Jill Romig asked Graeme Simsion:

Hi Graeme! I'm an elementary reading and writing teacher and am wondering what impact your education as s child played into you becoming an author?

Graeme Simsion Okay, there's a story I tell. When I was eight, my teacher told me my essay was the best she had seen all year (from a boy!) and gave it to the senior teacher as an example of her class's work. It came back with one sentence: "I will not read any essay beginning with the word 'I'" So that was the (temporary) end of my writing career. Actually, I was always focused on science: I just happened to be quite good at writing. My teachers didn't really have a chance to encourage me as it wouldn' t have occurred to me to anything other than science. But my education was strong on spelling and grammar - I was in New Zealand in the 1960s and it was a very British system - and those skills have stood me in good stead. The serious interest in writing fiction came much later in my life. And when I studied professional writing and editing during my career transition, I was the only one in the class who could identify and name the grammar errors.

flag