Most writers learned in elementary school that a good story requires a compelling beginning, middle, and end. But how does one make the pieces fit neatly together? From my tattered memory of grade school, […]
The following story diagram—or Storygram—annotates an award-winning story to shed light on what makes some of the best science writing so outstanding. The Storygram series is a joint project of The Open Notebook and […]
Most of us have experienced the moment of truth when thunder fractures the quiet of an afternoon and a stray lightning bolt streaks across the sky in the distance and we wonder: What are the odds that’s close enough to reach me?
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake ripped through the heart of the central Italian mountain town of L’Aquila in April 2009, killing more than 300 people. To the horror of much of the scientific community, seven scientists […]
Asking for More: Negotiating Rates for Freelance Assignments
Good Beginnings: How to Write a Lede Your Editor—and Your Readers—Will Love
Tools: Planner Pad, the Funnel of Focus
Office Hours with Douglas Starr
Data Journalism: A Primer for Science Journalists
Trading the Pipette for the Pen: Transitioning from Science to Science Writing
Kathryn Schulz Paints a Chilling Picture of “The Really Big One”
Finding the Science in Any Story
Office Hours with Stephen Ornes
Storygram: Joshua Sokol’s “Life After Mercury Poisoning”
Pitching Errors: How Not to Pitch
Michelle Nijhuis’s Brief Guide to Writing Reported Essays
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