Using the Ladder of Abstraction to Elevate Science Stories

The Open Notebook is an incredibly generous project, a gift to the science writer community. Everyone involved—the TON creators, the interviewers, the writers who reveal their methods—is helping teach the rest of us a master class in science writing.

Writing is a lonely art. The vast majority of the process, from coming up with ideas to structuring a piece, is carried out in solitude. When you start out, you barely have a clue about what you’re doing, let alone what seasoned professionals get up to. Getting those pros to deconstruct their own methods for all to see is a massive boon to aspiring science writers.

"When I discovered The Open Notebook as a newbie engineer-turned-science-writer from India, struggling to understand the nuances of science writing, I was blown over by the wealth of resources that were free! Reading each of those carefully curated articles, written by writers from all over the world, has helped me become a better science journalist. If there is a way to democratize science writing, TON has shown us how to do it, and I hope it will continue to guide many like me."

The Open Notebook offers not only a wealth of resources, it provides community to science writers at every stage of their career. TON embodies generosity. By reading the site’s expert and timely articles, we can become better storytellers together.

I recommend The Open Notebook to every writer, not just science journalists. Their story dissections are amazing, their pitch database is a goldmine, and their profiles of other writers are the best way to score insider tips and/or feel less alone in the struggle.