Interview with Michael Gesellchen
Published 2014-08-16.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
I love having a first draft. That's when writing becomes fun for me. Once the mechanical aspects of the story are in place you can go back and add the fun stuff. Character development, descriptive settings, and sharp dialog. Those are the elements that make a story come to life.
What do your fans mean to you?
Fans are everything. Without them there would be no purpose to writing. As a writer, you already know the story because it plays over and over in your mind. Writing is the vehicle that allows you to share your story with the world. If you didn't want others to know the story, there would be no need to write it.
What are you working on next?
I am currently working on a sequel to The Resurrectionist. I'm in the process of writing several scenes and character interactions and then I'll take a step back and let them tell the story. It's like putting the pieces of a puzzle together.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
I currently have two kids in diapers so there isn't any time to lay in bed and wait for inspiration. They get me going and the inspiration follows.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
I spend time with my children. Long hours in the sandbox, going to parks, and other adventures. The nice thing is that it gives you time to dream. The hard part is finding time to put those dreams on paper.
When did you first start writing?
I first started writing as a way to fight boredom during a data entry job I had out of college. I kept a legal pad next to me and would jot down stories, characters, and dialogue as they hit me. I would take these jottings and craft them when I had free time.
What's the story behind your latest book?
I wanted to write a book that took themes of spiritually and made them applicable to a young adult reader. The book combines fast paced action and unforseen plot twists with faith and redemption. I wanted a main protagonist who is flawed but that the reader could identify with and root for.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
I liked the idea of being able to control my own destiny. The freedom of being an indie author is nice. It can be a little isolating but in the long run I'm having fun seeing the book getting downloaded. I'm hoping to get more reviews and feedback which will help to guide my future writing.
How has Smashwords contributed to your success?
Smashwords has allowed me to get my book out to the world. Without Smashwords it may have never had a chance to be read by others. I believe in the message behind my work and the most important thing is for me to see others read and hopefully enjoy it.
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
I go off of book descriptions. I have an idea of what I'm looking for and then run a search and start browsing until I find the book description that best matches what I'm looking for. Reviews help, but I only use them as validation. A bad review doesn't stop me from choosing a book I think sounds interesting.
What is your writing process?
I start by writing scenes and character interactions. I try to write as many of these as I can. Once I have a good sized pool I take the best ones and see if there's a story there. Often, I find the story will fall into place and write itself. For me, characters and their inner and outer interactions are what make a story compelling.
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