This week, graduate students in my course are learning how to write about science for the non-expert public.
For those of you who do this professionally, what tips would you offer?
Give readers a reason to start reading and to keep reading. No one is obligated to read what you wrote, so you have to make it worth their while. Be intriguing, funny, useful, compelling, interesting - but be honest and hold their attention.
Don’t even think of “dumbing it down.” If you think that, you may begin thinking your audience is dumb. That’s fatal.
Think instead of talking to a good friend who has a wildly different background. How would you talk with them about the subject?
