I'm a writing instructor and long-time English professor based in South Korea. For over 10 years I've been helping academics get their research published, and now I'm taking my teaching online.
How My Work Will Benefit You
I think writing well is a super power, and I'm here to help you become a super powerful writer.
My teaching focuses on...
- Meaning, not grammar;
- Tools, not rules;
- Writing from the reader's perspective.
Most of all, I help writers put their ideas into the clearest, strongest form possible.
Most of the concepts I teach are not my own. They are ideas that I've come across in my lifelong fascination with the written word. They come from various fields: literature, history, cognitive science, applied linguistics, behavioral psychology. It can come from a cookbook, a cereal box. Whenever I read something that impresses me, I take notice, disassemble it to understand how it works, and reverse engineer it to make it my own - all in keeping with one of the best pieces of writing advice I ever received: steal style.
We learn language when we understand messages. This is a biological principle; it applies to native and non-native English speakers alike. So whether you're learning English or were born speaking it, your writing will improve when you read and understand examples of good writing.
I am not an expert; I'm a fellow traveller on the road to clear, powerful prose. As the German novelist Thomas Mann put it:
A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.
What I'm Working On
- 🧑🏫 I've been teaching English as a Foreign Language to science students in South Korea since 2014. I studied English Literature as an undergraduate, and completed a Masters of Education in TESOL in 2019.
- 🎬 On my YouTube channel, I make videos about writing.
- 💌 I write a weekly email newsletter. Each issue features 3 brief writing tutorials, 2 quotes from others, and 1 question for you.
- 🧑💻 On this website I write articles about science and academic writing, language learning, teaching, and miscellaneous insights that I've found helpful or interesting over the years.
- 🌟 I'm developing an online writing course for the Star-MOOC network, an online platform hosting digital courses from professors and researchers some of the leading science and tech institutes in South Korea
Other Stuff
- 🧘 I practice Vipassana meditation in the tradition of S.N. Goenka. I began meditating in 2011, and have since spent 80+ days on silent meditation retreat. In 2013 I participated in a Mindfulness Retreat for Educators with zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village Community.
- 🍞 🚴♂️ I enjoy baking sourdough bread and long-distance cycling. (Each hobby supports the other.)
Get in Touch
- 🐦 If you've got a short question or message, please tweet @WriterScience and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
- 📨 If it's a longer message, please email me (will [at] writerscience [dot] com).