A path to successful science writing

Even as an ocean scientist I’m cautious about jumping in at the deep end, so I’ve read several profiles of science communicators to see how they became successful.

I’ve teased out 2 routes they follow:

1. Formal study in communication with internships, then build their experience;
2. Switch from a different career; learn by doing, some follow with communication training.

I’m going with option 2.

Learning by doing.

It strikes me this is obvious. When I learned to walk at 9 months, I didn’t get an instruction manual showing me how to walk in child friendly language and colourful easy to follow step-by-step instructions. I just did it. I tried, I fell, I got back up and I tried again until I could walk.

I can take the same approach with my writing. Indeed, the feedback from my creative writing group is becoming increasingly positive the more I write. I think I can do the same with my science writing.

The problem is that this goes against Austin Kleon’s philosophy to “do good work and share it with people” because my early work might not be “good”.

But I need to share it – then I’ll have the chance to learn from what I did wrong. To ‘stand back up’, try again and do better.

Will I build for myself the reputation of a bad writer? It’s possible. But maybe I’ll build a reputation of a writer who’s improved with time and I think it’s a chance worth taking!

(You may read this as an invitation to provide me with feedback!)

Learning by training.

There’s no point ignoring the knowledge that’s already out there.

I’ve started an online course in science journalism run by the World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ). They’re in “close cooperation” with the Science and Development Network and have produced a series of 10 lessons written by experienced journalists and trainers.

I’m loving it! I started taking notes until I realised I was writing just about everything down. That’s the cool thing about it – there’s no fluff! It’s concise and to the point with lots of links to example articles to illustrate the point being made, self teaching questions, and assignments.

My only criticism is that many of the links point to dead websites, but in fairness, this is out of the WFSJ’s control given the transient nature of the internet.

The WFSJ recommend that the course is taken in a group or with a mentor. This is where I fail because I’m going it alone. I’m writing my assignments but with no feedback I have no idea what I’m doing wrong or how to make my writing better.

“It’s lonely at the top”

I wasn’t on my own when I learned how to walk; I had feedback (thanks Mum and Dad!)

I’ll share a secret with you. It’s lonely down here at the bottom too.

This is another invitation to provide me with feedback!

The Journey Begins!

The time to start is now! I’m untrained and I’ll make plenty of mistakes. Maybe I’ll cringe when I look back at what I write now, but as the saying goes, “the person who never makes a mistake will never make anything“. I’ve got to try!

I’ve got a long way to go, but it means I’ll have come a long way when I get there!

Wish me luck!

Paul