"This is a slim book, but it contains a wealth of information. The author, a veteran science writer, tells
us pretty much everything we need to know about her demanding field... Smartly written and constructed, the book
is absolutely essential to someone looking to enter this very tough, competitive field."
--Booklist
"I am so proud to be Elise's student. Read this book and I suspect you will be too."
--from the foreword by Robert Kanigel, author of The Man Who Knew Infinity
"In Ideas into Words, Elise Hancock has managed to write a guide to science writing that is not only comprehensive
-- she answers every question I could have imagined asking and then some -- but also wise, vivid, and an awful
lot of fun. I wish I'd had something like this to help me when I was starting out."
--Michael D. Lemonick, author of Other Worlds: The Search for Life in the Universe, winner of the American Institute
of Physics Writing Award
"Elise Hancock's excitement is infectious. One puts her book down and feels drawn to a keyboard."
--Joel Havemann, editor, Washington bureau of the Los Angeles Times
Publisher Web Site, July, 2003
Summary
From the latest breakthroughs in medical research and information technologies to new discoveries about the
diversity of life on earth, science is becoming both more specialized and more relevant. Consequently, the need
for writers who can clarify these breakthroughs and discoveries for the general public has become acute.
In Ideas into Words, Elise Hancock, a professional writer and editor with thirty years of experience, provides
both novice and seasoned science writers with the practical advice and canny insights they need to take their craft
to the next level. Rich with real-life examples and anecdotes, this book covers the essentials of science writing:
finding story ideas, learning the science, opening and shaping a piece, polishing drafts, overcoming blocks, and
conducting interviews with scientists and other experts who may not be accustomed to making their ideas understandable
to lay readers.
Hancock's wisdom will prove useful to anyone pursuing nonfiction writing as a career. She devotes an entire chapter
to habits and attitudes that writers should cultivate, another to structure, and a third to the art of revision.
Some of her advice is surprising (she cautions against slavish use of transitions, for example); all of it is hard-earned,
astute, and wittily conveyed. This concise guide is essential reading for every writer attempting to explain the
world of science to the rest of us.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Robert Kanigel
Acknowledgments
1. A Matter of Attitude
2. Finding Stories
3. Finding Out: Research and the Interview
4. Writing: Getting Started and the Structure
5. Writing: The Nitty Gritty
6. Refining Your Draft
7. When You're Feeling Stuck
