Ask TON Archives - The Open Notebook

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Ask TON: Who Should Trim Long Drafts?

I often turn in first drafts of articles that are over the assigned word count by around 20 to 30 percent. I do so knowing that the story will need to be trimmed but wanting the editor’s feedback on what should take priority, and I specifically ask for that feedback about where to cut back. Often, though, the editor sends edits without making any significant trims and asks me to cut things on round two. Am I wrong to expect that editors will help with this aspect of shaping a story?

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by TON Editors · July 24, 2018 · 1 comment

Ask TON: Crafting a Winning Fellowship Proposal

Fellowships can provide a supportive environment that yields more impactful stories, supplement commissions from journalism outlets, provide financial assistance for travel, and foster relationships with peers. Snagging a fellowship requires an application package that makes a strong case for your project’s urgency, showcases your track record and your ability to carry out what you propose, and includes enthusiastic letters of recommendation. Here’s advice about how to assemble a top-tier proposal.

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by TON Editors · February 20, 2018 · 2 comments

Ask TON: Sending Embargoed Papers for Outside Comment

My young science-writer friends recently disagreed over a question regarding embargoed studies. When seeking outside comment, some people send copies of embargoed studies to scientists in their initial email, while others will ask scientists to agree to the embargo before sending it along. What’s the correct approach?

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by TON Editors · October 17, 2017 · 1 comment

Ask TON: How Much Time Should I Spend Preparing a Pitch?

What is a normal amount of time to spend on preparing pitches for magazine feature stories? Some people say they spend as little as an hour, and others conduct multiple interviews before pitching. What’s usually the best approach, practically speaking?

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by TON Editors · November 10, 2015 · 0 comments

Ask TON: Finding Patients

“What methods do you use to find patients for a medical story, and what kinds of questions do you ask them, or their doctors, or yourself, to vet whether a particular patient is the right fit for a story?”

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by TON Editors · October 6, 2015 · 1 comment

Ask TON: Mastering News Turnaround

I’d like to learn how to write faster, so I could turn a story around in just a few hours. Are there some good tricks people who write news use to get stories done on a tight timeline?

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by TON Editors · August 11, 2015 · 2 comments

Ask TON: Using PIOs to Hunt Stories

I’d like to make better use of university public information officers to find ideas for features and front-of-book stories for magazines. What is the best way to do this?

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by TON Editors · March 10, 2015 · 3 comments

Ask TON: Nailing Physical Descriptions

When I’m reporting, everyone I meet seems to basically look ‘regular’ to me. It doesn’t seem worth saying that someone wears glasses or has smoothly brushed hair … I know I’m supposed to look for meaningful traits … What am I doing wrong?

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by TON Editors · February 3, 2015 · 0 comments

Ask TON: When Is Outsourcing Unethical?

To get myself out of a bind without having to tell my editor I was so far behind, I hired another writer who I trusted to help me with my reporting and drafting. It all worked out … but I felt kind of gross. Was it unethical for me to hire a subcontractor?

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by TON Editors · December 16, 2014 · 4 comments

Ask TON: How to Build Narrative in Explanatory Stories

You’re assigned to cover new developments in a complicated field. You know you have to include summaries of some results, and enough background to give readers a good overview. How can you bring some deliciously compelling narrative to a summary-type story?

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by TON Editors · November 11, 2014 · 1 comment

Ask TON: Conducting and Condensing Q&A Interviews

If you’re assigned a Q&A with a well-known doctor or scientist, how do you approach it? What’s the one question you should definitely ask anyone, regardless of background? And how do you decide what to leave out of a Q&A?

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by TON Editors · September 2, 2014 · 2 comments

Ask TON: Using Outlines and Storyboards

You’re finally ready to sit down and write your feature. How do you organize your interview notes and research? Seasoned writers and editors share tips on how to break down your ideas and combine them into a great story—either by outlining, chunking them out, or just letting it happen.

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by TON Editors · August 5, 2014 · 0 comments

Ask TON: Getting Sources to Open Up

Some scientists and other interviewees may not want to talk about controversial subjects; they may be wary of the media; or they’re just difficult to approach. This can be difficult if your source is a key character in a feature story. What can you do to break the ice?

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by TON Editors · June 17, 2014 · 4 comments

Ask TON: Clearing Writer’s Block

Writers gotta write, so at some point, we buckle down and get started. A few particularly prolific science writers offer tips and tricks for how to do that.

