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. Some writers are able to handle the general science assignment as it comes up, but most try to develop their own specialties within the science because of the difficulty of the subject matter.The basic feature writing and reporting skills are no different in science and technical writing from other forms of feature writing. However, the growth in information and in interest in science requires it be treated as a specialization of newspaper and magazine feature writing. Beyond the basics in writing and reporting, there is one critical difference. You must be able to gather this usually complex scientific information, digest and understand it, and then translate it into understandable information for the general public. This requires a feature writer willing to accept this challenge and able to overcome it. You must often cope with a technical language unique to a specific science. You must be able to write along a fine line that keeps welleducated readers interested without losing the lesssophisticated ones. It is always a difficult assignment.You must also be able to define and explain. It is critical to maintain accuracy in use of unique scientific and technical terminology. Such words must be explained in your article~ you must take the time and effort to define terms and then use them in precise fashion in your article. What does the story mean to the average person? How will the Page 426information in the article affect his or her life, or the lives of succeeding generations? This determination of meaning often is the most difficult challenge of all science and technical writing.Although you are faced with the challenge of writing about new scientific and technical developments that affect our lives, there is still another challenge. You must also be able to write about subjects that readers already know about in a manner that is appealing and new. This may be more difficult for a writer than a story dealing with new developments. Making the old and familiar seem new is a tough assignment.The work of most science and technical writers is difficult to generalize about. Newspaper writers who specialize in science and technical writing many times have other duties. While a science writer for a small daily newspaper might focus on the medical beat, he or she might also have assignments to cover schools or city hall. Many science and technical writers for smaller consumer magazines work freelance and must be able to generate assignments on their own initiative and enterprise. This effort requires paying attention to developments by reading and talking to the leading information sources in the area.Darrel Raynor, an interim management and information systems manager, project manager, and independent computer consultant who writes freelance technical articles about management, computer hardware, and software, lives in suburban Dallas. He offers a cookbook approach to writing technical feature articles.First, I identify a hot topic I think will be of interest to specific readers. Then I spend about a half hour finding out if there is enough interesting research material. Then I hone a threetofour sentence description I can pitch to editorspublishers as I talk to them. If approved in writing, unless I have a long relationship with the editorpublisher, I start gathering research material immediately and keep at it! My averages are 1 hour pure research time per 500 words, if I already know a lot about the topic, and about 1 hour research per 250 words if I am less familiar with the topic (if I have the lead time to gather materials at my convenience, otherwise double the times). Then I outline the piece to find out if fillin research, quotes, or interviews are required. I start writing 1 day ahead of deadline for every 100 words in the piece. This is my rule of thumb to avoid deadline fever and 3 am mistakes. I then get an unsuspecting friend and at least one person knowledgeable in the subject to edit. I pay attention to what they say and finish in time to let the manuscript rest at least 2 days for final edit and review. I send in at least 2 days before deadline, preferably via email. (1998, personal communication) Page 427Research about science and technical writing has determined that there are four factors that affect reader interest in science and technical subjects, according to Michael Shapiro, a science writing researcher. Two concepts do influence a person's interest in science articles, but two others seem less likely, Shapiro says (1988). The two that certainly affect interest are:1. Relevance of the subject. You must, as a writer, find a way to help readers see how the subject is important to them. If you do, this enhances readership.2. Entertainment value of the article. The article must be prepared in such a manner that it satisfies the readers' need for stimulation if you want a widely read article.The two concepts that have traditionally been associated with readership now seem less likely to influence interest, the study reports:1. Ease or difficulty of the subject material: Although it seems that difficult subjects would be less inviting to readers, there is little evidence that interest in science articles is related to subject difficulty.2. Topic familiarity. Although many writers believe that people turn to material that they already know, this is true only for actively sought material. For casually encountered articles in newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and online publications familiarity has little affect on interest.Writing for the Right AudienceYou have an assignment. You must write about unhealthy levels of asbestos found in local public elementary school classrooms. How much does your publication's average reader know about the complicated subject? How much do you have to explain and define as you write this article? You must make these types of decisions before you write one word. Your science and technical writing approaches will vary considerably depending on whether you write for a general audience or a specialized audience.The general audience: Much of the science and technical writing you do in consumer publications is oriented to the general public. The wide range of educational levels puts a special demand on you to Page 428write in an interesting fashion for the reader with a professional degree as well as the reader who did not finish high school
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