Monday, June 22, 2020
By:
“You’re a good writer”
As a budding science writer, I know that it’s good practice to build suspense through a piece– to keep the reader curious, and never give them the excuse to put your work aside. If I’d taken my own advice, I would have told the story of my week without giving away my four favorite words right off the bat, but I was too excited to wait.
At the end of week two, Andrew had sent me a research paper chronicling a new study, which found that the Sun appears to be quieter than similar stars. I’d read parts of the study a half-dozen times, using color-coded highlighters to mark important details, and distilled the short, three-page paper into an even shorter, 300-word article. It was a tricky task; I had to successfully convey the key points of the paper, going far enough in depth to keep a physicist interested without going so far in the weeds that my explanations surpass the 300-word constraint. I read, re-wrote, and re-read my own writing to the point where the words didn’t carry meaning anymore. At that point, I took a deep breath and sent Andrew my draft.
There’s a unique vulnerability to the scenario: in a meeting with your mentor, you sit with hands in your lap and watch him read your first stab as science writing. This brings us to the first sentence of this blog, in which I foolishly gave away my four favorite words: “You’re a good writer.” Andrew liked my article! That said, no first draft is perfect, and most come nowhere close. He gave me some suggestions, and I turned back to my piece to tweak and revise. Next week, it’ll go through a more thorough editing process, and I’ll have the chance to experience that crucial step of science writing.
In the midst of this early attempt at science journalism, I also jumped into a myriad of zoom calls. On Monday, the Physics Today team discussed the logistics to producing a magazine– marketing their articles, selling adds, and getting statistics on which articles are read the most. On Wednesday, I met with some of the other interns to chat, and we ended up laughing until nearly midnight, when those of us on the East Coast were falling asleep between sentences. On Friday, I sat in as the PT writers proposed topics for the next round of articles, and the team worked together to decide which two they wanted to see. It was really interesting to experience the level of collaboration that it takes to get this magazine together. I felt like an audience member who had stepped backstage to watch a scene change take place.
Samantha Creech