Having an exist-l crisis...

So much to talk about, so little time, and all without the “L” key. Or the full-stop key for that matter. Yes, dear reader, my laptop finally gave up the ghost. I suppose there are only so many times you can drop it while travelling or, ahem, spill a glass of red wine over the keyboard.

Anyway, for now, I am having to literally copy & paste those characters into my text. Except, because the Ctrl key isn’t working either, I have to do it the long way round with no shortcuts. Ahh, the joys of being a freelance journalist...

I do have an old full-size keyboard knocking around, so, for the time being, I can attach that when I’m back at home. But as I am currently working from the Eurostar, with no room on my fold-out table for an additional keyboard, I am having to make do.

Laptop woes aside, it’s been an extraordinarily busy time, which means I've had very little time for more relaxing stuff like blogging. Or, in fact, anything much at all beyond work.

For one thing, I did my first proper journalism teaching session, which was such an honour and a pleasure. I’ve been providing mentoring/skill-sharing/general help to fellow freelancers in whatever way I can for quite some time now. In addition to assisting members at the Society of Freelance Journalists, which I co-run with two wonderful colleagues, Laura and John, I am part of the mentoring scheme for the journalism undergraduate programme at Birmingham City University. I’ve also participated in several panels about freelancing over the past few years.

So, now I’m finally putting all that experience – and all those lessons learned the hard way – to good use. Going forward, as well as my informal voluntary work, I will also be undertaking formal teaching.

For my first assignment, I conducted an online training session for News Associates, the leading NCTJ journalism school in the UK. My task was to give the post-grad students an introduction to the basics of freelance journalism, which is what I spend most of my waking life thinking about, so I hope they found it useful. They were certainly a brilliant bunch and could give any seasoned freelancer a run for their money.

Next up, I will be doing an online session on freelancing for the Women Freelancers’ Collective. For that one, we’ll be diving into the nuts and bolts of freelance journalism – from powering up your pitches and the value of networking to the importance of building a brand. We'll also be exploring some top tips from editors and journalists at leading publications – including a few things I wish someone had told me before I sent my first pitch into the void.

It's always such a pleasure to share what I’ve learned with fellow freelancers – if only to help people avoid the pitfalls I myself have faced. If you’re part of the Collective, I will look forward to seeing you there. If not, and you'd be interested in a similar session for your organisation or group, feel free to get in touch.

Aside from my new teaching work, I’ve also been continuing with my usual editing projects and writing assignments. To add to that, I’ve just returned from a magical press trip in the Loire Valley. But that’s a story for another day and deserves a post in its own right.

I promise, therefore, that I will try not to leave it so long next time. Well, subject to having a table large enough to attach my big, clunky keyboard to my travel-weary, red-wine-recovering laptop. A lesson for all my students, I might add, in how not to manage your equipment...