Julie, Julia & Selina

I was watching the movie Julie & Julia starring Meryl Streep.

It wasn't boring actually [that's for you, Soph ;)], it was funny and interesting. It's a true story [2 true stories] and is definitely one for writers & the blogging generation.

There's an early scene where the main character Julie is sat with her friends. She's an aspiring writer working in a call centre and her friends are advanced in their high flying careers except her. One of her friends is an established writer & tricks her into participating in an unflattering article on herself.

Julie decides to give herself a project - she sets up a blog with the intention of recreating every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook. Julia Child introduced French cooking to America. Her life is documented in the movie too as she is struggling to get her book published in the early stage of her career.

This was my favourite scene - during a kitchen meltdown Julie receives a life changing phone call as her blog becomes successful.

It was an inspiring story and reminded me to stay motivated.

Spotlight: Charles Arthur - How I Got My Media Break

Charles Arthur is the Guardian's Technology Editor.

Charles Arthur, the Guardian's Technology Editor

My journey into the media began when Dunlop had a competition where you could win a week in New York watching the US Open tennis. I entered it and won. I offered to write an article for a tennis magazine that was then going, they accepted it and said "if you'd like to do more..." So I got to go to the professional tennis events all over the UK.

I did that while having a job in the civil service - the amount I got paid by the magazine wouldn't have covered a good meal.

After two years I realised I definitely didn't want to be in the civil service, and definitely did want to be in journalism, but there wasn't any chance of getting a job in tennis journalism - the national papers were all sewn up, and the magazines were tiny with no budget and barely any staff. I noticed that it was actually me who was asking the questions that got the best answers in the press conferences. My degree is in electronic engineering - and so I expanded that.

I looked for jobs in the computing trade press. I got offered two in one week - but the one that I really wanted I was offered on the spot, in the interview room, by David Craver who subsequently set up ZDNet in the UK. David was a great man - I don't say that only because he hired me - who died a year ago.

After five years at Computer Weekly, I became news editor, which meant trying to herd all the cats in the newsroom. It was fun, but I wasn't great at it, because I wasn't good enough at the personal side. Too young, perhaps.

I went from Computer Weekly to Business magazine, that went bust so I freelanced for a year and then joined New Scientist. Then one day the cartoonist came in and said "so I suppose you're going to apply for that job on the Independent?" I knew the person who was leaving it, had a chat with them for some useful interview info and got the job - which was mostly reporting. Though at the end of my time at The Independent I was editing its technology pages, on pretty much zero budget.

We had a third child coming and freelancing seemed like a better way to balance family time. So I spent a year freelancing. Then the Technology editor job came up at the Guardian, which I regard as the pinnacle of technology journalism in Fleet Street, and which only comes up about once a generation. So I went for it..

I've liked all my editors which tends to help. If you're not enjoying your job, you're either in the wrong trade (I think of journalism as a trade, not a profession) or the wrong place. If you're in the wrong place, find somewhere else, or make it. I've never done a job I actively hated. Life's too short.

Links to connect with Charles Arthur:-

Follow him on twitter

Charles Arthur's blog