Concentrate, Focus power!

Lately I've been rather evasive or downright secretive about work. That's because I've recently made a move into science writing! Readers of this weblog may notice that this explains my recent spate of rants on grammar and style.

Essentially, I realised that I prefer explaining concepts over testing theory through experiments. Over the last few months I've been writing a popular science book. It's only half-done, but I'm revealing this now because it'll have go on hiatus while I settle into my new job. So it's big announcement time: from next week, I'll be Staff Writer on BBC Focus, the PPA Specialist Magazine of the Year. My work will mainly involve writing copy for the magazine and website.

There were over 50 applicants, so I'm extremely happy and proud to have got the position. The interview involved a half-hour discussion with the Editor and Consulting (ex-) Editor, followed by 30 minutes to write a news story. I would describe my writing on the day as pretty piss-poor, so I gather that I must have interviewed well. After having designed a few websites (and spending too much time online), I suspect my knowledge of How the Web Works™ helped things.

The publishing and journalism industries don't pay well. Even with my PhD providing a slight bump, I'm effectively taking an over 40% pay-cut compared to a research salary. Not that I mind too much, however, as I'm sure the work will be much more fun. As a long-time technophile, hopefully writing for Focus will give me the opportunity to talk technology too.

I enjoyed a 2 week placement at Focus last December, where I got to write several news stories for the website (e.g. Memory Chimp), plus various bits and pieces that have appeared in the last two issues of the magazine (e.g. How to memorise a long number, March 2008, page 49). The thought of a 28-year-old going on "work experience" still makes me chuckle.

Focus are a small team in a friendly office atmosphere. I haven't been this excited about Mondays since working with Laurence. I'm a good writer, but not a great one. Like all things, the only way to get better is to practise, practise, practise. And getting words in print on a regular basis isn't just immediately rewarding, knowing there's a large audience also helps drive improvement.

Pre-emptive mini-FAQ

Will you still keep this blog?

Yes, but I'll concentrate on my personal interests outside of sci-tech. For biology specifically, I'll be launching a new website soon (more on that once it's ready).

Will you ever return to research?

Probably not, but one should never say never. Right now I certainly can't imagine a career that doesn't involve writing about cool stuff.

What's the book about?

Sorry, not telling! You'll have to wait until it's nearly finished.