Medical Writers and Readers

It is said that to become a good writer, you have to read a lot. I agree.

Medical writers must keep abreast of what's going on in the biomedical field by reading journals, books on the trade and on science writing in general. One of my first models of what a medical/science writer could accomplish was Richard Preston with books like The Hot Zone and The Demon in the Freezer. These books got me hooked with the field of infectious diseases (in which I work now).

People often ask me what are some good books for medical writers. I recommend two: News and Numbers: A Guide to Reporting Statistical Claims and Controversies in Health and Other Fields and Health Writer's Handbook (and my ebook, of course!).

Anyway, because I'm preparing to move pretty soon, I've had to pack all my books. Ten boxes of books only so far. That's a lot to carry. There has to be a better way.

I haven't tried the Kindle yet, but I've heard good things about it. One option that I do like a lot is to listen to audio books on my iPhone. For that I got a subscription to Audible.com.

The format doesn't matter as long as you keep feeding your brain with good books. You'll be a better writer by the end of the day. Thanks for reading.