{"id":859,"date":"2014-12-31T16:18:19","date_gmt":"2014-12-31T16:18:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/williamgallagher.com\/selfdistract\/?p=859"},"modified":"2014-12-31T16:30:03","modified_gmt":"2014-12-31T16:30:03","slug":"a-few-thrilling-moments-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/williamgallagher.com\/selfdistract\/2014\/12\/31\/a-few-thrilling-moments-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"A few thrilling moments: 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two things. First, “I’ve had a few thrilling moments” is a quote either from Grosse Pointe Blank<\/a> or Ally McBeal<\/a>. I forget which, I just use it a lot.<\/p>\n

Second, this is a stupid idea. Stop reading this. And definitely do not do what I do.<\/p>\n

I’ve been enjoying reading blogs about what people got up to this year, I’ve been enjoying those a lot, and I did think it would be spectacularly easy to do one myself. Of course it would: I have a trick. <\/p>\n

Follow. Last year I did this thing, right, and by mistake believed I was supposed to report back at the end of each month. I was entirely wrong. But it took a good six months for them to say, William, look, it’s all very nice, but… And in those six months I had learnt something. I learnt that having to account to someone made me do things that were accountable. Most especially in the last week of each month. Oh, yes. I’m a demon from the 27th onwards.<\/p>\n

Consequently I ignored these fine people and continued reporting back to the end of the project \u2013 and then I carried on doing it over on The Blank Screen productivity website<\/a>. That version is a bit sanitised, a bit more careful, but it’s all there and it’s all true every month. And yep, 27th onwards, demon.<\/p>\n

I’ve got this down now, I really have: when I’ve done something, I make the tiniest of notes in Drafts 4 on my iPhone and know that it is squirrelling it all away into an ever-lengthening document over in Evernote. Effort on my part: pretty close to zero. Result on its part: the demon run of the 27th onwards.<\/p>\n

So doing you a list for the year should’ve been a doddle. It was an enormous doddle. Couldn’t have been easier. Open Evernote, select all, copy, paste, go make some tea.<\/p>\n

Except.<\/p>\n

I’m not stupid, I think the list is okay. I think I did alright. If pushed, I would say that I’m pleased with 2014.<\/p>\n

But have you spotted the ENORMOUS FLAW yet? I have nothing in 2015. Not a bean. This year, not bad. Next year, tundra blowing across the hills. There should be a couple of books coming out, possibly even three, and I’ve been booked for some events that I am spectacularly looking forward to. But tomorrow morning I get back to this desk and I look at the very blankest of blank screens.<\/p>\n

Frozen. Paralysed. <\/p>\n

At least until January 27th.<\/p>\n

If you’ve read this far, thank you and it’s been a treat talking with you this year. If you read on to the list, you’re mad and I am even now dialling NHS Direct to get you some help.<\/p>\n

William<\/p>\n

2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

Writing: approximately 620,000 words<\/strong><\/p>\n

Books:<\/strong>
\nFilling the Blank Screen<\/a> (September 2014)
\nThe Blank Screen Guide: Blogging (January 2015)
\nEditing Catherine Schell’s autobiography (2015)<\/p>\n

Speaking engagements:<\/strong>
\n88 talks, workshops and presentations including:
\nPage Talk panel discussion at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford
\nRepresenting the Writers\u2019 Guild in the House of Commons for Parliament\u2019s Birmingham Day
\nPromoted the Writers\u2019 Guild at two RTS Mini-Summits including one at BBC Nottingham
\nSpoke at Combrook Readers\u2019 Group for short story I\u2019m writing for them
\nPerformed three workshops at Original Writing Day in Newman University
\nRan three-day workshop at Fircroft College
\nMany Young Writers’ Write On! group sessions for Burton, Birmingham, Rugby
\nThe Writers\u2019 Toolkit: produced one panel, spoke on a second, chaired a third
\nThree productivity workshops for the Federation of Entertainment Unions<\/p>\n

