition, I will be happy with my writing.
What is your work schedule like when writing?
I have a chaotic and busy schedule. So my basic plan is to write a little bit every day. By writing consistently as often as I can, I try to keep my excitement, urgency, and motivation at the highest level for the project I’m working on. Some days I am able to write for a few hours at a time. Some days I have to get creative and write on the go while I’m commuting. I’ve even written scenes on my smartphone in an email app and forwarded it to myself. I don’t really have page goals for myself. I find “scene goals” more effective. I can usually write a scene or critical part of a chapter in one sitting. That way if something comes up that forces me to walk away I don’t feel distressed because I can pick up where I left off knowing already where the scene is going.
What is your favorite food? Least favorite? Why?
My favorite food is baked macaroni and cheese. Being Haitian, my mother makes it a little differently than most people may be used to experiencing it. I learned to make it by adding ground beef (or ground turkey for the health conscious) and instead of cheddar cheese it uses a special cheese sauce that has parmesan cheese and melted butter with sautéed onions and garlic as the main ingredients. My mother used to make this dish only during the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter Sunday) and on my birthday if I asked for it J So you can see how it easily became my favorite. Every time it is on the table there’s something special associated with it.
I wouldn’t say I have a least favorite dish. I’m open-minded when it comes to eating new foods. If I don’t like something, I just won’t order it if I come across it. But I did have a bad experience the first time I ate sushi, so if I had to say something was my least favorite, I guess it would be sushi.
Do you have a favorite quote or saying?
My favorite quote is from Bruce Lee: “Using no way as way. Having no limitation as the only limitation”. Many people don’t know that he was big on philosophy and loved coming up with his own quotes and sayings. This one sums up what his life philosophy was, which was not to limit yourself by rules, traditions, and practices no matter how popular, what in Asian traditions is called “way”. And the second part of the quote of having no limitation basically means to keep your mind open to all possibilities. He loved to learn multiple ways of doing the same thing to try and discover the most efficient way to accomplish a goal. If you close your mind to a possibility, you’re basically making it potentially more difficult for yourself to achieve whatever you want to accomplish.
What is something you’d like to accomplish in your writing career next year?
I’m currently a self-published author. Next year I would love to get the attention of a major publishing house. While there are disadvantages to being tied down to a single publisher, It would give me the ability to promote and market my books on a much larger scale than I currently can.
When was the moment that you knew you had to be a writer?
There was a night a few years ago that I couldn’t sleep because ideas kept popping into my head of plots and characters that I write as novels or movies. I read somewhere that if you have various thoughts running through your head when you’re trying to sleep that the best thing to do is to jot them down and you would clear your mind and be able to fall asleep. But the more I wrote, the more I thought of the idea and the more I tried to expand on it. As I started to compile a growing list of ideas and outlines, I realized that I would regret never attempting to complete one of these ideas. I would always wonder whether my ideas would interest and entertain anyone other than me.
Who gave you the writing advice that sticks with you to this day?
There’s a writer of an adventure series whose blog I follow, David Farland. He writes tips for writers and one day he posted about making the effort to bring your scenes to life. He wrote about engaging all five of your reader’s senses when describing a particular setting. While many writers describe visually what a room many look like or describe what a person in the room may be hearing, many authors don’t give details on what the room may smell like or feel like. Was it cold or hot in the room, was there air freshener or maybe detergent from a freshly mopped floor. It made me conscious of my writing and want to add these extra details to help transport my readers into the settings of my stories.
What are favorite pastimes?
I’m an avid reader. Depending on the size of the book, I usually read one to two books a month. I’m also a big movie buff. I love action, sci-fi, romantic comedy and thrillers. I also enjoy working out, trying different workout routines and even creating my own routines. I’m a big family man and have a growing extended family. I enjoy spending time with my family just hanging around or out enjoying the world.
What has been your biggest adventure to date?
My biggest adventure would have to be getting married. It may sound corny to some people, but anyone who knows me knows that I’m a hopeless romantic at heart. I’ve also had a long trying adventure in finding my wife. So I appreciate having found someone who shares the same values in life I do and can build a future together with. For me family is the most important thing in a person’s life and having the opportunity to have a family of my own is the most special, biggest adventure I can have.
Describe the ideal romantic evening.
I like to keep things simple. The most important element of a romantic evening to me is the personal attention that you and your partner are able to give each other. If you’re engaged in an activity that can be very interesting, but you can’t communicate with your partner during the event than I don’t think it overly romantic.
A night of dinner of dancing is perfect for me. Enjoying some nice food, a tasteful glass of wine while engaging in some wonderful conversation is a great way to start off an evening and build some intimacy. I love going dancing. It gives you the chance to experience music in a physical way while connecting with your partner physically and emotionally. You can go to a nice nightclub or lounge. You can even move some furniture around and play some of your favorite music at home and dance with all the privacy you need. I prefer the latter because you can go right into the perfect finish for the evening without having to wait since you’re already home 😉
About “A Love Thang”
George is an ordinary guy whose world has collapsed beneath him. He’s ruined his relationship with his girlfriend, and to his credit, wants to come clean. Sadly for him, karma never plays along with our best made plans. Carol, George’s girlfriend discovers his deceitful act of betrayal before he can confess and she is out for revenge. Will George learn from his indiscretion? And most importantly, will he be able to save his relationship with the woman he loves?
About the Author
Gisclerc Morisset is a first generation Haitian-American who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He has always been a hopeless romantic and enjoys sharing stories of love and romance. He lives in Brooklyn, New York where he lives with his wife.
http://www.scribd.com/gisclerc
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