A new start: moving from sport to features

I started back at work this past week after a break - for the next three months I will be working in the features department, which is totally different to the news and sports departments I have already worked in at The National so far.

After returning from vacation I was refreshed and ready for my new department. My first impression when I arrived last Monday was that the next few months were going to be very different. The working environment in features seems very productive and certainly friendly, it is very calm, and although I am not used to it, I’m sure I will eventually adapt.

From what I can tell features stories are not heavy, they’re not really hard news, which is good because I don’t like hard news. Writing color pieces is one of the things I enjoy even though my heart is set on being a sports reporter. I know I will have to start have to learn new things and I am willing to give it a go.

Even though I am familiar with the people at The National and the office now, I am still learning about how each department operates. I found out that the features department looks after Weekend, Arts & Life, Review, the news Focus pages plus the Luxury, Ultra Travel and Healthy Living magazines. It works differently in some ways, for example we do at times get to have our say on the photos we post online with blog articles.

What I like about features so far is the variety of topics you can write about, I feel it is endless - from lifestyle issues, to music, movies, fashion, beauty and even health.

I wrote my first piece on Kat Von D's makeup line which was launched in Dubai last week. My second article was for the women's majlis column in Weekend - a column where Emirati women write about general issues affecting them or the culture. My piece was on breaking the status quo as I have challenged the traditions of my culture by moving out of my parents home in Dubai and choosing to live alone in Abu Dhabi.

When I talked to my mentor Melinda Healy about the idea she thought it was a good topic - that’s what made me go for it. Mel has been very helpful and kind with me, she also advised me on how everything works in the department.

I was asked to read all the features sections in order to learn about the content and the the style of writing - each has its own flavour.

Currently I am trying my best to not only showcase my story ideas, but also to show I am capable of getting the writing style down and fine-tuning my writing. I will not deny there are challenges but I am ready to go, and who knows, I might well decide to end up working in features after I am done with training.