On Sunday, we returned from Launch Pad, the astronomy workshop for writers. Our minds are overflowing with facts and ideas. Our first post about Launch Pad dealt with how Earth experiences seasons. (Hint: It’s not the distance; it’s the angle.) Now, we’ll take a small step—in astronomical terms—and share five things we learned about the Moon. The far side of the Moon is not the … Continue reading Launch Pad: Facts about the Moon
FOR ALL THE POSTS FROM LAUNCH PAD, CLICK HERE. George R. R. Martin is wrong. One of his Game of Thrones characters is seven years old and has not yet experienced winter. That’s just not possible. Sure, it’s fiction—it’s a made-up story. But even in fiction, the writer must build an internally consistent world. The term year is a measurement of time equal to one … Continue reading Launch Pad: Astronomy for Writers
A book arrived in our mail last week. It came in a flat shipping envelope that revealed nothing of the character of its contents. However, those contents have revealed much to us. Books always do. The cover didn’t promise much: a thick, industrial-blue cover with no meaningful imagery. The spine tag revealed that this book had come from a library. The numbers and letters on … Continue reading Experiments in the Principles of Space Travel
Joy. As emotions go, it’s a relatively straightforward one to communicate. We can share with others our joy in doing something in so many ways: the tone of our voice, facial expression, even the way we move. After watching Jamie Shreeve (at the Santa Fe Science Writing Workshop) describe his role as an editor at National Geographic, it’s clear that this is a man who … Continue reading Writing in General, and Science Writing in Particular: National Geographic
See the first part of this story on FREELANCING HERE. If you take a stab at freelancing, here are Christie Aschwanden’s tips for pitching: FIND A GREAT IDEA READ A LOT: “I can’t emphasize enough how important reading is,” especially reading those publications where you want to publish your work. You want to get a sense of the mindsets and formulas. Popular Science and Scientific … Continue reading Writing in General, and Science Writing in Particular: Freelancing (2)
According to Christie Aschwanden, you need the following traits to succeed and find happiness as a freelance writer: AN ABUNDANCE OF IDEAS: “Ideas are the currency.” THE ABILITY TO PITCH AND SELL IDEAS: “[Freelance writing] is really a business transaction.” PERSISTENCE: Aschwanden estimates that her pitch success has reached 50%, which means she sells an idea half the time. If you’re not the sort of … Continue reading Writing in General, and Science Writing in Particular: Freelancing (1)
[Keep reading about science writing at Lofty Ambitions HERE or use the tag cloud in the right sidebar.] The Best American Essays 2012, Series Editor Robert Atwan Even those nonfiction writers who focus on science are often interested in the essay form regardless of the topic covered. And science writing makes its way into this annual collection of the best nonfiction from periodicals, which was edited … Continue reading Writing in General, and Science Writing in Particular: Annual Anthologies (3)
FOR ALL POSTS ON SCIENCE WRITING, click HERE or use the tag cloud in the right sidebar. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2012, Series Editor Tim Folger This anthology is divided into six sections, each representing a different area, a different subject matter. Of the 23 essays, five are written by women. That low percentage is at odds with our experience at the … Continue reading Writing in General, and Science Writing in Particular: Annual Anthologies (2)
The Best American Science Writing 2012, Series Editor Jesse Cohen This collection is a wonderful mish-mosh of essays, from novelist and physicist Alan Lightman’s explanation of the multiverse in “The Accidental Universe” to Charles C. Mann’s investigation of “The Birth of Religion.” If you have the least bit of interest in science writing—and definitely if you’re trying to break into the field of science writing—this … Continue reading Writing in General, and Science Writing in Particular: Annual Anthologies (1)
This is the latest post in our series “Writing in General, and Science Writing in Particular.” To peruse all our posts on SCIENCE WRITING, click HERE or the tag in the right sidebar. A Field Guide for Science Writers (2006) In our last post, we discussed The Science Writers’ Handbook, which was published just this year. Today, we talk about A Field Guide for Science Writers, … Continue reading Writing in General, and Science Writing in Particular: Handbooks (2)
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