Ask the Author: Daniel Ravner
Answered Questions (4)
Daniel Ravner
A deadline makes the best muse.
Daniel Ravner
I've always lived by the motto that "the ultimate inspiration is a deadline."
I've learned it during my days as a professional comedy writer. When you have to be funny and on time to make a living, you are funny and on time.
I would add that if you feel stuck, write your character into unreasonable situations (send them to Mars). Allow yourself to spend time on scenarios that won't make it to the book/script because it’s a great way to free up the clog.
That being said, I can also assure you that by using this technique, you'll find good stuff that you will incorporate into the man course of your narrative.
I've learned it during my days as a professional comedy writer. When you have to be funny and on time to make a living, you are funny and on time.
I would add that if you feel stuck, write your character into unreasonable situations (send them to Mars). Allow yourself to spend time on scenarios that won't make it to the book/script because it’s a great way to free up the clog.
That being said, I can also assure you that by using this technique, you'll find good stuff that you will incorporate into the man course of your narrative.
Daniel Ravner
If by "writing" you mean your art (scripts, prose, etc.), then especially at the start of your career, don’t depend on your writing for a living.
This dependency means that you’ll arrive at whatever opportunities come your way from a disadvantageous position. When you have a lot at stake, you aren't left with much wiggle room, which may mean that you’ll most likely have to compromise on payment, or on the terms of your contract. But most importantly, it will probably hamper your art.
When you DON’T have to get your stories (or scripts or poetry, etc.) published to make ends meet, you’ll arrive at whatever opportunities come your way with much more confidence. You’ll have a greater chance of presenting your art as you intended it to be, thus increasing your chances of becoming a professional, well-paid writer down the line.
This dependency means that you’ll arrive at whatever opportunities come your way from a disadvantageous position. When you have a lot at stake, you aren't left with much wiggle room, which may mean that you’ll most likely have to compromise on payment, or on the terms of your contract. But most importantly, it will probably hamper your art.
When you DON’T have to get your stories (or scripts or poetry, etc.) published to make ends meet, you’ll arrive at whatever opportunities come your way with much more confidence. You’ll have a greater chance of presenting your art as you intended it to be, thus increasing your chances of becoming a professional, well-paid writer down the line.
Daniel Ravner
To explain that I need to provide a bit of background
I wanted to provide an alternative to the polarized discussion that seemingly permeates everywhere on every topic. So, in 2017, I set out on a path to find a formula, an editorial methodology, that can inspire people to open their minds to opposing points of view. I dug deep into the worlds of psychology and behavioral science and came up with one. I gathered a team and we launched a website and started creating articles to answer that mind-opening goal, using our mind-opening methodology. This was how The Perspective website came to be.
Jump forward five years, and we are in the midst of a second research into the effectiveness of our content (an academic study led by the IDC). We found that 1. Our methodology works. 2. The more people get exposed to our two-sided writing, the more open-minded they become. (This effect is especially meaningful for the far reaches of the political divide.)
So…we thought we should come up with an experience that, unlike a website, will drive readers to take in at least a couple of debates in one sitting. This reading experience is…well…a book.
We updated some existing content from our website that people really liked and created some new stuff, and there you go – a book was born.
I wanted to provide an alternative to the polarized discussion that seemingly permeates everywhere on every topic. So, in 2017, I set out on a path to find a formula, an editorial methodology, that can inspire people to open their minds to opposing points of view. I dug deep into the worlds of psychology and behavioral science and came up with one. I gathered a team and we launched a website and started creating articles to answer that mind-opening goal, using our mind-opening methodology. This was how The Perspective website came to be.
Jump forward five years, and we are in the midst of a second research into the effectiveness of our content (an academic study led by the IDC). We found that 1. Our methodology works. 2. The more people get exposed to our two-sided writing, the more open-minded they become. (This effect is especially meaningful for the far reaches of the political divide.)
So…we thought we should come up with an experience that, unlike a website, will drive readers to take in at least a couple of debates in one sitting. This reading experience is…well…a book.
We updated some existing content from our website that people really liked and created some new stuff, and there you go – a book was born.
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