A few years ago, Siri Carpenter and I found ourselves in the same spot in our careers, wanting to switch our focus to magazine features. I had finished a stint as a grant writer and Siri had just completed a psychology textbook. Eager to do more feature writing, we decided to work together as writing partners. Since we live in different states, we chatted on the phone each week or so, talking over pitches and story ideas. We often found ourselves admiring other science journalists’ work — and wondering how a writer thought of a particular story, came up with a particular angle, got access to certain sources, thought of asking certain questions, figured out how to structure a certain story, and so on. We really wanted to speak with the best science journalists to discover how they create such outstanding work. Last summer, we decided to formalize the process. So that others could benefit from what we learned, we decided to create a blog.
The end result is The Open Notebook, a craft-focused website for science journalists, which Siri and I launched in October. The underlying idea behind the site: Despite the shifting marketplace for science journalism, expert craftsmanship still matters. The ability to recognize and sell important stories, ask incisive questions about complex subjects, and tell accurate, compelling stories — on shorter deadlines and with fewer reporting and editorial resources than ever before — is more vital than ever to success.
Currently, no other website allows science journalists to glimpse the “story behind the story” — to see how the best science stories got done, from inception to completion. Nor does any site exist whose main purpose is to foster discussion about the craft of science journalism.
In planning The Open Notebook, we first made a short list of stories and journalists we admired, and then we contacted the writers to invite them to participate. Even though the site had yet to launch, the first reporters we approached were universally enthusiastic and extremely generous with their time and insights.
The Open Notebook’s main content is a series of question-and-answer features, each concerning a single piece of outstanding science journalism. Each feature dissects how the writer executed the story, from initial idea to published article. Each feature also includes materials that illustrate how the story evolved over time, such as the successful pitch, outlines or other notes, and early draft excerpts.
Thus far, The Open Notebook is a hit. The site had more than 1,000 unique visitors in its first month, and in the social media realm, we are enjoying the company of hundreds of Twitter followers and Facebook friends.
We have posted more than half a dozen interviews so far. In the near future, look for posts featuring some of the NASW Science in Society and Kavli Science Journalism Award winners, as well as many other outstanding science journalists. We’re also developing plans to expand the site’s scope. Stay tuned.
Jeanne Erdmann is a freelance science writer in Wentzville, Mo.
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