© Richard Handy
I have been teaching, running workshops and organising international training events for some thirty years. I am an accredited Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a professor, and also an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB).
My academic work has involved reporting to government on the training of scientists in higher education and subsequently in the workplace. Writing, and other communication skills, remain a key feature of employability and generally for any profession. I believe that creativity is a key part of both the sciences and the arts. Creative thinking has many applications, as does creative writing. So, being able to apply those skills to the different career paths we take in our modern working life is important. And there are no limits! Writing is for everyone.
Events
I run writing workshops, either as short half-day events, or more in depth whole days. I work easily with different audiences and can be flexible. For post-graduates in science, the focus is on how to write a paper and get published in a scientific journal. For students studying English, the workshops are orientated to creative writing and thinking, character traits, etc. If it is a workshop at a literary event, it is always fascinating to relate the different challenges and paths to become an author. Here are some examples of my recent workshop topics, in addition to generic skills on writing, presenting, communication, and so on:
- ‘Creative Me Time.’ A half-day event on making time for creative thinking for post-graduate students. This was shortlisted by The Royal Society for an award.
- ‘How to Build a Terminator.’ This is about putting science fact into fiction, being creative, and a chance to ask an expert about any aspect of writing science in fiction.
- ‘Historical Facts into Fiction: The Real History of Secret Technology in Nazi Germany.’ A touchy subject, but it’s about using original historical sources to write historical fiction.
- ‘The Pros and Cons of Self-publishing.’ This explores the changes in the publishing world, quality control in the new market, the production process of books, as well as a reality check on what the author really has to do.
If you would like me to host a writing workshop, a lecture, or other training event, then please get in touch via the contact page on my website.
