Undoubtedly, the physicist Richard P. Feynman was one of the greatest scientific minds that ever lived. From 1961 to 1963, this Nobel laureate delivered a set of lectures to classes in basic physics. Feynman’s goal was to create a set of materials that could be used worldwide in the teaching of physics. These lectures became the basis of the book Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics by Its Most Brilliant Teacher.

Unlike so many scientists, Feynman was an excellent writer and could explain complex principles to an audience without any knowledge of advanced mathematics by using everyday analogies.

Best of all, this brilliant man made physics not only accessible to the layman but fun!

The topics of the six “easy pieces” or lectures were:

1. Atoms In Motion – an examination of the atomic theory of matter and how atoms react with each other.
2. Basic Physics – the history of physics before and after the discovery of quantum mechanics.
3. The Relation of Physics to Other Sciences – how physics can be used to explain chemical, biological, geological and astronomical phenomena.
4. Conservation of Energy – the fundamental principle of conservation of energy, and how energy can change form.
5. The Theory of Gravitation – the development of the theory of gravity from Kepler to Einstein.
6. Quantum Behavior – an explanation of some simple thought experiments demonstrating the weirdness of quantum behavior.

Pretty heady stuff, right? But, as an accomplished and talented writer – and secondarily a physicist – Feynman was able to engage, excite and entertain his audience. All at the same time as delivering relevant scientific information.

This daunting task is not so daunting to the effective professional writer. I do not claim to have any of the brilliance of a Richard Feynman. But, in my many years as a technical writer and later the director of a documentation department in a software company, I was challenged constantly to take complex information and concepts and make them not only palatable, but also relevant and interesting to my audience of computer end-users. These end-users brought to the table no special computer skills or knowledge. The audience ranged from people who wanted to file their own taxes and not use an accountant to doctors who wanted to produce reports by speaking.

The basic premise I am stating is that one can develop professional knowledge by using one’s own intelligence and studying hard to become a physicist or doctor. Or a person can learn a trade such as plumbing or woodworking by hands-on experience and often apprenticeship. Or someone can take courses to become an interior designer or financial planner. But writing, like music and art, is a talent that one does or doesn’t have. Surely it needs to be fine-tuned and improved upon; but, ultimately, writers are born not made. This is certainly true for the novelist or non-fiction writer.