Produced Events:<\/strong>
\n9 including:
\nOne Steven Knight interview evening for the Screenwriters\u2019 Forum
\nA separate Steven Knight event at the BBC Drama Village for the Writers\u2019 Guild and the Royal Television Society
\n“Women in Theatre” panel discussion at the Birmingham Rep
\nErica Whyman Royal Shakespeare Company event for Writers\u2019 Guild
\nRoyal Television Society Film and TV Summit breakout sessions<\/p>\n

Fiction, drama and poetry:<\/strong>
\nDoctor Who: Scavenger<\/a> radio drama released
\nRiver Passage: earned Arts Council England funding for poetry app
\nWrote and shot \u201cYe Olde 3G\u201d 30-second video promo: won an iPad Air
\nThirty-minute stage play \u201cMurder at Burton Library\u201d
\nDirected \u201cMurder at Burton Library\u201d for Burton Young Writers
\nResistance: radio, theatre and TV proposals; dozen script pages
\nTransferable Skills (4 pages of script)
\nSoundscapes education scripts (2015)
\nWrote poem \u201cMy Curse\u201d for Jo Bell’s 52
\n1x poem \u2018Heart\u2019 (100 words)
\nRevised novels “Man and Wifi”, “Transferrable Skills”
\nNew novel “Men Win” 10,000 words
\nSeven short stories including The Book Groups for West Midlands\u2019 Readers\u2019 Network and The Flare, a GISHWHES short story by request<\/p>\n

Blogs:<\/strong>
\nThe Blank Screen: 1,229 articles
\nSelf Distract: 56 articles
\nGuest blogs: 9 <\/p>\n

Attended:<\/strong>
\nTheatre: 25 shows
\nOther (meetings, workshops): 54<\/p>\n

Journalism:<\/strong>
\nEdited Write On! Magazine issues 3, 4 and 5
\nRadio Times reviews 10
\nMagazine tutorial feature re iPad
\n2 ecourses on productivity issues
\n2 presentations
\n1 Lifehacker UK article
\nLaunched weekly email newsletter for The Blank Screen
\nTook over monthly email newsletter for the Writers’ Guild West Midlands
\nFour iPad software tutorials
\nMacNN: 30 reviews for US technology site
\nWrote Writers\u2019 Guild press release re Library of Birmingham cuts<\/p>\n

Publicity:<\/strong>
\nPhotoshoot for Writing West Midlands
\nInterviewed for From Croydon to Gallifrey podcast
\nInterviewed in Doctor Who Monthly
\nChiefly great reviews on Doctor Who fan sites
\nStonking review in Doctor Who Monthly: \u201cSeductively gripping\u201d
\nFrom Croydon to Gallifrey podcast interview aired
\nRadio interview: BBC CWR re anniversary of moon landing and TV history
\nTV interview: Russia Today<\/p>\n

Other:<\/strong>
\nBecame regional representative of the Writers’ Guild
\nJoined Royal Television Committee
\nRan day-long workshops in London, Newcastle and Birmingham for Federation of Entertainment Unions
\n8 pages copywriting for PR firm
\nJoined Creative England crew site
\nAsked to judge RTS awards
\nTwo-day drama meeting with Nadia Kingsley and Tom Wentworth
\nNa wrote a poem about me
\nProduced video for Parliament Day and the Writers\u2019 Guild
\nPromoted the move to get Alan Plater a blue plaque
\nProduced 2x videos for The Blank Screen site
\nWriters\u2019 Guild and Royal Television Society event invitation emails
\nBirmingham Rep theatre programme copywriting for Of Mice and Men and Solomon and Marion
\nMet with BBC to discuss general projects plus liaising with RTS and Writers\u2019 Guild
\nLaunched The Blank Screen mentoring
\nRoom 204 Buddying Group: took over managing; ran two quiet social events<\/p>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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