In June 2019, Erin Griffith, a business journalist at The New York Times, tweeted a rough graph outlining the peaks and troughs of writing. I know that I’m not alone in experiencing these regular ups and downs. It’s a cycle that repeats with every piece of journalism I write. The editor’s feedback won’t be as bad as I have imagined-only in my own mind could an editor be such a harsh and tactless critic-and we’ll have a back-and-forth until the piece finally sees the light of day, after which I’ll have a momentary rush of endorphins until my next assignment. I’ll imagine my editor reading it-angry, or worse, embarrassed for me. Once I’ve pressed send, I’ll probably reread the attachment and suddenly all its flaws will become apparent. At some point later, I’ll find that my writing engine gets into gear, but I’ll face a few more cycles of frustration and satisfaction until I finally arrive at my finished draft that I hope is half decent. If this story progresses like most pieces, I’ll follow the same pattern. It’s a subconscious symptom of a now familiar tension-a fear that this time, the words just won’t come to me, or that they’ll come so slowly that I’ll miss my deadline. Science Writing Resources (Elsewhere) That We LikeĪs I sit down to write this, I notice that I’ve been holding my breath.Guide to Using Alt-text to Make Images More Accessible.Sample Script & Survey for Tracking Source Diversity.Finding Diverse Sources for Science Stories.Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Resources.Tip Sheet for Newcomers to Science Writing.Where to Get Started at The Open Notebook.The Covering Science Slack: A Peer-Mentoring Community.Sharon Dunwoody Science Journalism Mentoring Program.

Virtual Workshop Series: The Craft of Science Editing.Navigating the Science Journalism World.

Lucky For Me by Frank Robson