Print Journalism, 2009
Tim, who graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Print Journalism in 2009, is celebrating the publication of his first book – a biography of a mysterious 19th Century explorer who came to a sticky end high in the Hindu Kush Mountains (in Pakistan). Here Tim tells us about his career since graduating and more about his book, Murder in the Hindu Kush, published by Gloucestershire-based publisher, the History Press.
"As a self-employed freelance writer and photographer, my main responsibility is to find myself as much work as possible! Once I have a commission or an editing stint, there may be totally inflexible deadlines to deal with and a responsibility to deliver exactly what's been promised.
Before graduating, I undertook several work placements at newspapers – one in the UK and one in Indonesia. I continue to do freelance editing work for one of the Indonesian newspapers today.
My career is a little unusual, given that I simply picked up a freelance writing and photography career that had already started before graduation, during a year I took out between my first and second year of study. I'm based for much of the year in Indonesia; I write and take photos mainly on Southeast Asian topics, and though I have recently started getting work from UK publications, my "bread and butter" is still from publications in that part of the world."
Tim spent a year researching the story of explorer George Hayward, going through his original letters and reports in the archives of the Royal Geographical Society and following in his footsteps through some of the most unstable parts of Asia. The result is Murder in the Hindu Kush.
As part of his research, Tim spent four months travelling through Kashmir, northwest China and northern Pakistan. The culmination of his journey was a solo trek to Yasin in the Hindu Kush Mountains, the spot where Hayward was murdered. Tim says, "These days, 'Pakistan' is a scary word for most people and the country certainly has enormous problems, some of which related directly to the developments of Hayward's era. But once you're up in those high mountains, you're a world away from all the political troubles. I was travelling on my own and all I experience was overwhelming hospitality. My visit to Yasin was certainly more successful than Hayward's !"
Tim is currently working on his next book, the story of the British invasion of Java, Indonesia, in 1811.
For more information about Tim's book - www.murderinthehindukush.com