What is a Reading Challenge?A reading challenge can be a number goal. The popular website Goodreads allows users to track their and their friends’ progress toward a pledged number of books to be read in a year. So far this year, 1,581,155 participants have pledged to read 75,124,994 books in the 2019 Reading Challenge. A reading challenge can be a list of prompts that lead you to find books you might not have read otherwise. Last year I did a challenge hosted by my local library. One of the prompts was to read a book “that matches your occupation.” How else would I have found Crime & Punctuation by Kaitlyn Dunnett (#1 in the “Deadly Edits” series)? In it, the main character, Mikki Lincoln, is a freelance editor who solves a murder. A reading challenge can be personal. Variations on the “unread shelf” challenge are popular on Instagram, in which you only read books you already own. A reading challenge can be calendar based, with 1 category assigned for each month. Everett Public Library in Washington has a fun Reading Challenge for 2019 (#EVERETTREADS). (If you want a recommendation for “a book by Sy Montgomery,” I loved The Good Good Pig.) Why Do a Reading Challenge?Participating in a reading challenge pushes you to get out of your reading comfort zone and
One of my favorites for stretching my reading is the Reading Women Challenge (#ReadingWomenChallenge) from the podcast of the same name. Some of this year’s prompts:
I also like Anne Bogel’s (of the What Should I Read Next podcast) Modern Mrs. Darcy 2019 Reading Challenge (#mmdchallenge). Some of the prompts that got me jotting down possible titles:
My Reading Challenge: #MededitReads2019This year I decided that in addition to joining the #mmdchallenge and the #ReadingWomenChallenge, I would create my own challenge to get me reading more science and medicine, especially the books I already own but have not yet read. I’m calling it #MededitReads2019.  Some of my all-time favorite medical reads and a few I am looking forward to reading in 2019. Last year I did a lot of work-related reading on writing, editing, and publishing. This year, I decided to focus my work-related reading on the “medical” part of medical editing. So rather than specific prompts like “read a myth retelling,” my reading challenge has an overall subject requirement: read a book with a topic of medicine or science. I started collecting titles on a Goodreads shelf. Most are nonfiction, but I do have a few fiction reads planned, like Oxygen, by Carol Cassella, and The Waiting Room, by Leah Kaminsky. [Bonus: Some of my reads will count for more than one challenge.] I’ll be documenting my progress with my hashtag on Instagram throughout the year. I hope to read at least 12 of the books I’ve saved on my tbr (to-be-read) shelf. Some of the titles I want to read:
 Join MeI may not get to all the books I have saved on my Goodreads shelf. (Especially because I keep adding more.) But I know myself well enough to know that I won’t read even half of them without setting this as a challenge. (I’m too often tempted by the next pretty new fiction release.) And at the end of the year, I’ll have the satisfaction of learning more about some of the topics I edit every day. Are you doing a reading challenge this year? Which prompt are you most excited about? Do you love a good medical read? What are your favorites? Come talk books with me. I’m @JenMededit on Twitter and Instagram.
 Image used with permission from the American Medical Writers Association. Earlier this month I attended the 2018 Medical Writing and Communication Conference of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) in Washington, DC. Here’s a wrap-up of some of what I learned in a day. The Power of Story in Science CommunicationThe human brain is wired to respond to story, and Jim Mathews and Cindy Lollar from the National Cancer Institute presented a convincing argument for using narrative elements like character, plot, and conflict when communicating about science. Avoid the “driver’s license description” of the people you are writing about (eg, Jim is a 6-foot tall, 62-year-old man…). Instead, when introducing a character—maybe the PI of the study that just got funded or the critical care nurse whose research just got published—add “flesh, fabric, and feeling.” Every story must have conflict and an inciting incident. You can apply the “And, But, Therefore” story arc structure to everything you communicate: from a tweet to a blog post to the introduction to a grant application. Resources: The Story Factor: Inspiration, Influence, and Persuasion through the Art of Storytelling, by Annette Simmons.
Managing Large, Complex Freelance Medical Writing Projects: Best PracticesAlthough the case stories shared by Debby Berlyne and Tom Drake were specific to the field of medical writing (project examples included a health technology assessment and a publication plan for a drug with multiple indications), the tips are relevant to any large writing project involving more than 1 team member. I recently managed the publication of a dialysis company’s policies and procedures manual. Our team had three members: myself (acting as both project manager and editor), the designer, and the client liaison. We did well at planning around vacations, but next time I will use better, consistent rules for file naming. Here are my favorite tips from Debby and Tom on managing large freelance writing projects:
Further note on file naming (my nemesis): here’s a post I like from fellow writer and editor John Espirian: How to Name Files. NIH Grant ResourcesLast month, I shared some resources on grant writing. Here are a few more that I collected at this year’s AMWA meeting: Would you rather hear about grant resources than read about them? Try the All About Grants Podcast for “insights on grant topics from those who live and breathe the information.” Topics include Telling Your Story, Budget Basics, Grant Writing for New Investigators, and The Ins and Outs of a Study Section Meeting. For more information on when and how to contact a program officer, bookmark this page from the NIAID. For the latest information on rigor and reproducibility, see Enhancing Reproducibility through Rigor and Transparency on the NIH grants page. You Can’t Possibly Understand How I Feel (Because I Won’t Tell You): the Riddle of Feedback I also attended a high-energy session led by Robin Whitsell on giving and receiving feedback. She advised avoiding the “feedback sandwich”: giving negative feedback sandwiched between 2 positive statements. Treat feedback as a gift that you are giving, and make it timely, specific, and actionable. Include an invitation to talk further. Don’t be surprised if in the future I reach out after returning a project to ask, How did I do? Do you have any suggestions that could help to improve the process of receiving edits? I’d love your feedback. Thank you to the AMWA Program Committee for this learning opportunity. I’m looking forward to next year in San Diego!  |
