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).