Writing....

This past week I attended a two-day seminar, "Writing for Science", to learn about writing science for non-scientists. Initially I thought that, dare I say it, I might want to do this type of work when I graduate. With that in mind, I figured I should start with a class and see what it would entail (and if I was still interested after two days...). I felt awkward with the group because I was the only student and let's face it, I feel awkward whenever I offer up my work/art/writing for others to critique. In short the class showed me two things: 1) I'm still interested in writing science for non-scientists but 2) this endeavor, if I choose that path, would be incredibly challenging. I learned this as I spent time scratching my head and pulling together first drafts and first sentences related to my current dissertation topic. Before discussing one such activity with the rest of the class I read over my first draft (in it's fourth iteration) explaining the main points of what might be an article in a science magazine. I was sure that I'd been able to describe the details without using jargon but much to my dismay my audience responded saying that it was still too technical. Sigh. I felt incredibly disheartened while at the same time glad to have gained invaluable, new perspective. The class gave me a great deal to think about regarding my dissertation, this blog and writing I may do in the future. All I know is that writing is serious work!! And as an avid reader I have even more respect for those who write well (Mary Roach, Bill Bryson, and Candy Simar to name a few).