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The art of juggling jobs
Juggling means always having something up in the air. I really shouldn’t be writing this. I’m on deadline for two press releases, an annual report and a grant proposal. None of these are freelance...
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Keeping my toes in freelance journalism
As mentioned in a previous post, I juggle a lot of jobs these days. Along with working a “gig with benefits,” organizing educational expeditions for journalists and helping raise two headstrong girls,...
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The accidental specialist
When I first began freelancing, I was paralyzed by the debate over “keeping my options open” versus specializing in certain areas of science writing. There’s enough advice out there on the Internet to...
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Avoiding fear and loathing in self-editing
Last March, an article I wrote about the spread of Asian carp in U.S. waters appeared in the journal BioScience. A month later, the editors received a letter from a fisheries biologist in Europe. It...
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The Source is With You: Context Versus Color
This guy isn’t protesting mining. But just because they say it and just because you write it down, doesn’t necessarily mean it serves the story. The rag-tag collection of tents, fire pits and...
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Field reporting: Why there’s no substitute to being there
Eric Mennel, of North Carolina Public Radio, gets a first-hand look at sea-level rise. Image credit: Adam Hinterthuer Somewhere between soaking my boots in the frigid surf as the Atlantic chewed away...
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Bookshelf: The Lives of a Cell by Lewis Thomas
One of the best books on science writing that I’ve ever read isn’t a book about the craft of science writing, it’s a collection of essays written by a scientist about the craft of science. I don’t know...
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Giving in to LinkedIn: three reasons to use the “digital rolodex”
During a recent journalism workshop on using social media, there was a collective groan when the logo for LinkedIn appeared on the Powerpoint slideshow. One exasperated reporter whined, “Do we have to...
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Freeze and Thaw: What Polar Soils Taught Me About Writing
I recently wrapped up work on a profile of a soil scientist who has been studying Antarctica longer than I’ve been alive. I’ve never been to Antarctica, nor have I much experience in soil sciences....
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