The definition of success

A friend is just after saying that he avoids writing blog entries about rejections, he chooses instead to focus on the successes he has. I couldn’t fault that in the slightest, I’ve no doubt you see his point entirely: whatever else a blog is, or whatever else you claim it is when you’re excusing the time you spend on it, a blog is an advert for you.

That may be a bit harsh: call it a promotion. I’m a professional writer so maybe it’s more apparent with folks of my ilk (I sell my writing, here’s some writing I do, I’m available through Thursday, rates on request, that kind of thing). But anyone’s blog paints a picture of them for us all to see, just as all writing is terribly revealing of the writer.

So, successes.

Trouble is, you get me talking and I feel more comfortable talking about rejections. I’ve got more practice. Plus, I should say that there are successes I cannot tell you about: projects that have gone well financially, for instance, but otherwise don’t have a lot of material to show for themselves. I’m sure I’ll tell you about them some time, you’re certain I’ll never spill the beans about the beans they pay me.

(Just as an aside. There’s a William Gallagher who used to edit Doctor Who fanzines. It isn’t me. But once I stumbled across an internet discussion about him/me, lambasting my writing and being jealous of his incredible earnings. Even being one of the William Gallaghers involved, it was hard to unpick their confusion except that I’m guessing the incredible earnings are his. That would mean the lambasting was mine, but if I can’t tell from your writing who you’re talking about or what he’s done, I think there’s it’s a fair bet it’s not my writing you should be focusing on first.)

(Another aside. There is another William Gallagher. There are loads of him. But there’s a new one, a new William Gallagher has started a blog. I can’t read it, I don’t even recognise the language for sure, but somehow Google’s references to it are in English and he appears to be greatly concerned about internet dating. If you’re here looking for advice on New Zealand dating practices, I thank you for your patience in reading this far and direct you please to this fella.

Now after all that, I’ve run out of time. Okay. Can’t tell you about cash, can’t tell you about contracts, can tell you I’ve had a great, great week. Three days on RadioTimes.com, two days on Doctor Who Adventures, five mornings and five evenings on Doctor Who Adventures, one day on Radio Times magazine. I realise this adds up to more than five days but that’s because it did. It has. Er, it was. It’s continuing to be.

Doctor Who Adventures is a delight: instantly liked everybody, instantly relished the work. Can’t get enough of it.

Then that short play of mine has been kicking up some dust for me. If you’d asked, I’d say you were mad to write a piece that short but it is doing surprisingly well for me. And right now it’s doing well on its own: I don’t even have to tend it, I just hear positive noises every now and again.

Speaking of plays and scripts, I’m doing a thing in the gaps this week that is definitely one of the best ideas I’ve ever had. Not 100% sure I’m getting it down as well as I could but it’s getting down and it’s working.

And speaking of working, you’d be surprised how many people ask me to read their scripts. Hardly any. It used to come up a lot and I’ve even been a professional script reader for real money but a few months ago I had someone’s piece in front of me and I just had enough. I truly believe it when producers say there are very few good scripts around because I don’t see any either.

So I’ve stopped agreeing to read things. But I agreed last night and read something through that was a treat. Bit scary for my wimpy tastes, but dialogue that was alive on the page. Sounds so simple, but it’s so rare.

As is my gushing. Sorry, I went off on one: it’s really been a bouncy, great week and I just had to bubble at you for a time.

Did I mention how good Doctor Who Adventures is?

William

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