A talk given at the CLPE conference: https://www.clpe.org.uk/course/39

1. 21ST
CENTURY WRITING?
Tim Wright
Digital Writer
timwright@xpt.com
@moongolfer

2. original interactive content

3. broadcast properties & projects

4. writing: TV, web, brands & radio

5. creative r & d
training
process & ‘play’

6. 1994 - 19981994 - 1998
NOHO DIGITALNOHO DIGITAL MINDGYMMINDGYM MSN PRIVATE EYEMSN PRIVATE EYE EQ [XMASPRESENT]EQ [XMASPRESENT]
1998 – 20031998 – 2003
XPTXPT ONLINE CAROLINEONLINE CAROLINE MOUNT KRISTOSMOUNT KRISTOS PLANET JEMMAPLANET JEMMA [OLC2][OLC2]
2003 – 20052003 – 2005
trAcetrAce OLDTON:OLDTON: [THE NUUK] STORYSPINNER[THE NUUK] STORYSPINNER
WEB, PRINT, RADIOWEB, PRINT, RADIO [HULDER][HULDER] MOBILE SPOOKSMOBILE SPOOKS
2005 – 20072005 – 2007
[LOST GENERATION[LOST GENERATION BBC CASTAWAY:BBC CASTAWAY: [GOLFONTHEMOON] C4 CYBERSKIVING[GOLFONTHEMOON] C4 CYBERSKIVING
& C4 MEMO]& C4 MEMO] REMOTE CONTROLREMOTE CONTROL
2007-20082007-2008
R4 TODAYR4 TODAY TELECTROSCOPETELECTROSCOPE [BBC/KINDLE DEVELOPMENT][BBC/KINDLE DEVELOPMENT]
2008 – 20102008 – 2010
CBBC & R4 SWYWTHCBBC & R4 SWYWTH KIDMAPPED!KIDMAPPED! #SUCHTWEET#SUCHTWEET CBBCNEWSROUNDCBBCNEWSROUND
[4iP][4iP]
2011 – 20132011 – 2013
[THEHAUNTER][THEHAUNTER] R3 PROMS MUSICWALKR3 PROMS MUSICWALK RSC#DREAM40 SCIENCEMUSEUM [COMPOTETREE]RSC#DREAM40 SCIENCEMUSEUM [COMPOTETREE]
TIM WRIGHT – 20 YEARS - KEY
PROJECTSAGENCY – PAID-FOR CONTENT – CD-ROM – WEB 1.0 NETSCAPE
DOTCOM STARTUP – DIALUP CONTENT – WEB 1.0 – BROADBAND GOOGLE
FREELANCE DIGITAL WRITER – UGC - BLOGS – WAP – WEB 2.0 FACEBOOK
CROSSPLATFORM BROADCAST – DIGITAL TV + WEB + MOBILE - YOUTUBE
DIGITAL RADIO – NEWS - SOCIAL MEDIA – TWITTER + FACEBOOK TWITTER
TRANSMEDIA WRITER – SMARTPHONES – TABLETS - GEOLOCATION IPHONE MAKERBOT
LIVE PERFORMANCE – INTERNET OF THINGS - DATA-DRIVEN STORY IPAD KICKSTARTER

7. EXPECT THE DIGITAL
MEDIA LANDSCAPE TO
CHANGE EVERY 2-3 YEARS

8. “THE ILLITERATE OF THE
21ST CENTURY WILL NOT BE
THOSE WHO CANNOT READ
AND WRITE, BUT THOSE WHO
CANNOT LEARN, UNLEARN,
AND RELEARN. ” – Alvin
Toffler

9. WHAT IS WRITING?

10. WHO IS THE WRITER?

11. WHAT DO I WRITE WITH?

12. WHO ARE THE PERFORMERS?

13. “Caroline – big commiserations on your burglary!
Do you know that it was all set up as ‘extra
entertainment’ for viewers?...”
“I’ve let the police know but they weren’t really
able to do anything cos i don’t know your
address. I phoned them again but they started
getting a bit shirty...”
"Who the hell are you and why have
you been sending messages to my dad?
He has got my mum and would not
want anyone else!"
2,500 EMAILS per month*
100+ ansaphone messages per week
*April 2000 – March 2001
WHO ARE THE ‘READERS’?

