Lovett is one of the most prolific and decorated writers in Analog's 80-plus-year history. His first formal appearance in the magazine other than a 1993 letter to the editor was "Tricorders, Yactograms and the Future of Analytical Chemistry: When 'Nano-' Isn't Small Enough" (April 1999), a science article. His first fiction appearance was the novelette "Equalization" (March 2003).
Lovett first won the magazine's reader's choice award, the Analytical Laboratory (AnLab), in 2002 for a 2001 fact article, "Up in Smoke: How Mt. St. Helens Blasted Conventional Scientific Wisdom" (April 2001). Since then he has won the award a record thirteen times, three times for novelettes, three times for novellas, and seven times for science articles.[8][9][10] Including the 2015 awards,[11][12][13] he has also placed in the top five 33 additional times, more than any other Analog contributor.[8] As of the July/Aug 2015 issue, his work had appeared in the magazine 134 times,[14] placing him second place on the magazine's all-time contributor list. In addition to writing fiction and science articles for the magazine, he has also written profiles (called Biologs) since 2006, and a series of how-to articles about writing short stories. These special features comprise about a quarter of his total contributions to the magazine.
His science fiction stories have also appeared in Nature, Cosmos, Abyss and Apex, Esli (Russian translation), Running Times, and Marathon & Beyond.
In addition to writing science fiction, Lovett is coach of Team Red Lizard, a 240-member running club in Portland, Oregon,[15] as well as of seven women who qualified to compete for the 2012, 2016, or 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team,[16][17] and one member of the U.S. Snow Shoe Racing Team.[18] He writes frequent features about distance running for Running Times magazine[19] and Marathon & Beyond,[20] Podium Runner, Women's Running, and Peak Performance (UK), and has written Olympic-related news articles and features for National Geographic News, Cosmos, and the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper. He has also co-authored two running books with marathon legend Alberto Salazar, plus two books on bicycle touring and one on cross-country skiing.[21]
— (July 2003). "From Salt Foam to Artificial Oysters: Innovative Solutions to Global Warming". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 123 (7&8): 43–51.
— (July 2003). "Volcanoes in Human History: The Far-Reaching Effects of Major Eruptions (book review)". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 123 (7&8): 209.
— (October 2008). "Here be there dragons: the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker and other mysteries of an explored planet". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 128 (10).
— (October 2008). "Mark Niemann-Ross". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 128 (10).
— (December 2008). "David Bartell". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 128 (12): 7.
— (December 2008). "Green nanotechnology". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 128 (12): 22–28.
— (April 2009). "James Eric Stone". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 129 (4): 49.
— (May 2010). "David W. Goldman". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 130 (5): 58.
— (June 2010). "Henry Honken". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 130 (6): 7.
— (July 2010). "Artificial Volcanoes: Can We Cool the Earth By Imitating Mt. Pinatubo?". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 130 (7&8): 40–45.
— (October 2010). "Visit to the Forgotten Planet: What Scientists are Learning as MESSENGER Prepares to Orbit Mercury". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 130 (10).
Lovett, Richard A. & Mark Niemann-Ross (November 2010). "Phantom science". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 130 (11): 38–43.[22]
Lovett, Richard A. (January 2011). "Juliette Wade". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 131 (1&2): 27.
— (March 2011). "Brad Aiken". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 131 (3): 45.
— (April 2011). "Adam-Troy Castro". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 131 (4): 27.
— (June 2011). "David Levine". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 131 (6): 73.
— (July–August 2015). "Liz J. Andersen". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 135 (7&8): 70.
— (September 2015). "Martin L. Shoemaker". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 135 (9): 31.
— (September 2015). "Human-caused earthquakes : from science fiction to seismology". Science Fact. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 135 (9): 32–39.
— (October 2015). "Joe Pitkin". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 135 (10): 45.
— (November 2015). "Brain Hacking: The Legal, Social, and Scientific Ramifications of the Latest (Very Real) Mind-Reading Technologies". Science Fact. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 135 (11): 32–40.
— (December 2015). "Bill Johnson". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 135 (12): 89.
— (January–February 2016). "Home, James". Alternate View. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 136 (1&2): 88–91.
— (April 2016). "Maggie Clark". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 136 (4): 9.
— (May 2016). "Ian Creasey". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 136 (5): 55.
— (June 2016). "Fog of Spiders". Alternate View. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 136 (6): ??.
— (July 2016). "Earthrise,' the 'Blue Marble,' and the New Skunk Works". Guest Editorial. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 136 (7&8): 4–7.
— (July 2016). "Energy for the Future: Solar-Derived Fuels, Artificial Leaves, and Electricity-Eating Microbes that Poop Out Gasoline". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 136 (7&8): 24–32.
— (July 2016). "Andrew Barton". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 136 (7&8): 73.
— (September 2016). "Pluto's Perplexing Polygons". Alternate View. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 136 (9): 75–77.
— (November 2016). "Dawn Comes to the Asteroid Belt: What NASA's 9-Year Mission is Learning About one of Science Fiction's Favorite Realms". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 136 (11): 20–29.
— (November 2016). "Gray Rinehart". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 136 (11): 103.
— (June 2016). "Cis and Trans on the Track". Alternate View. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 136 (11): 53–55, 68.
— (December 2016). "Brendan DuBois". Biolog. Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 136 (123): 53.
Writing articles
Lovett, Richard A. (January 2007). "How to write something you don't know anything about". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 127 (1&2).
— (July 2008). "Hook, lure, and narrative: the art of writing story leads". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 128 (7&8).
— (January 2010). "Making unreality ring true: writer's tricks for bringing stories to life". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 130 (1&2): 52–55.
— (July 2010). "The Serious Business of Writing Humor". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 130 (7 & 8): 122–126.
— (January 2011). "Writing Fiction: About Yourself". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 131 (1&2): 122–125.
— (July 2011). "More Than Plot and Character: the Story-telling Secret of Narrative Voice". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 131 (7&8).
— (January 2012). "Theme: The Art of Writing 'About' Something". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 132 (1&2): 115–119.
— (July 2012). "Real Talk: The Fine Art of Writing Dialog". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 132 (7&8): 50–57.
— (January 2013). "Time, Place, and Wonder: The Use of Setting in Short Fiction". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 133 (1&2): 50–57.
— (July 2014). "Foreshadowing and the Ides of March: How to (Sort Of) Hint at Things to Come". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 134 (7&8): 96–101.
— (July–August 2015). "Plotting : how to make the unexpected into the inevitable". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 135 (7&8): 84–90.
— (January 2016). "Creating Conflict: How to Write Adversaries Good (Bad) Enough to Bring Out Your Hero's Best". Analog Science Fiction and Fact. 136 (1&2): 122–127.
^Titles: Freewheelin': A Solo Journey Across America (1992), The Essential Touring Cyclist (1994, 2000 2d ed.), The Essential Cross-Country Skier, Alberto Salazar's Guide to Running (2001), Alberto Salazar's Guide to Road Racing (2002).
^Reprinted in Lovett, Richard A. & Mark Niemann-Ross (2012). Phantom sense and other stories. Strange Wolf Press.