Los Angeles freelance science writer and editor
by Janice Nigro Like a lot of beginning business writers, I waver between those moments of feeling like an imposter and feeling professional. The only way to gain confidence is to go out and do the job. “Say yes” people tell me. Saying yes is the easy part. “Saying yes, 50% deposit thank you very... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro A great irony in science is how generic we scientists often write about it. We use clichéd lines. “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show X…” Or “However, X still remains unknown.” Or my favorite, “Such and such cancer is the most aggressive tumor type in... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro Since my travel story hit the LA Times, I have been wondering why that one worked while so many others did not. And if I could figure out why, then I might be able to make it happen more often. Or tell others how to do it. There are some straightforward procedural... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro When I started to write this piece, I thought, I have no idea why travel writing comes so naturally to me. I just thought, it’s like anything, when you want to do it, you actually do it. Still when you do something right, the first thing people want to know, is how... Continue Reading →
A PhD in biology isn't the direct route to becoming a travel writer, but my wish to be paid for a travel story recently came true. Not only was it my first paid travel article, but it was also my first byline in a major media outlet. “How did you get your article into the... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro Good question. I too wonder how my travel story ended up in the LA Times. It did and one thing for sure, it’s easier for me to say, “I am a writer” when people ask. There it is, the proof in print. But with visibility like that comes comments like that (although... Continue Reading →
When the stars align, I now believe you can’t stop what lies ahead. Like Meghan and Harry falling in love. In February, I was conflicted about taking a trip to Germany for a friend’s special celebration. The question wasn't whether I wanted to go, it was did I deserve to go. Struggling a bit with... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro Sometime immediately after the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, panic sets in. Suddenly, it's the new year, and just like that I am supposed to adopt some new behaviors that will make life better for me. Then I relax for a moment. I am a scientist. Our job is to... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro Before I started writing my blog, I thought writing and authors were limited to newspapers, magazines, or books. The reality is that writers are writing everywhere. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me before now. I have had experience writing and publishing before I ever thought to blog or to... Continue Reading →
by Janice Nigro We wonder in grade school what the point of such exercises is. Writing up lab reports, writing up our interpretation of a story or a poem. But “purpose, methods, results” is ultimately the basis of everything we do. Although sometimes we only see the pattern when we look back. I am a... Continue Reading →
