Is a good writer born and not made? Can you learn to be a good writer? Tell ab

1. 68

   brakel2posted 11 years ago

   Is a good writer born and not made?  Can you learn to be a good writer?  Tell about how you learned?

   replyreport
2. 85

   M. T. Dremerposted 11 years ago

   There is a great quote from Stephen KIng's On Writing that says something about great writers being born but how it is possible for a bad writer to learn to be a good writer. He says it much better than that but I'm inclined to agree with him. There are certain people who just vomit literary brilliance onto the page without much effort, and then there are others who toil endlessly for years trying to refine a book into the best possible product, only to have a critic brush it off as fluff. It can be maddening, but I do think that a lot of writing quality can be learned. Some people get it from school, but I've found that the best teacher is reading. Nothing can really replace picking up a book and reading it.

   replyreport
   1. 78

      Laura Schneiderposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I agree! I think, too, that to go from bad to good some of the books one must pick up and read are style guides--to learn the rules of how to write well. Style guides aren't fun to read, but they're a necessity in my opinion, for all writers.

      replyreport
3. 60

   Koyna Senposted 11 years ago

   Though we are acquainted with the term that his or her  writing ability is god gifted, but it is not always that a person is a good writer since his birth. One can always learn to be a good writer by polishing his writing abilities. I myself was not a born writer but I always nurtured passion for writing. I honed my writing skills remarkably by penning anything and everything my heart desired. I tried to enrich my vocabulary at the same time by reading books, newspapers etc and gradually developed my flow of writing.

   replyreport
4. 69

   Wakerraposted 11 years ago

   Writing, as with any other talent, is always made, to some extent.  People who are born with amazing talents, had practiced them before coming to this world.  Spirit is immortal and eternal, and before this temporal existence, we were living with God in heaven.  We learned things up there, and developed some skills.  We can continue to develop those skills here on earth, a "talent", is really nothing more than practiced skill.  Anybody can be good at something through practice, those who are naturally good at something have practiced it to an extent previously

   replyreport
5. 97

   drmiddlebrookposted 11 years ago

   I think most people are born with the potential to become good or even great writers, but that the potential, usually, must be developed. I also think some people need to spend more developmental time than others, depending on a variety of other factors. If someone loves to read and reads a lot, for example, it could be that his/her writing skills might develop or become improved at a faster rate than those of someone who does not like to read, and therefore does not read much at all.
   
   A lot of us who enjoy writing will often spend more time developing our skills and working to improve our usage/understanding of words, grammar, style, and so on. As a result, our writing improves continuously, and it can appear to others that we might have been born with a great talent for writing.

   replyreport
   1. 78

      Laura Schneiderposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I share your points of view exactly, drmiddlebrook! Practicing writing well and learning about how to do it are necessary for all writers throughout our careers.

      replyreport