Freelance wildlife writer, editor, and proofreader.
The home of an enthusiastic wildlife and environmental content creator
As I briefly mentioned last week, my main goal for this year is to continue running a successful freelance business all while being the best first-time mummy I can be. But what other goals do I have for 2022 and what are my top tips for how you can set your own goals for the year?
Continue reading “Goal setting: how to do it and be held accountable”
Well, what a year it’s been! I’ve had the pleasure of working with some incredible clients over the last 12 months and, as many of you already know, I’m very much looking forward to welcoming an adorable bundle of joy in the next few months, but as the year draws to a close, I thought I’d take a look back as some of your favourite animal facts of 2021.
Continue reading “Looking back on 2021: where did that year go?”
Over the last year, I’ve shared hundreds of posts containing interesting and credible information surrounding wildlife and the environment. But what goes into creating these posts?
Continue reading “Preparing for 2022: A day in the life of a content creator”Throughout my career in magazines, I have specialised in providing hundreds and hundreds of stories on the topics I am most passionate about – animals and the planet we share with them. Within the last couple of years, I’ve noticed that climate change stories have become more frequent and I would often find myself writing about them almost every single week.
Now, most people know that climate change is an issue because it’s unfortunately taking a negative turn. But what is climate change?
As previously mentioned, I would frequently write about the latest climate change news, often needing to include a clear and succinct definition that was easy for eight to ten-year-olds to understand.
I recently came across this helpful BBC Radio video, which explains exactly what climate change and our carbon footprint is in 90 seconds so thought I’d share it.
On 15 February, thousands of young people across the UK ditched school to take part in a climate change strike demanding that the government take immediate action in tackling the issue. Demonstrations took place in 30 towns and cities, stretching from Cornwall all the way to the Scottish Highlands. The campaign was inspired by the actions of a 15-year-old student from Sweden, called Greta Thunberg, who misses lessons every Friday to protest outside the Swedish parliament.
On 31 May, London Zoo announced that they’d recently had a surprise arrival at the zoo. Meet Poco – the tiny tamandua.
Poco was born to proud parents Ria and Tobi (who only moved to the zoo last October as a hopeful companion). Keepers welcomed the newborn’s arrival, which took place just five months after the pair of tamanduas had been introduced. The cute Easter arrival clung to Ria’s fur but now, at two months old, Poco is beginning to venture away to explore the Rainforest Life home.
Tamanduas are nocturnal creatures, native to South America. Part of the anteater family, these mammals are impressive climbers and have tongues that can grow up to 40cm long. This species has very small eyes and poor vision, so relies on its hearing and strong sense of smell.
Tamandua baby (c) ZSL London Zoo
Permission grated by ZSL to use imagery.
This year at Dennis Publishing, the company is supporting The Bumblebee Conservation Trust – a UK based charity dedicated to reversing the dramatic decline in the bumblebee population by ensuring the country is filled with suitable habitats rich in colourful wildflowers.
Bumblebees are vital in the survival of the planet. These small striped creatures, along with other insects, are responsible for pollinating more than 80% of the crops grown for humans to eat – that’s around 400 different types of plants, including fruits, vegetables and nuts. However, our wild bee population still faces many threats from intensive farming, habitat loss and climate change.
On 17 May, Friends of the Earth launched their fifth annual Great British Bee Count. They’re encouraging the public to identify and record all of the different species of bee they spot until 30 June – of which approximately 270 have been recorded in Great Britain. To help with telling the different bees apart, Friends of the Earth have published a handy identification guide, which can be found here.
My writing career began at one of the most famous wildlife and nature titles in the world… National Geographic Kids. Now, among other pages, I’m the sole writer of the Animals and the Environment page for The Week Junior and have never been happier to provide content on such a wonderful topic that is so close to my heart.
Every week, I research and pitch stories suitable for the Animals and the Environment section of the magazine, but since we are limited to the number of stories we can feature, many amazing tales go untold. So each week, I’m planning on sharing my favourite wildlife story to spread awareness and, overall, joy when it comes to the wonderful world of nature.
I’m so excited to be back to blogging! Since becoming a full-time writer, my blog has sadly fell by the way side as I completely and wholeheartedly immersed and dedicated myself to perfecting my style of writing.
For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to take on freelance projects. I believe freelancing will help me develop and broaden my knowledge and experience even further, and now just feels like the right time to branch out and begin my new chapter.
Without sounding like I’m blowing my own trumpet, I have a really exciting future ahead of me. I recently got engaged to someone who’s job entails a lot of travelling so I know that freelance writing would be the perfect fit. What with wedding planning in full swing and the prospect of taking on new challenges and projects, I’ve never felt happier.
Writing for a weekly current affairs magazine has shown me that I am capable of writing about any topic in any length, whether it be full page features or news stories told in just 45 words.
On the topic of freelance projects… yesterday I received an email confirming that I had been accepted as a Standard level writer on Copify! I had submitted my CV and a sample of work over the weekend, and was surprised to have been confirmed so quickly (the website said it could take up to seven days). So I’m looking forward to getting started and being able to sink my teeth into some copywriting projects.
I’ll of course be keeping my page updated with all the exciting ventures I begin and I look forward to seeing where this takes me.
Until next time…
Freelance wildlife writer, editor, and proofreader. 