The secrets of good science writing
“There are three basic rules to good writing,” said W. Somerset Maugham. “Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” So how do we begin?
An easy starting point is to look at the general feedback about the 2011 entries and our key tips.
2011 Max Perutz Science Writing Award – feedback
Many articles we received had a similar structure: the first paragraph was catchy, accessible and engaging; a story, a situation or an intriguing statement. The second paragraph set out the scale of the disease in question. The bulk of the text then covered ‘the science’, and was often written as if a scientific text has been translated into ‘lay’ language. The final paragraph concluded by referring back to the opening.
There’s nothing much wrong with this structure — although the middle section about the science should be as engaging and accessible as the opening. But it won’t stand out from the crowd.
Decide in advance what is the one thing you’d most like readers to take away with them. Why does your research matter? Write it down as a single short sentence. Hone that sentence. Make sure you understand it and that it makes sense. Rewrite it so it would make sense to someone who didn’t do science past school.
Then start writing. Think of a way to engage the reader with your science using an analogy, a ‘case study’ or another rhetorical device. These illustrative devices should be founded in something familiar to most of your readers and related to your research. Develop these themes, maintaining the relationship between them — don’t abandon your imagery to come back to it only as an afterthought in the final paragraph.
An 800-word article should be self-contained and ‘whole’ — you really can only hope to say one thing, albeit with supporting points, information and arguments. Choose that one thing well and you will write a good article. Choose your imagery or narrative well and you will write a great article.
Some specific points
Be direct, don’t say “I was able to see…” when you could just write “I saw…”.
Be careful with grammar, especially punctuation and especially commas and semi-colons. Don’t use a semi-colon unless you are sure it is appropriate. Double check your use of commas — if you’ve used commas to separate a sub-clause, such as I have done here, try leaving out the text between the commas and make sure it still reads well. Ie: “If you’ve used commas to separate a sub-clause try leaving out the text between the commas and make sure it still reads well.”
Don’t use parentheses (brackets) except to identify an acronym that you will use again later in the text. You’re writing 800 words for a restless reader — if something is only allowed into your piece in brackets, chances are it doesn’t need to be in your piece at all. Brackets are often used to define or explain scientific terms, or jargon: don’t do this — if you need to explain the term, explain it in the main body of the text, not in parentheses as if it’s second-class information.
Break up your paragraphs. It doesn’t have to reach the standard of BBC online articles, where paragraphs are generally one sentence long. But it is hard work to read paragraphs of more than, say, 100 words. There’s no hard and fast rule for word count in paragraphs (or sentences) but if in doubt, put in a break.
Don’t berate the media for not covering your disease area or research interest in the past — not only is this undiplomatic, as you are potentially writing for the Metro, it is irrelevant: your reader is reading about it now.
Some general points
If you use any technical terms, do so sparingly and consistently and provide explanations if necessary.
“The drug I’m using is called fenretinide, and it’s similar to vitamin A, the vitamin found in carrots. It’s able to kill cancer cells, whilst normal cells remain healthy.” (From Wanted: Dead or Alive by Nicola Harris, 2010 winner.)
Use first names rather than titles to help personalise the research.
“Sarah had always been well, she had no other medical problems and like most other people who develop cancer, her immune system was perfectly normal.” (From Hunting out the enemy by Olly Donnelly, 2011 highly commended.)
Key tips
Previous Max Perutz competition judges pooled their ideas to suggest three main guidelines for good writing and good science writing.
1: read
Like any craft, practice is means to success. But it’s also essential to survey the field. The first tip for a writer is not to write, but to read. Read Hemingway and Shakespeare. Read the Brontës and Virginia Woolf. Read features and news articles in newspapers and magazines. Learn what makes other writing good. By reading, you imbibe other writers’ styles and techniques, mix them together with your own abilities and creative stance, and end up with a style all of your own.
It’s also important to read what you want to write. If you want to write about science, read good science writing. Scientist, writer and 2012 Max Perutz judge Dr Jenny Rohn’s blog is a great example.
2: have style
The general rule for clear writing is: think about what you want to write before you want to write it, and write it in the clearest way possible. Avoid excessive use of jargon. If you have to use it — if it is integral to the story you’re telling – explain its meaning clearly. Be original in your use of language and generally avoid clichés or slang. But remember that great writers do use clichés for particular effects, having thought about them carefully first.
Active is better than passive language: “When addressing her troops before they faced the Spanish Armada, Elizabeth I identified the exceptional ability of women to overcome their natural disadvantages.”
(From The best a man can’t get by Jackie Maybin, 2009 winner.)
is better than:
“When her troops were addressed by her before the Spanish Armada was faced, the exceptional ability of women to overcome their natural disadvantages was identified by Elizabeth I.”
