Freelancer of the fortnight: Christine Michael

Click here to view Christine's full freelance profile on Journalism.co.uk.

Why did you choose to become a freelancer?
I have had two spells as a freelancer, between 1998 and 2000, and since 2007. Each time I left the editorship of a magazine, mainly because I wanted to write rather than manage, which is what I was mostly doing as an editor.

If you trained, where? If not, how did you become a freelancer?
On the strength of helping to launch a rival to the student magazines at Oxford University, I was accepted onto the editorial training scheme at Thomson International, which was then owner of the Times. Two years working on B2B titles, combined with formal journalism training, set me up for pretty much anything I've encountered as a freelancer.
 
Do you specialise in any particular field and what areas do you write about?
I write about health, and specifically diabetes and anything related to it. My interest started when I was editor of Slimming Magazine and then Slimming World Magazine and learned about the huge impact that nutrition and weight have on health. Then I was asked to launch Sweet, a consumer magazine about diabetes, and I began to specialise further from there.  Recently I've also branched out into writing about pharmacy. Earlier in my career I edited Moneywise Magazine for five years and so can turn my hand to personal finance, property and business issues, too.

Which publications have you been published in?
As a freelancer my byline has appeared in Top Santé, ASDA Magazine, Prima Baby, At Home, Best, Your Home, Shares, What Investment and InPharmacy Magazine, as well as customer publications and editing projects for clients. I have recently set up my own independent online magazine, DiabetesChoices, which I update daily.

Which articles, in which publication, are you the most proud of?
I am very proud of launch-editing Sweet magazine; it was a freelance role with a small team who all worked remotely. As I specialise in service journalism I'm also proud of any piece that readers say makes a positive difference to them. It sounds cheesy, but I don't like to write anything I'm not proud of or haven't done my best with.

What are the best and worst aspects of freelancing?
The best aspect is being able to take on opportunities that come up, whether it's beginning a new project or sneaking a day off when it's quiet. As I've spent many more years on staff than as a freelancer, the worst aspect for me is the feeling of not being part of a team. But project work is the best of both worlds; you can get thoroughly immersed in a title for a while and then hand it over and move on.

Do you have any interesting anecdotes in relation to your experience as a freelancer?
I once spent a fortnight travelling the country in a small van with a TV crew as a freelance researcher, which was exhausting but fun. Covering the diabetes field has taken me to conferences in Montreal and Rome, and also to Geneva to report on a football tournament for children with diabetes, where I interviewed Sir Steve Redgrave over lunch. He is a big football fan and it was quite surreal to watch this Olympic legend cheering on the British kids, who all looked up to him. Enough to bring a tear to any cynical hack’s eye!

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