About me – writing

Writing

In fact, I currently have five or six Tertiary qualifications (depending on how you define them), two of which specifically concern communication and writing. Yet I truly don’t believe that I learnt much about writing from that study. I stated elsewhere that it’s normal for most students not to learn the skills they are seeking from their studies.

I was naturally good at writing. My initial university study wasn’t in that, but like all such study, it involved a lot of writing. Unlike most students, I liked doing that. Starting at an above average level, I worked to became better and better. (I was lucky, my university teachers helped me improve. Generally, they don’t.)

I did no apprenticeship or amateur work. I came straight in at the ultimate level. My first writing gigs were for CSIRO, and thus I had the harshest critics. Accuracy and clarity matter to scientists. If you’re mistaken, illogical, or unclear, they’ll just tell you and without concern for your ego. Scientists treat everyone like that. It’s truth, not cruelty; there’s a big difference. So CSIRO scientists bluntly and exhaustively detailed my early work’s inadequacies, since it affected public perception of their work. It was ego-bruising yet invaluable.

Later, my ex-wife (and still best friend) savaged my work even more brutally and with less regard for hurt feelings. Although she was a former professor of English and Creative Writing, it was her being a famous writer as well that qualified her to teach me. Neither of us has a high opinion of university writing courses.

I would never teach in the harsh way I learned, but for me it was perfect. Conversely from how writing egoically produces crap, knocking your ego down of itself improves writing. Schools never provide anything even close to the education I gained.

After a short, steep learning curve, I became good enough, and recognised as such, that those very same scientists started coming to me for advice on their popular writing. That was more than thirty years ago. Since then, I have continued to improve exponentially.

I eventually did study writing formally. Having the qualification allowed me to apply for jobs I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to. From those (detailed here) I learned a vast amount, mainly from feedback. Otherwise, that study had few benefits.

I also learned a lot about publishing. CSIRO is a publisher and for a while I was a CSIRO publications manager. Authors sent their book ideas to me and I gave extensive comments.

As of 2025, I have spent most of the last 33 years working for internationally prestigious research organisations (as follows). Today, I am a top-level science writer and pretty good novelist. I keep learning voraciously.

This is why I can help you.

My writing gigs | My science communication services