Tag Archives: Writing

When is a writer not a writer?

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A couple of weeks ago we had an interview with a young candidate who wanted to “get into writing”. Though in the end we decided the candidate wasn’t suitable for us, one of my colleagues said an interesting thing. “It’s great to know there are so many nice writers based in Canterbury,” she said. This comment made me pause. “I agree the candidate was very nice,” I said, “but I really don’t think you can call someone with an English degree a writer.”

My comment drew a blank look, though I have to say my colleague’s reaction was no surprise. You see, all too often these days people apply for writing jobs with the misconception that the fact they have a degree – in whatever subject – means they are, by default, the ideal candidate for a writing-related role. Continue reading »

Should you capitalise the i in internet?

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For many years, the question, ‘Should you capitalise the “i” in “internet”?’ has been a contentious one. Is the internet a singular ‘thing’, or is it more an abstract concept? Is the internet new and unfamiliar, or has it now become ubiquitous?

Certainly in the mid-1990s I would agree that there was a case to be made for capitalising the ‘i’ in internet, but now in 2013, it’s fair to say the argument has moved on. The internet is no longer solely the domain of the IT community – it is something we all have a part in, and something we can all (in the developed world at least) access as easily from our smart phones as we can from our laptops and desktop computers. Even the very young are now as familiar with the world of ‘online’ as they are with other technological wonders such as DVDs and Sky TV. Like it or loathe it, technology has become a fundamental part of our 21st century culture, and the way we interact with this technology, both in the way we use it and the way we talk about it has changed drastically from 10, 20, 30+ years ago when computers and computing technology was very much the domain of the ‘nerd’ or the ‘geek’. Continue reading »

So you want to be a writer eh?

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It’s hard to find a good writer. Goodness knows I’ve tried.

I think I’ve spent more time looking over CVs and writing tests than I have actually writing anything recently, and with good reason too. As well as my day-to-day work writing features for the healthcare press, I am also responsible for overseeing the work of our junior writers, and if they’re not up to standard, it soon becomes very apparent!

From my own perspective, there are a number of different factors that make the task of finding a good writer a difficult one Continue reading »