Science Writing with Ceridwen Dovey
Spark your creative side and learn practical research tips for the unique craft of science writing
Join one of Australia’s best science writers and award-winning author Ceridwen Dovey in this insightful course on the creative and curious world of science writing.
Science writing is of the most creative, challenging and rewarding ways of developing your craft as a writer. All you need to be a science writer is curiosity and an ability to look at things afresh—plus a passion for crafting unusual and unexpected narratives about the world around you. Join award-winning science writer Ceridwen Dovey (who writes all kinds of stuff, including fiction, but has a special place in her heart for science writing) to build your skills, strategies and confidence as a science writer, whether you’re just starting out or have an established practice.
You'll learn:
- How to throw your mind wide open, generate ideas and refine your thinking
- How to perfect your pitch to an editor—you only get one shot, so make it worth it!
- How to develop a thick skin and get comfortable with feeling (and sounding) stupid to experts while you’re investigating for your piece
- Practical research strategies and how to transition from the research phase into the writing phase without losing your passion for the topic
- Brainstorming, pitching and research tips drawn from Ceridwen's own science writing practice to give you inspiration for your own projects
- How to produce a polished draft of science writing—and to have fun along the way.
The course is designed to take you 5-6 hours in total, and can be completed in short stages at your convenience. Scroll down to see the full course curriculum and a list of frequently asked questions.
KYD Members receive a 10% discount on this course and all other KYD online courses throughout the year. Become a member here, or contact [email protected] for more information.
Want to buy a course for a friend? Purchase a gift voucher here.
Your Instructor
Ceridwen Dovey writes fiction and non-fiction, and over many years of freelancing has become one of Australia’s best science writers. Her science writing has been published by newyorker.com, the Smithsonian Magazine, WIRED, VOGUE, the Monthly and Alexander, among many others. She’s the recipient of an Australian Museum Eureka Award for long-form science writing, and the 2020 & 2021 UNSW Press Bragg Prize for science writing. Please visit www.ceridwendovey.com for examples of her work.
Course Curriculum
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StartIdeas and How to Catch Them (1:54)
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StartCuriosity and Collecting
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StartFinding “The One”
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StartExercise: A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies
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StartThe Way In
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StartEssay Idea Examples
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StartExercise: Culling, Digging Down and Finding a Way In
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StartCase Study: The way in for me when writing Everlasting Free Fall
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StartRead Everlasting Free Fall
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StartExercise: Survival of the Fittest—Getting Your Top Three Ideas Down to Just One
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StartThe Perfect Pitch (0:57)
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StartWhere to Pitch
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StartTips for pitching
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StartAfter publication
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StartSample Pitch—the Spacecraft Cemetery at Point Nemo
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StartExercise: Crafting your pitch
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StartChoosing a form—and giving yourself permission to write outside the box
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StartExercise: Finding Your Form
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StartInterviews with Experts (1:16)
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StartWhere do the experts live?
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StartGetting comfortable with feeling like a fool
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StartResearch Ground Rules
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StartExercise: Identifying Your Analogue Resources
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StartGetting lost in the woods (1:19)