Andrea Wren: Journalist

A novel adventure in July's easyJet Inflight magazine

2008-07-21T13:49:53+01:00

My latest feature in the easyJet Inflight magazine is 'A Novel Adventure', published in this month's issue. The feature is all about how novels can be the inspiration behind a trip to a particular destination, with the idea coming to me after I decided to book a flight to Carcassonne once I'd read Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. The book painted such a wonderful picture of the city that I couldn't wait to see it, and I thought about other books which may have had the same effect on other people (sadly, due to recent personal circumstances, I had to cancel the trip - we were supposed to be flying out in the middle of July - but I do hope to get there soon).

In the feature I talk about a further 5 novels after Labyrinth, and all are books which are centered on destinations that could easily inspire someone to travel to them and discover more.

The missing IT girls - latest Guardian feature

2008-05-13T09:49:57+01:00

My most recent feature in The Guardian's Graduate section was all about the lack of women entering the IT profession, even though careers in the industry offer attractive renumeration packages, and most women use IT in its many forms as much as men.

Numbers of women applying for degree courses are dropping massively - having a big impact on the performance of teams and the balance of the IT sector - so this feature was an exploration of what is going on, any why IT careers should not be dismissed.

I enjoyed writing this - although had to do it in a quick 2-day turnaround and feel mighty proud of the results!

Read the feature here: Abort, retry, or ignore?

Latest Guardian feature: working abroad in more unusual careers

2008-04-07T13:05:37+01:00

I recently wrote a feature for The Guardian on working abroad in more unusual careers, which appeared in last Saturday's Work section on the 5th April. I came upon the idea by chance (as they often occur!) after my cousin recently emigrated to Brisbane, Australia and I was interested to find out what kinds of skills could get you into the country. It fascinated me to see that piano tuners and glass blowers appeared on the 'in-demand' list, hence I pitched the idea.

A fun one to write, particularly in regard to interviewing one of my case studies, 'private investigator' Dave Turner who is based in Bulgaria. If you read the feature, you'll see that he has a very interesting line of work!

Slimming teas feature on iVillage

2008-04-07T12:50:29+01:00

My latest addition to iVillage's health section is a feature I recently wrote on slimming teas, mainly an investigation on whether they work and on what they are. To cut right to the chase, I didn't find that I slimmed down any while drinking them, and this was in considerable amounts for around two weeks for the sake of the feature. Mind you, I wasn't exactly taking a scientific approach!

Still, most of the teas I tried and tested had a myriad of health-promoting qualities to them and tasted nice (if you're into herbal teas and alternatives to caffeine, which I am). So while I wouldn't rely on them to get me into a pair of size 10 jeans still lurking in my wardrobe, I'm still merrily drinking away as I like the fact they're rich in anti-oxidants and other great natural minerals!

I've said it before and I'll boringly say it again, I do love the variety that my freelance work brings me!

Google searching: Tip of the day on Journalism.co.uk

2008-03-17T09:08:25+00:00

I like the 'tip of the day' which comes through on my regular email updates from www.journalism.co.uk. The most recent tip is very useful for journalists who do a lot of their research on the web.

Slick searching: A Google search doesn't trawl the EXISTING web. Instead, Google trawls its cache of pages which can be weeks old. Journalists can use the cache to access pulled pages. If the main link doesn't work - click on the 'cached' version. Tipster: Colin Meek

If you're a journalist and you have some handy hints to share with others, you get a fiver if your tip is published so worth the 3 minutes it would take to write up and email in!