This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
In the series, "From The Writer's Desk," I'll describe what I do for a living as a writer and ideas I have for advancing my craft.
The stories you read often seem the sole work of the writer named in the byline. In reality, stories often go through many incarnations as part of a collaboration between the writer of a story and the editors who represent what their readers want and need.
Here I share with you the first and published versions of "Herding Schrodinger’s Cats," my first story for NOVA's physics blog "The Nature of Reality," as well as my comments on revisions. Hopefully you'll find them interesting.
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I would recommend first reading my first version, then the published version, and then compare them side-by-side with my comments. "The Nature of Reality" is very conversational in tone, so you will get to see how my voice as a writer gets revised to also fit the voice of the blog. Also, since this is my first piece for "The Nature of Reality," you will get to see how a story from a writer new to a publication can get revised to fit the storytelling needs of that publication.
Much thanks to PBS for allowing me the opportunity to do this!