After two years at PNAS, I’ve left to become a freelance science writer/journalist. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and for a number of reasons this seemed like a good time to transition into freelancing.
Unfortunately, unlike the videogame, there’s a distinct lack of flying through space while trading supplies and fighting off other spaceships…On the plus side, it feels great to be looking for my own stories, reading lots of different journals (not just PNAS, although PNAS does cover a nice variety of topics), and trying to come up with my own ideas for what to write.
I’ve written one article so far, for NationalGeographic.com, and it was very satisfying to find and talk to several different sources. And it’s been a while since I felt the adrenaline rush of reporting and writing on a really short deadline (a few hours…).
I’ve realized I really enjoy reporting, and that’s something I missed at my old job. So it’s really nice to get back into it. I’m taking things relatively slow while I get back to being a working science journalist, and get plugged in again to various sources. I’ve been getting used to finding stories again, researching them, and pitching them.
I’m working on another story right now, for next week, will post it when I’m done. I’ll be posting any new stories here, and maybe pointing out other interesting science stories–Now that I’m story-hunting, there seem to be lots of small stories that are probably not worth pitching but that are still interesting.
Mostly, it’s exciting to be doing something new…My first story as a freelancer helped me get rid of some of my initial trepidation at the thought of freelancing, and also reminded me of how much I love doing this.
So wish me luck on this new adventure, it should be interesting 🙂