Tips on Writing From Times Editor, Philip Elmer-Dewitt

Whether he is busy answering the editor- in - chief's demanding questions regarding future issues at their frequent editor meeting, having conferences with the Science department, or reviewing the articles of his writers, Philip Elmer- Dewitt is a busy man.

The meeting began, and when it was Elmer-Dewitt's turn to speak he spoke about his four-page story of the Californian fires. Unlike other publications, Elmer- Dewitt believes Time offers a new angle with more details. For example, the story includes the five-year drought of the West and last thousand years of climate changes.

Elmer- Dewitt's humble beginnings in journalism was triggered by the Watergate scandal. With an English major from Oberlin College and education from Columbia University's Graduate school of Journalism (attended but didn't graduate), he had work published in The Inside Agitator and TheVillage Voice. Then at age 30, Elmer- Dewitt took an entry job at Time as the temporary secretary and soon became a reporter and researcher. He worked his way up to become the editor of science.

Elmer- Dewitt's interest in computer and engineer father and scientist sister let him to write the Technology and Computers sections. He read a lot of Computer Journals but regarded them as "terrible writing, full of jargons." A tough part about Elmer- Dewitt's job is to make the right decision of putting which science articles in a limited amount of space that will capture the audience in his weekly magazine. He refers to it as to "skim crème out of a bucket of milk." A follower of science news for work, Elmer- Dewitt enjoys the New Yorker and fiction on his free time. Currently, he is reading Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin. During the interview, he even talked about his guesses to the ending.