Participants will learn how to identify and exploit the figure of the protagonist in their writing. The protagonist is the main vehicle for a narrative journey: it might be the author a theoretical orthodoxy a technological advance or a mathematical conundrum. Barry Marshall who self-infected with helicobacter pylori 1984 and won a Nobel prize for identifying the cause of peptic ulcers is a famous example of the author cast as protagonist. STEM researchers who are introduced to and use the concept of the protagonist in their writing find thinking about structuring and executing their writing easier and more rewarding; and it seems as though they achieve greater impact. In this short session I offer some key insights into developing the protagonist as a tool in STEM writing – and thinking.
