I don’t normally blog about my work on Micro Mart, just because I have something in every issue, but I’ve been working extra hard on Micro Mart stuff recently (hence the lack of blogging) and even I was impressed by the amount I got done for this issue, so I thought I’d give a little highlight. In this issue, I wrote:

1. BitTorrent Cover Feature. It’s always gratifying to get your work slapped on the cover, even when – as in this case – I was asked to write the feature, rather than it being one I pitched myself. The article covered the advantages and disadvantages of the technology, its involvement in piracy, and did a rundown of the best BitTorrent clients. (3,600 words)

2. Computer Security: The State of Play pt. 2. 4 pages on how to make Windows watertight, from configuring firewalls to best password practise. Part 2 of a 4-part series. (2,400 words)

3. Holographic Graphics Feature. With the world clamouring to bring 3D technology to computers and TVs, I look at what’s coming next. I had a lot of fun writing and researching this one, and it was also featured on the cover. (2,400 words)

4. Ask James. My weekly, one-page Q&A column about computer security issues. (600 words)

In total, that’s 15 pages written in one week, which I think I’m right in saying accounts for around 10% of the magazine’s content. Not too shabby. In the same period, I even found the time to knock out a couple of comic reviews for CBR and the regular feature I do for Comic Heroes (of which more in the next day or two).

The thing about writing for magazines is that you very rarely get the feedback that all writers secretly crave. Editors are always moving onto the next issue, and the thing about magazines is that when you get to the end of an article, you don’t find a “comment here” box to offer your thoughts on it, you just turn the page and start reading a new one.

Any discussion of an article you’ve written feels like validation, even if just some illiterate 12 year old questioning your parentage – so it’s doubly nice when someone enjoys your article enough to actually say so:

I thought James Hunt’s article on 25 [Online] Scams was a very useful contribution to public knowledge.

Why yes! Now that you mention it, it was! Apparently I’m allowed to put magazine articles up after 3 months have passed, so if someone reminds me after that time I’ll stick a version of it up here so that everyone can bask in its helpful glow.