14. The writer-reader relationship is a ‘personalised’
two-way communication with the all people in your pocket

15. EXPECT 2-WAY
COMMUNICATION

16. DEAR TIM,
DO YOU REMEMBER THE ALLOTMENTS?
I CAN'T PLACE THEM ANYWHERE BUT
OUR UNCLES AND OUR GRANDADS HAD
THEIR SHEDS THERE, WHERE OLD
PICNIC CHAIRS TOOK ON THE AIRS OF THRONES AND DENTED THERMOS
FLASKS GAVE OFF A SCENT OF SUGARED MILK.
WE ATE PEAS THERE, FROM THE POD.
(NEARLY) EVERYONE’S A WRITER
“THIS PARK BENCH LOOKS REMARKABLY LIKE
THE ONE IN YOUR FIRST OLDTON PICTURE. I
USED TO HANG OUT ON IT WHEN I WAS A BORED
TEENAGER WITH NOTHIN BETTER TO DO THAN
DRINK CIDER, SMOKE MENTHOLS AND SNOG THE
LOCAL BOYS (THERE WAS A BOY CALLED TIM
BTW WHO I REALLY FANCIED)”
“OLD MISS SEEWOOD, OVER
150 YEARS OLD AND LIVED BY
THE RIVER. SHE CAUGHT ME
THROWING STICKS AT HER
HORSE CHESTNUT TREE AND
INVITED ME IN TO HER
COTTAGE. THINKING SHE WAS
A WITCH I AGREED.”
IS THIS MY DAD HARD AT
WORK IN
THE BRUSH FACTORY AS A
LAD, MAYBE?

17. SHARE YOUR
STORYWORLD

18. WHAT HAPPENED TO
MY STORY!?

19. IS THIS A BOOK?

21. IS THIS AN AUDIO BOOK?

22. SUCH TWEET
SORROW
IS THIS PLAY?

23. IS THIS POETRY!?

24. ‘HASHTAG’ CULTURE

25. IT’S NOT PRETTY

26. IT’S NOT YOURS

27. MEMES & MASHUPS

28. WHERE DO WRITERS
WORK?

29. CURATORS, PUPPETMASTER &
PROVIDERS OF RABBIT HOLES
DO WRITERS WORK AT ALL?

30. DIY PERFORMANCE &
PLAYMAKING KITS
• Inhabiting social networking & media
sharing services
• Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr
• Searching, embedding & remixing thru tags:
#golfonthemoon
• Playing with Lego, Action Man, Golf
Equipment
• Playing in public, flashmobbing, mapping
out play spaces
#GOLFONTHEMOON

31. WRITING ON THE MOON
(using NASA datasets & media)
THE POWER OF MAPS

32. POETRY IN THE
LANDSCAPE
THE POWER OF MAPS

33. WRITING ON THE CITY
THE POWER OF MAPS

34. MY DOG WRITING IN THE
PARK
THE POWER OF MAPS

35. KIDNAPPED!
THE POWER OF MAPS
OPEN DATA
A MANUAL FOR ACTION

36. KIDMAPPED!
WRITING IN THE WILD

38. A NEW KIND OF
AUDIENCE CONTRIBUTION:
CODE & APPS

39. WHAT IS LITERACY?
Who do you trust?
What are the rules?
Who’s in charge?
Who are you?
What is the truth?
Where’s my privacy
What is reality?
Is this a game?
What level of access do I have?
What kit do I own?
Who owns my data?
What value do I have?
What skills do I have?
Can I understand the code?
Can I write the code?
Who’s side am I on?

40. WHAT HAPPENED TO
‘ALONE-TIME’?

41. PUBLIC EXPERIMENTATION & ‘PERSONALISED’
RELATIONSHIPS
SHORT FORM, EPISODIC CONTENT
(OR ACCESS TO A REGULARLY UPDATING STREAM)
PAID FOR BY SUBSCRIPTION
REITERATION, REPURPOSING
PARTICIPATION & CO-CREATION & CURRENCY
A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY CRAFT-BASED APPROACH
LOCATION-AWARE & CONTEXT-SENSITIVE & ‘LIVE’
REPURPOSING OUT-OF-COPYRIGHT OR RIGHTS-FREE
LITERATURE
GAMES & DIGITAL PLAY

42. Interviewer: "What was it that had
stumped you?“
Hemingway: "Getting the words
right"

43. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?!
Tim Wright
Digital Writer
timwright@xpt.com
@moongolfer