Freelance journalist Ek Heng Ng
Click here to view Ek Heng Ng's full freelance profile on Journalism.co.uk.
Why did you choose to become a freelancer?
After working in journalism and public relations careers for 20 years, I decided on freelance writing as I thought it would be an acid test of my ability to make a living doing what I enjoy, that is, writing and editing.
If you trained, where? If not, how did you become a freelancer?
With my grounding gained from working as editorial staff in an international newsagency and perspective from public relations, I decided I was ready to provide value-add in editorial and marketing communications to my clients.
Do you specialise in any particular field and what areas do you write about?
Technology and management are areas where I have a track record and work samples. But the Internet is a wonderful tool that can be tapped as a rich resource for any topic by a writer.
Which publications have you been published in?
I have completed many editorial projects for Singapore, UK and US clients. Some examples are pilot publications like ITMedicine and Clinical Trial Reporter for Lippincourt Williams and Wilkins Asia, NonWoven Textile Asia magazine, as well as features for Elsevier Business Intelligence (Healthcare), Singapore tertiary institutions and research institutes (online and print publications) and business organisations.
Which articles, in which publication, are you the most proud of?
As a writer, I hope to be a bridge in sharing knowledge that will benefit the readers. So I reckon I do have a particular interest in feature writing as well as getting involved in bringing out publications. I would relish getting involved in writing for multi-media projects. I have taken to producing short video clips after my own interest which can be found here.
What are the best and worst aspects of freelancing?
The worst part of freelancing, I suppose, is that I do not have colleagues to bounce ideas around. Seen in an economic sense, the good months with projects are the high points and the low points are the quiet periods. The bottom line, however, is that I do not have to justify my time to any boss and I have the freedom to get involved in work that improves my knowledge in many areas.
Do you have any interesting anecdotes in relation to your experience as a freelancer?
Once I had a client who complained about the fee, considering the eventual number of words produced. But I must say such clients are a rarity. My rejoinder was that they could invest in a dictionary if they were just interested in words and not the drift and import of the total message, which also had to suit the appropriate medium.
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