I heard a great Fresh Air interview of Siddhartha Mukherjee, who was a lovely acquaintance of mine at Harvard and who has since won the Pulitzer Prize for his book The Emperor of All Maladies. Sid is a hematologist/oncologist clinician/scientist who has a new book out called The Song of the Cell.
Terry Gross asked Sid how he successfully writes for both the scientific community through his journal articles and for lay people through his books – two different skill sets. Sid responded by explaining the importance – for any genre – of crafting manuscripts that are “pared to the bone,” meaning they avoid verbiage. His recommendation was excellent advice for any writer, even one who is crafting a personal statement. Take a listen to the full interview with Dr. Mukherjee here.
