All Things Writing

The Craft of Writing


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Why I Write

It’s nearly time for a series of guest posts about why writers write. I’m looking forward to reading what my guests have to say! I’ll go first.

Pink Mug_l
I write because when I don’t write, I’m miserable. I feel like I’m out of touch with something important. Sometimes I can get by, by reading a lot, but not for long. I write nonfiction because I love learning something new and turning it into material another person will want to read. I write about science and health because they are topics with unlimited possibility. There is always something new being discovered, developed, or imagined.

I write about physics because it turns out that the topics that are of greatest interest to me are physics-related. From the aerodynamics of a baseball in flight to the use of models to predict the performance of full-scale vessels, physics is fundamental to the things that make me wonder.

So… I write because it’s a necessity–in a good way. I write nonfiction because there is a discipline and craft to turning facts into readable narrative that I find compelling. I write about science because there is so much I want to know.

Why do you write?


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Crazy

My book came out in October and it’s been a scramble ever since. I’ve never promoted a book. Even though I’ve read what others have done to promote their books, I still wasn’t sure where to begin. I started doing anything that would attract my attention and – voila – I’m getting a mention here and there. My press release goes out tomorrow. My website is ready. My general science blog, Synthesis, is ready. My fluid dynamics blog, Fluid Dynamics in Action, is all set. I’ve tried to create a meaningful Facebook presence – sorry to everyone who has been pestered with unintended emails today!!!!!

Now all I can do is see what happens next!


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Blogging at BioBuzz!

I’m delighted to announce that I’m a member of the BioBuzz blog team. BioBuzz covers all things BioTech and is working to build a strong BioTech community in Maryland. They offer networking events, news, mentors, and info on career opportunities.

I’m currently covering biofuels – and couldn’t be happier about it.

Check out my first post!

Gina


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Rounding Third

So close to completion of my book on applied fluid dynamics. It’s due to my editor on Monday and the thing that takes me a bit by surprise is how much I love this book. Still. It’s the book I envisioned at the start. It’s a book that fills a niche — I know this for a fact because I looked everywhere for a book like this when I was trying to understand fluid dynamics in nature and in practice.

The Book, as we refer to it at home, has four sections. The first is about fluid dynamic principles in action. It covers aquatic animals, mans attempts to imitate the fish and the birds, and flight. The second section covers the theorists in hydrodynamics and aerodynamics. It fits it all together so you can see how the work of one laid the foundation for the others. The third section covers scale model testing from William Froude through the Wright Brothers. It also covers prototyping with Goddard. The last section covers computational fluid dynamics.

It’s not a highly technical book; it’s intended to be accessible to non-scientists. For pure elegance, nothing can touch Adair’s “The Physics of Baseball,” but this book sings to me. After all this time and effort, I’m delighted that’s still the case.