JEJU WEEKLY

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CommunityEditorials and Opinion
The liberating fun of freelancingNew features and contributors will help widen our perspective
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½ÂÀÎ 2010.12.16  16:44:56
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¡ã Assistant editor Rich Bowden “putting in the hard yards” from Katoomba, Australia. Photo courtesy Rich Bowden

As I sit in my favorite cafe in my home town of Katoomba, Australia, working on this article, I am reminded of the freedom that the writing fraternity is granted by wireless cafes, smart phones and laptops.

Far from being chained to a cubicle working in someone else’s company, freelance writers, editors and the like are now able to choose their own workplaces — mine just happens to be wherever they sell decent coffee!

Six years ago I was commuting for a total time of five hours just to get to and from my less-than-satisfactory job in the city of Sydney, just to be part of the cubicle nation for eight hours of the day. I resigned to commit myself to a full time writing career — something I had, until then, only dreamed about.

Coinciding with the explosion in wireless Internet and the availability of cheap(er) reliable laptops, my change in working conditions saw me spend my working day alternating between my home office, the wireless-equipped library or, as discussed, Internet cafes, preferably those with the right mix of a superior blend of caffeine, elbow space, ambiance and friendliness.

The waiting staff know me as a regular. My writing friends and I use the “office” as an excuse to meet regularly, chat and drink coffee. I’ve met business clients, done interviews, had meetings and drank coffee (did I mention that already?) all the while writing, editing articles or researching material.

After six years, and though exhibiting some dangerous symptoms of coffeeholism (hey, everyone’s got to have an affordable vice right?), I wouldn’t swap my “workplace” now for any other. I’d also highly recommend a similar modus operandi for anyone considering a writing career, either for a living, part time or just for fun.

Some research for this article has shown me that my own little corner of the world is not the only one where such freedom exists for writers and I’m reliably informed by Editor-in-Chief Todd Thacker that the Internet is fairly ubiquitous on Jeju Island.

So, if you have a “feel” for the news, or would like to write an important or engaging opinion piece, now is a great time to write articles for The Jeju Weekly.

Are you fired up by an issue? Or eager to write up that restaurant visit with loved ones/friends? Go on, do what I do, instead of saying you spent (wasted?) a morning drinking coffee at your favorite cafe; take your laptop, plug in and say you’re “putting together a groundbreaking article.”

Whether you’re just starting out as a writer or if you have written on many previous occasions, please feel free to contact us and start covering those stories you always wanted to see covered.

If you need any advice on writing news or opinion articles, doing interviews, or indeed any writing topics, please don’t hesitate to contact The Jeju Weekly’s editorial staff for thoughts, suggestions or advice.

Oh and if you ever drop by Katoomba in New South Wales, Australia ... drop in at the Mountain Ridges cafe and ask for me. I’ll buy you a coffee while we compare notes.

Happy writing!




¨Ï Jeju Weekly 2009 (http://www.jejuweekly.com)
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