You could probably say I was not natural-born writer as I have only picked up what I know by trial and error over the years.

Although early reports suggested I might be good at languages, when I settled into secondary education, Mathematics definitely took over. I got two good A-level grades in Maths and one in Physics at 18, but I’d had to retake English O-Level before I could hope to secure a place at University.

When I was taught Mathematics I would be shown step by step how to do something and then you would practice yourself and be corrected when you got it wrong.

When I learnt English I was told to read a book and report on it, or come up with a random story. There were no step by step instructions to follow so I had normally failed.

Some professional writers and English teachers may argue that someone who is good at science is wired up differently to someone who is a gifted writer.

I agree completely, the higher your IQ, the better your ability to think about things more and the less you rely on instinct. So because you rely less on instinct you need to have a method to follow in order to be able to write competently.

If you have been given the gift of writing at an early age then you are lucky. But being a gifted thinker can be luckier.

If you are a gifted thinker then all you need is a method and some practice.

I am now a writer of both non-fiction and fiction, both in the realm of E-books and in-print. My published or yet-to-be published works include:

• Blackshift – a fiction of Time Travel in the mid 21st Century.
• Credo – on Belief and Meaning in a Scientific World.
• The Geek’s Guide to God – What is it? From Einstein to the Dalai Lama.
• Book of Big Questions – scientific questions answered with an open mind.

James Michael Stephenson.