Richard T Wilson On The 5 Things You Need To Be A Successful Author or Writer
An Interview With Susan Johnston
ALWAY, ALWAYS BE WRITING! You could be working your day job but keep that writing going in your head until you get home. It’s just as important to discover the atmosphere as it is the words — live in that story for a while.
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 Richard T. Wilson.
Emmy® Award Winning writer, Richard T. Wilson serves as the President of RTW Productions, Inc. To date, he has had over 70 of his plays and films produced and seen some of this same work featured on ABC World News Tonight, National Public Radio, PBS and The Independent Film Channel. Aside from his ‘Halloween Girl’ related projects, Wilson is probably best known for creating the Emmy® Award Winning teen drama series, ‘Maple Ave’.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a little about how you got started?
Our 4th grade teacher handed out pictures and told us to write a fictional story about them. I lucked out and got one of the Apollo missions. As a result, I fell in love with writing and haven’t stopped since!
Can you share the most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your career?
I always wanted my work to help people so I formed OutreachArts and we made short films inspired by the conversations I had with at-risk teens about serious mental health and social issues. We worked with non-profits nationwide and created our own Public Television-aired teen drama series, MAPLE AVE which received numerous Emmy® Nominations and won an Emmy® in 2012 — but I always wondered what kind of impact we were REALLY having. Then in December 2013, I received an Email, “ Thank you, I am a recovering heroin addict two years sober on SSI. Your program on PBS saved my life today. I have been dealing with OCD, Anxiety and Depression since I was 11, I am 28 now. You are a godsend to so many people out there!! Thank you, for helping me with your great work.” The Email sits framed on my desk and I consider it one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received.
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?
I didn’t come from money and there wasn’t a lot of support for a career in the arts (a hobby, sure but that’s it!). So, I had to educate myself about the writing business and the great writing masters and mistresses. Ultimately, I learned my gift was in script writing and got involved with several theatre companies — and things took off from there!
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?
In the era before spellcheck, I misspelled erratic and everyone assumed I meant to write ‘erotic’. The line was supposed to be ‘erratic wanderings’ & well, you get it…
In your opinion, were you a “natural born writer” or did you develop that aptitude later on? Can you explain what you mean?
Yes, I always knew I was born to tell stories and had the tools to become a writer (which I worked hard to develop). From making my school friends laugh around a picnic table to having one of my problem gambling films screened in front of Senator Elizabeth Warren for funding for troubled Vets, I’ve never doubted what I was put here to do.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
A fourth ‘Halloween Girl’ book — Charlotte has to save her (living) runaway sister from a nest of demons — and their father.
Based on your experience, what are the “5 Things You Need to Be a Successful Author or Writer”?
- Know WHY you’re driven to write.
- WHO is your audience?
- If your story isn’t coming from your SOUL, start over after a long talk with yourself.
- If you’re writing to become RICH & FAMOUS — pack it in!
- ALWAY, ALWAYS BE WRITING! You could be working your day job but keep that writing going in your head until you get home. It’s just as important to discover the atmosphere as it is the words — live in that story for a while.
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?
Due to my personality disordered parents, I initially wrote my initial stories to be seen and heard. (As an adult I learned they were incapable of truly seeing or hearing me.)
Which literature do you draw inspiration from? Why?
Classic literature like Charles Dickens, Ray Bradbury, Lewis Carroll, etc.
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. :-)
Kindness — I would encourage everyday kindness. Because when you’re kind to others, you’re kind to yourself.
How can our readers further follow you online?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardtwilson/, https://www.instagram.com/madshelleycomics/?hl=en,
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.
