Hit a lab project glitch? Thinking about your thesis title like a storyteller can help you focus
From Working Scientist by Nature Careers
May 22, 2026 · 16 min
About this episode
Frances Brodsky discusses how writing fiction has enhanced her scientific writing and the importance of thesis titles in guiding research focus.
Frances Brodsky believes that writing her three mystery novels set in the world of bench science has improved her scientific writing. “I love making up titles for my books and chapters,” she says. “One of the best ways to train someone in the lab to focus on their project is for them to come up with the title of a paper that they want to write. That tells them where they're going. Also, when I interview people, I ask them: ‘What is the title of the thesis you plan to write?’” Brodsky, a cell biologist at University College London, writes under the pseudonym B. B. Jordan. Her books feature Celeste Braun, a virologist in San Francisco, California, who uses her scientific expertise to solve mysteries and fight crime. “Sitting down to write these novels, my scientific writing became markedly better,” she says. “The exercise of fiction writing helped me put my work into a narrative.” In the penultimate episode of this six-part podcast series on creativity in science, Brodsky says the discipline of writing a novel has also taught her perseverance, adding: “When you start a writing project, you have to stick with it to get it to the end. Sticking with something and having…
People in this episode
Guest: Frances Brodsky
Topics covered
- scientific writing
- thesis title
- creativity in science
- fiction writing
- perseverance
Keywords
- scientific writing
- thesis title
- creativity
- fiction
- perseverance
- mystery novels
- cell biology
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University College London
Places: San Francisco, California
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