Questionnaire for Media: David Hambling, Freelance Writer
ERPR’s series, “Questionnaire for Media,” features members of the media and asks about their lives and careers.
David Hambling, freelance writer
I connected with David Hambling, freelance writer who contributes to The Economist, Forbes and The Guardian.
How did you first get into journalism? What was your first job in journalism?
I'm a freelancer, so I've never had a job per se working for a particular publisher, although I do have some regular gigs with monthly and biweekly columns. This makes for a much more flexible working life, and it means I'm not reliant on a single source -- which, unfortunately is important in these uncertain times in the publishing industry.
The first paid journalism I did was writing travel pieces for a now-lapsed UK magazine. It's a great field but does not support many full-timers!
How do you decide what you write or publish?
Whatever looks interesting! As a freelance, the work cycle consists of finding cool stories, pitching them to editors and writing them up. So it's a fine balance between the things I'm interested in and what I can sell...though to be honest I pitch a lot of things just because I like them.
My field is technology, and this is a great time to be writing about it, as there is so much happening in so many fields.
There are some particular areas where I have some background so I tend to follow them for new and exciting developments. The internet has made journalism so much easier-- these days you can do pretty much all of it (for technical stories at least) without leaving your desk.
What is the most interesting news story you’re following right now that you’re not covering?
For years I've been tracking the EmDrive, an electromagnetic space drive which has been successfully tested by NASA and researchers at several other institutions...it appears to work, but not according to accepted physics. The ongoing battle between skeptics who say it can't work and experimentalists producing results is fascinating. And one day, if it really does work, it could see us travelling to Mars in days rather than months, not to mention transforming the space industry and, potentially, driving hovercars on earth. Impossible? Wait and see...
If you weren’t in journalism, what would you be doing?
My other 'job' is as novelist, so I'd still be writing. Current work, a SF time-travel adventure called City of Sorcerers, is in the fourth draft or so and hopefully will be about by the end of the year. Before I wrote full time I worked in IT for a major charity.
What do you read or watch every morning?
The Today program on BBC Radio 4 is a reliable and relatively objective window into what is going on. They excel at making politicians squirm, which is always a good sign.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
I find it almost impossible to write a piece without using the word 'however'. There's always a snag, hitch or technical limitation that demands to be introduced with a however.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
I'm a keen birder, and while many birds only fly when they have to, some obviously take sheer delight in being able to fly. In particular, watching swallows and swifts chasing each other around, skimming the ground and performing aerobatics, clearing rooftops by inches and making hairpin turns, you do get the feeling that they are having fun. I wouldn't mind having a go at that...