
The science essay: Michelle Nijhuis
“Essays allow writers to examine the mind and heart, and speak to both,” SciLancer Michelle Nijhuis writes in her new e-book. “They allow science writers, in particular, to go beyond the simple translation […] ...Keep Reading »

Freelancing Sucks. Long Live Freelancing.
This post originally appeared on The Last Word on Nothing. Last month, Fast Company senior editor Reyhan Harmanci published a column called “Freelancing Sucks.” She wrote: Everyone knows this: the freelancers, who […] ...Keep Reading »

Bookshelf: The Sense of Style by Steven Pinker
A few days ago, I told a writer friend—and fellow grammar geek—that I was reading Steven Pinker’s new style guide. She curled her lip. “Oh,” she said. “Isn’t that the […] ...Keep Reading »

Name That Narrative: The (drinking) game for writers
You’ve heard the advice: Pitch a story, not a topic. It’s a simple rule that’s hard to master, and easy to forget. But never fear. We at The Science Writers’ Handbook are here […] ...Keep Reading »

SciLance Spotting (verb): The act of publicly calling attention to a great story by one of your colleagues
One of my favorite SciLance traditions is SciLance Spotting — giving an email shout-out to a story by one of our members or a member of a fellow tribe. Because, […] ...Keep Reading »

Rituals Between the Writing
I’ll let you in on a little secret. Though I believe in the importance of getting dressed in real clothes each day, I rarely do it before I’ve clocked a […] ...Keep Reading »

Bigger than a breadbox: Size comparisons in science writing
A while back, Susan Moran (bio) was working on a rewrite and found herself referencing a 2-million-square-mile swath of something. “How big is that, really?” she wondered. She wanted to compare […] ...Keep Reading »

Bookshelf: The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt
You’re sitting down to an interview with an important source. As a journalist, you know your job is to try and understand his or her perspective, and to represent it as […] ...Keep Reading »

Pass the Mic: Lessons from a radio-interview marathon
As journalists, we’re old hands at interviewing. But last month, I got a crash course in being interviewed. After a feature story of mine about coal power was published in […] ...Keep Reading »

Best hacks to pump up your productivity
Hands down, science journalism is one of the best jobs around. We get to traipse around with interesting people to interesting places, and we get to tell the coolest stories […] ...Keep Reading »