Copywriting | Feature Writing | Hobart, Tasmania
Back in September I was invited to take part in a Hobart Pecha Kucha event.
Pecha Kucha originated in Japan but now takes places in cities all over the world. It’s an event format in which invited speakers prepare 20 slides – images only, no text – and have 20 seconds to speak about each one. Continue reading “Notes from two small islands”
The last few months have probably been the busiest I’ve had since starting work as a freelance writer.
I keep thinking I’m going to get a week or two away from my desk, but every time I near the end of one project, another opportunity pops into my inbox. It’s a really lovely problem to have, and I’m feeling very lucky!
Most of the writing I’ve been doing has been behind-the-scenes work for clients. Some ghostwriting, a few websites, and lots of fact sheets and brochures. Not so much editorial work recently. Continue reading “Copywriting for CSIRO”
Working as a freelance writer means that life is always interesting – the pieces I’m commissioned to write are so varied and I often learn a lot during the research.
A recent commission for Hydro Tasmania was particularly exciting, because it led to an interview with not just one, but two Tasmanian Olympians! Daniel Watkins is currently in Tokyo, and did an incredible job to make it into the final of the men’s canoe slalom event. Peter Eckhardt is a former competitor in the same sport, and now Commodore of the Derwent Canoe Club.
I spoke to Dan and Peter for this piece on The Splash, Hydro Tasmania’s blog, and discovered how Hydro Tasmania co-ordinate water releases for recreational users, as well as the qualities that make Tasmanian canoeists unique on the international circuit.
My latest post for CSIRO’s Resourceful magazine went live last week.
It’s all about the work being done to accelerate mineral analysis on Australian mining sites. We’re finally rolling out technology on Earth that has been used on Mars for years!
If you’d like to read the article, head over to the Resourceful pages on CSIRO’s website.
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Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash
Monday 22nd March was World Water Day – a valuable opportunity to reflect on how lucky we are here in Tasmania to enjoy an abundance of water, and also a time to acknowledge that not everyone in the world is so fortunate. Continue reading “Celebrating World Water Day”
Caught by the River has long been one of my favourite websites. The self-described ‘arts/culture/nature clash’ publishes beautiful and thought-provoking essays, music and photography.
It’s one of the sites that I recommended in my Women’s Nature Writing post a couple of years ago, and I’ve been thrilled by the number of people who have let me know that they’ve become regular readers since that recommendation. Continue reading “An essay on Caught by the River”
You know you’ve been busy when you don’t get a chance to write a ‘Happy New Year’ blog post until the first week of March.
It feels a bit late to be posting a detailed roundup of the projects I worked on during 2020, so I think I will skip that annual tradition other than to say thank you so much to all the clients and editors who chose to work with me. Continue reading “A New Year: Open for Business”
Despite everything that happened in 2020 – or perhaps even because of everything that happened – I’ve managed to keep up a pretty good pace of reading this year.
There’s still a week or so left in the year, but to date I’ve read 107 books. Ten less than last year, but still not bad.
The split was 48 fiction, 48 non-fiction, 8 poetry and 3 mixed anthologies. Three of them were audiobooks, and four of them were e-books that I was sent as a volunteer reader for the Highland Book Prize. The rest were hardcopy, sourced from a combination of new and second hand bookshops, op shops, loans from friends, and free little libraries.
Additionally, I started three books that I didn’t finish – but I tend not to name and shame when that happens, because reading is such a personal thing. Message me if you really want to know…
I thought I’d share my favourite fiction and non-fiction reads, along with a couple of poetry recommendations, in case you’re looking for some reading inspiration over the holidays. (Or perhaps a last-minute Christmas present!) Continue reading “2020: a year in reading”
Earlier in the year, I shared a couple of posts with you that I’d written for Huon Valley Council’s new website.
I cut down on my freelance writing work a lot over the winter, while I focused on family and caring duties (more on that over on my personal blog DorkyMum), but I’ve really enjoyed being back at my desk during November and December and one of the jobs I’ve been enjoying has been writing more Huon Valley blog posts.
We normally just visit the Huon as a day trip, and if I’m honest we usually don’t get any further than a slice of pie and a flight of cider at Willie Smith’s Apple Shed, but all the research I’ve done for these posts has made me realise what a great long weekend or extended break you could have down the Valley and Far South. It seems like an especially good place for families, with plenty to do and see. Continue reading “Huon Valley Council: Stories from the Valley”
After many months of Tasmania’s borders remaining closed to the other Australian states and territories, we are now starting to open up. Last Friday was the latest step in this gradual relaxing of restrictions, when we started to welcome back travellers from New South Wales. I’m afraid our friends in Victoria will have to wait just a few weeks more, although we can’t wait to see them soon too! Continue reading “Guardian Feature: Tasmanian road trips”
Ruth Dawkins Freelance Writer 