There was that early success in his career that convinced Pratchett writing was for him, but it didn't quite push him over into becoming a full-time published writer straight away. Far from it. But a man like Terry Pratchett never looked the sort to have bussed tables or washed dishes by day, before toiling over his typerwiter by night. He did, however, have another job before the writing thing became serious. After working in various journalistic professions after leaving school he became Press Officer for the Central Electricity Generating Board, with his jurisdiction taking in a handful of nuclear power plants. Pratchett joked that he showed impeccable timing with that particular career move, happening as it did some short months after the Three Mile Island partial nuclear meltdown in the US. He once considered writing a non-fiction book about his time in the Press Office, if he thought anyone would believe it.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