Try to avoid ugly, clumsy phrases and sentences all of the same length. Never use a long word where a short word will do. If you can cut a word out, cut it out — and omit somewhat meaningless words, such as ‘somewhat’. When you’ve finished the article, read it through and cut as many words as you can — you are sure to improve it. Fewer, in this case, is more.
Thomas Mann, 1929 Nobel Prize literature laureate, said: “A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” Why? Because a good writer is not satisfied until they have worked on every sentence so that it is as crafted as well as possible.
Starting out
The beginning of your essay is crucial. It must be a hook to grab the attention of the reader. If you haven’t drawn in the reader during the first few sentences, you’ve lost them. There are a number of ways you can begin — and if you read feature articles in newspapers, you will find that most writers use one of the following methods.
First, you can start with an unusual, shocking or quirky fact. Note that it has to be a little out-of-the-ordinary, otherwise the reader won’t be interested. Second, use a fictional narrative, drawing the reader in by placing them right in the middle of a scene that they can imagine. The temptation here is to include irrelevant details — for example unnecessary descriptions — so be minimal, and certainly not flowery.
Third, begin with a question. The more intriguing the better. How could a reader not resist finding out the answer by reading on? Fourth, use a quote, but don’t make it too long! — It’s only a hook, not a walk-in wardrobe.
Alternatively, think of a completely original way to start an essay. Whatever you choose, make sure your opening is relevant to the topic you’re writing about, and not simply stuck on like a piece of lace.
Example:
“It is the start on an invasion. There is no gunfire or explosions, just the mundane tickle of a fly landing on your skin. In Sub-Saharan Africa, this moment can be just a deadly as bombs and guns if that tickle is a blood-sucking tsetse fly.”
(Opening paragraph from Putting Sleeping Sickness on the Radar by Amy Capes, 2011 winner.)
Centrepiece
So what about the middle? As this exercise is writing about your research, the main part of your article should be exactly that — about your research. Try not to prolong the preamble and to squash the description of your research into a few sentences at the end of the essay. If you write: “Briefly, this is what my research is about…” we may be frustrated that we can’t hear more of it.
Lead us through the science; it’s a narrative. What do you actually do? If you’ve already got good results, flaunt them. What is the ultimate goal of your research? Is it controversial in any way? If so, you’ve got a tough job because justifying it is part of your mission. Essentially, why does your research matter?
Think about the ideas first and how you explain them when speaking to someone you know. Would they understand it? Would they even care? Is there an original way of explaining it? Do not pitch too high. Test it out on a friend.
Be careful with analogies — they have to work. Avoid excessive metaphors and beware of mixing them. Be wary of using the word ‘imagine’. If you are describing an analogy, the reader will imagine it without your instructing him to do it. Avoid anything too corny. For example, use puns with caution — except for headlines and subheadings, where puns are often very effective.
Making too much of it
Are you making false claims about the value of your research or sensationalising it? For example, beware of saying that you are just a few years away from a ‘breakthrough’. You may feel the need to be melodramatic — resist, and have confidence that your science writing is good enough to convey the research in an accurate, yet entertaining, way.
In general, shun a supercilious or self-righteous tone. Are you making references to your being a scientist and how virtuous you are? If your essay is good, we will know you’re benefiting society and why. Whatever you feel about the ‘press’, do not criticise journalists for sensationalising a story in the past — remember that you, as a science writer, are now one of them. And you now have the chance to communicate the right story — the clear, honest and positive truth.
The end
The end is important too; it must leave the reader feeling satisfied. It may reflect ideas and themes within the essay, and is probably better if it isn’t a hackneyed phrase. Often the end is a ‘kicker’ — this a kind of ‘twist’ which may be ironic or thoughtful, and make the reader want to know more. Read newspaper features for examples.
Words for you
Finally, and perhaps most crucially, do not neglect one of the most basic rules of style, which is to make sure you know how to use your tools. How good would a carpenter be if they didn’t know how to use a lathe or change a hack saw blade? Love language — the flow of words and sentences, and the way you can use a black and white page to conjure up colourful ideas in a reader’s mind. Be like the painter, whom Annie Dillard asked how he came to be a painter. “I liked the smell of paint,” he said.
Grammar and punctuation are important; the heart of the craft. Don’t make mistakes, because the reader may think you can’t use your tools, and not trust your finished product. Watch your commas. Understand the way sentences are constructed. Read a grammar book.
3: rules may be broken
The third rule is very simple. You may break any of the rules mentioned here, although it helps to have understood them first. “It’s not wise to violate rules until you know how to observe them,” said T. S. Eliot. But when you know, you can flout any convention and be as original and as crazy as you like. You can take the words and use them as you would chemicals in a scientific experiment — mix them together and analyse the reaction. Inject your words on to the page and watch the ideas gradually appear like bands on a gel.
That is the beauty, the fun and the liberty of writing, and you are free to do all this. As long as you do it with style.