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by TON Editors · May 6, 2014 · 3 comments

Ask TON: Taking Notes Discreetly

When you are reporting for a narrative story, interviewing sources—say a researcher or a family—how do you take notes or record what’s going on without being obtrusive?

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by TON Editors · March 25, 2014 · 0 comments

Ask TON: How Soon to Repitch an Editor?

I just received a nice rejection letter from an editor who encouraged me to try again. I’d really like to write for this publication. How soon is too soon to pitch another story?

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by TON Editors · January 21, 2014 · 1 comment

Ask TON: How Much Editing to Expect?

I’ve been a journalist for nearly a decade, but recently went freelance. The first two stories I’ve had accepted went through several rounds of editing over the course of several days. While I benefited from this process and my stories came out stronger because of it, I’m worried. Is this process normal?

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by TON Editors · November 26, 2013 · 1 comment

Ask TON: Reconnecting After a Disruption

If you’ve been out of science writing for a bit, either because of a major project that took longer than expected or a life change like a baby, what’s the best way to get back in?

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by TON Editors · October 1, 2013 · 0 comments

Ask TON: How Many Stories at Once?

How many stories do freelance science writers work on at a given time?

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by Christie Aschwanden · August 27, 2013 · 6 comments

Ask TON: Breaking Into Science Writing

I’m a new science writer and I have very few published clips. What types of stories, and what types of venues (or specific ones) are best for someone like me to pitch to? And what are some good strategies for finding ideas that won’t be pitched by a ton of other writers?

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by TON Editors · July 30, 2013 · 10 comments

Ask TON: How Many Interviews?

For a typical mid-length feature story, how many interviews would you typically do, and how long would each one typically last?

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by TON Editors · July 16, 2013 · 1 comment

Ask TON: Which Meetings?

How do you decide which meetings/conferences to attend?

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by TON Editors · June 18, 2013 · 3 comments

Ask TON: How Do You Juggle Assignments?

How many stories are you working on at one time, and how do you manage your assignments so that you’re not over- or underworked?

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by TON Editors · April 2, 2013 · 0 comments

Ask TON: Why Blog?

Why blog? It takes a lot of time and energy that you might otherwise spend on higher paid work. What do you get out of blogging?

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by TON Editors · March 19, 2013 · 7 comments

THE CRAFT OF SCIENCE WRITING

PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 1, 2020

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To request that your academic library purchase The Craft of Science Writing, download this form.

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Announcements

The Craft of Science Writing is published! It’s available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook form wherever books are sold. Read all about it here. Buy the book here.

Thank you to all who came to our launch party! We had a blast with the standing-room-only crowd at Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle on February 13! Thank you to all who helped us celebrate! If you’d like to bring The Craft of Science Writing to a bookstore near you, please contact Siri Carpenter: siricarpenter@theopennotebook.com.

#PeepYourScience 2020 has begun! It’s time again for science communication to meet sugary confection, for innovators in medicine to be immortalized in gelatin, for the thrill of discovery to be depicted all marshmallowy—it’s time to make a science diorama out of Peeps. Read all about The World’s Finest Science-Themed Peeps Diorama Contest here.

Ask TON

Ask TON: Who Should Trim Long Drafts?

Ask TON: Crafting a Winning Fellowship Proposal

Ask TON: Sending Embargoed Papers for Outside Comment

Ask TON: How Much Time Should I Spend Preparing a Pitch?

Ask TON: Finding Patients

Ask TON: Mastering News Turnaround

Ask TON: Using PIOs to Hunt Stories

Ask TON: Nailing Physical Descriptions

Ask TON: When Is Outsourcing Unethical?

Ask TON: How to Build Narrative in Explanatory Stories

Ask TON: Conducting and Condensing Q&A Interviews

Ask TON: Using Outlines and Storyboards

Ask TON: Getting Sources to Open Up

Ask TON: Clearing Writer’s Block

Ask TON: Taking Notes Discreetly

Ask TON: How Soon to Repitch an Editor?

Ask TON: How Much Editing to Expect?

Ask TON: Reconnecting After a Disruption

Ask TON: How Many Stories at Once?

Ask TON: Breaking Into Science Writing

Ask TON: How Many Interviews?

Ask TON: Which Meetings?

Ask TON: How Do You Juggle Assignments?

Ask TON: Why Blog?

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