[...]... editors needn’t start off knowing much science Some of the best of them do, but some of the best of them don’t They must, though, be able to learn science, be eager to wade into its complexities, ask intelligent questions, and shake off the high intimidation quotient of a dense, jargon-laden article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Elise was a member of this breed; she was an English... comes before They do their research with integrity, digging deep, and they write with the same care They connect as deeply with the ma- Ideas into Words 2 terial as they do with the readers Indeed, their curiosity and its fruits are a large part of what the reader senses, of what lets the reader trust them—a process that begins with the first sentence When I write or edit, particularly as a piece opens,... all the people who will determine the future of our world Just think: As a science writer, you will have a license to go find something new and interesting about how the world works, and then another something, and another, and another For the rest of your working life, you will get paid to talk to people and pass along the great stuff you find— which can make a difference in the world I am very proud of. .. nonfiction, whether science writing” or any other kind, is an act of intimacy.You are inviting the reader into your world into your mind, no less As your close companion, the reader will share the alien cadences of your thought He will borrow your vocabulary, no doubt of a flavor not quite his own He will be at the mercy of your skills to see, to hear, to think and feel, to assess people and draw them out,... then, is the happy payoff for my pigheadedness all those years ago, one I could scarcely then have imagined: Each time Elise answered my objections or demolished my literary conceits, she’d draw me into the rare and splendid precincts of her mind And in doing so, she’d bestow just the sorts of insights you’ll find in the pages of this book I speak now not of such matters of common sense and good professional... starting out—worked with Elise at the magazine Most of what I know today about writing, especially writing about science, medicine, and other difficult subjects, I learned then Others did, too Those who came to see the ceaseless flow of red ink as the gift that it was went on to great things They wrote for Time and Discover and Life They edited the magazines of elite universities They wrote books, won awards... of learning, so much so that animal trainers count on them They call them “prelearning temper tantrums,” because the frustration means that the creature is about to get it Neurologists have a saying: “Neurons that fire together wire together,” and they mean that literally When a group of neurons fires hard enough to activate other neurons, the receiving neurons actually create new receptors to hold the. .. forward, into the new and uncertain, scientists tend to talk about “truth” as if it were the Holy Grail—always sought, often glimpsed, never within reach Scientific truth is always partial.Yet, for the most part, the best scientists agree on the current best theory, which they recognize because, well, it fits It answers the most questions with the greatest precision and the fewest loose ends There’s a... be fooled, because they have crawled into your mind If you are bored, the reader will be bored If you are skating on thin ice, unsure of the information, readers become uneasy If you are counting on a first draft to be good enough, the reader will flip on by Worst of all, readers can tell when you’re showing off and unconcerned with them They don’t necessarily make the diagnosis, but they do feel annoyed... always just a phone call away; to the dozens of writers with whom I sat on the floor and argued over manuscripts until we got it right; and to the readers of this book, who I hope will carry on the good work with the care and integrity I have valued in all these people This page intentionally left blank Ideas into Words This page intentionally left blank one A Matter of Attitude Only connect —E M Forster, . x0 y0 w0 h0" alt="" Ideas into Words This page intentionally left blank Mastering the Craft of Science Writing into words ideas Elise Hancock Foreword by Robert Kanigel THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY. education, or interest in it. Science writers and editors needn’t start off knowing much science. Some of the best of them do, but some of the best of them don’t. They must, though, be able to. Maryland 21218-4363 www.press.jhu.edu Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hancock, Elise. Ideas into words: mastering the craft of science writing / Elise Hancock. p. cm. ISBN 0-8018-7329-0