Category: Blog
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10 Things to Know Before Attending a Writer’s Conference
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I got humbled before my first writer’s conference officially started. I arrived early and found a titan of the industry just hanging out with a crowd of attentive writers. He sat and shared wisdom like he was handing out Christmas presents. Honestly, just sitting there and listening would have been worth the price of admission. Anyway, I sat next to a woman in her 60s who chimed in often…
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10 Writing Tips Every New Author Needs
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Studies show YouTubers communicate more effectively when they speak as though they’re talking to just one person. Well, I recently launched my YouTube channel, The Ransomed Writer, and I know exactly who I’m talking to: myself fifteen years ago. Back when I suddenly had the urge to write a novel… and realized I had absolutely no idea where to…
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How to Write Better Antagonists
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What Real-Life Criminals Taught Me About Crafting Fictional Villains. I was a rookie cop, fresh out of field training the first time someone threatened my life. Less than a year into the job, I’d been assigned to the midnights—that lovely vampire shift starting at 10:30 p.m. (or 2230, in cop-speak). …
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Learning to Write
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The Four Words Every New Writer Needs to Hear: Are you brave enough to call yourself a writer? It’s a big step. One that seems to come with expectations—thick novels, fat book contracts, and maybe the occasional bout of carpal tunnel syndrome. That’s why, for years, most people had no…
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Welcome to My Blog
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My name is Ben Ransom. Cop. Christian. Coffee Connoisseur. Communicator. (Yes, I tried to think of a clever C-word for “writer”—but let’s move on.) Whether you’re here to grow in your craft, be encouraged in your calling, get to know me as an author, laugh at a few ridiculous police…