Frances Whiting

Frances Whiting: Sunday Mail Columnist 

As you know by now, I am a journalism/public relations student. Yes that’s right, I’m willing to throw myself into a dying industry with no jobs and no opportunities.  It seems as though all my lecturers focus on lecturing us that this isn’t the case at all, and to be honest, I don’t know whether that is comforting or daunting. However, a certain Frances Whiting shed a glimmer of hope for me. I actually believed her, she made me feel that my choice of degree could lead me somewhere successful in life.

 The former primary school teacher and crèche manager currently has her own column in The Courier Mail that has been providing smiles and laughs courtesy of her witty and wise writing style for an astonishing 16 years, that’s basically my whole life plus a mere three years. Frances is also a feature writer for Qweekender magazine, where she explained she writes for readers that want to feel something, and want to change something in the lives. After years of ‘shit kicking’ in the form of real estate write ups and hard news stories, Frances followed her passion and became a feature writer. I asked her how exactly she made this transition, and her answer was simple, passion, enthusiasm and perseverance; qualities that I really need to start acknowledging. 

There was something about Frances that really comforted and motivated me.  The message she kept reinforcing throughout the conference was that to be successful, one needs to find their own voice, find a unique way of doing things and stick to it.  For example, in Frances’s column in the Courier Mail, she spoke of how she is personal, but never intimate. She explained how loyal readers feel they know her as a person, one fan even thought he was chummy enough to discuss her weight and hairstyle.... but yet she never shares anything that she wouldn’t feel comfortable discussing socially in real life. This is what she referred to as a “safe” space, as once you have an online or media presence, you need to develop a barrier between your writing and your intimate life.

Overall, I say good on you Tony, for asking Frances to come and speak to us. Not only did the media conference restore faith in my desired career, but it also reminded me that what ever I choose to do in my life, I have to enjoy it, because like Frances mentioned, I’m the furthest thing from a heiress and will therefore spend an insanely large chunk of my life working. So lets hope one day I can truly say I love what I do.  Unfortunately for now, stationery orders, petty cash and tax returns just aren’t cutting it... but hey I have to pay rent somehow. 

To experience Frances's witty yet wise writing style have at look here