Clark Ransom On The 5 Things You Need To Be A Successful Author or Writer
An Interview With Susan Johnston
Believe in yourself, no matter what others say. Be realistic about your expectations of this business. Always, always be professional and polite to anyone; you never know how they may help you down the road. At least 50 other writers have a similar idea to yours, so you better make yours incredibly unique. Use the industry critiques you get to make the story better, no matter how stupid you think they may be.
Some writers and authors have a knack for using language that can really move people. Some writers and authors have been able to influence millions with their words alone. What does it take to become an effective and successful author or writer? In this interview series, called “5 Things You Need To Be A Successful Author or Writer” we are talking to successful authors and writers who can share lessons from their experiences. As part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Clark Ransom.
Clark is a produced and optioned screenwriter with a focus on Sci-Fi, Dark Dramedy, and True Stories. Clark has successfully collaborated with Producers and other screenwriters on several projects. Most of his projects are grounded in themes of “the haves and the have-nots”, classicism, and coming-of-age characters.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a little about how you got started?
I simply love writing, and screenwriting challenges me to tell a story on paper in a very visual way.
Can you share the most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your career?
I was lucky enough to partner with a great producer early on who believed in me and my work. We collaborated on one of my scripts, rewrote the heck out of it, and that got us into Sony Lionsgate for meeting.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in your journey to becoming a writer? How did you overcome it? Can you share a story about that that other aspiring writers can learn from?
Like most, learning “how” to write a script properly was a major commitment. In my first year, I joined Hal Croasmun at ScreenwritingU, and he was instrumental in guiding and mentoring my craft. Hal helped me appreciate the difficulty of this business, that it would take many, many years, and even then, I might not ever have any success. There were several times that I was so depressed by feedback or lack of interest in my projects, that I almost quit. But, I my passion for storytelling was the “glue” that kept me going.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I have a fairly dark and irreverent sense of humor. As I was pouring myself into a project with some hefty religious overtones, I was on the phone with Hal Croasmun, discussing this project, and he had one bit of advice: if you write this, you’re going to piss off a lot of Christians. Why put that roadblock in front of you so early in your writing career? That never occurred to me at all, but he was 100% right. That continues to define which stories I choose to devote myself to writing.
In your opinion, were you a “natural born writer” or did you develop that aptitude later on? Can you explain what you mean?
I have always been a good writer and I enjoy the process. I’ve a knack for reading certain styles of writing, then emulating that same cadence, pattern or voice in something new that I create.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Well, Messenger Dogs is my most exciting project right now, and I continue to hone and refine the story to make it as good as I can. I have two other projects in the works, one is an LGBTQ, dark comedy, the other is a Western thriller based on true events, and wrapped around a myriad of old west icons.
Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your experience, what are the “5 Things You Need To Be A Successful Author or Writer”? Please share a story or example for each.
Believe in yourself, no matter what others say. Be realistic about your expectations of this business. Always, always be professional and polite to anyone; you never know how they may help you down the road. At least 50 other writers have a similar idea to yours, so you better make yours incredibly unique. Use the industry critiques you get to make the story better, no matter how stupid you think they may be.
What is the one habit you believe contributed the most to you becoming a great writer? (i.e. perseverance, discipline, play, craft study). Can you share a story or example?
Well, I am not sure I would call myself a great writer at this point. For me, I write almost every day or do something related, such as marketing a project, story research, learning who the industry players are, etc. Even when my producer friend and I got a PASS from Sony Lionsgate, we have not given that project up. Do NOT give up.
Which literature do you draw inspiration from? Why?
True events, characters and stories. There are so many historical situations or untold stories, it’s a blast to find those, then reimagine them into something entirely new. Kinda like “Cowboys and Aliens”; when I first heard about the project, it was so simple, so believable, I was mad I hadn’t thought of it myself.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Well, again, I do not consider myself a person of influence at all. However, if I ever do get that opportunity, I would start a Script Lab University or virtual classroom where new and serious writers could attend, learn and become the best they can be. There is so much garbage out there about how to be a screenwriter, filtering through all that is overwhelming. So many of my writing friends get sucked into someone else’s negativity, and they end up drowning their talent.
How can our readers further follow you online?
@clarkransom.com
About The Interviewer: Susan Johnston is a Media Futurist, Columnist as well as Founder and Director at New Media Film Festival®. The New Media Film Festival® — honoring stories worth telling since 2009, is an Award-winning, inclusive, and boundary-pushing catalyst for storytelling and technology. Susan was knighted in Rome in 2017 for her work in Arts & Humanity.
