Can everyone write?
There were a few great posts last week on whether writing was something everyone could do, or something that requires true gifts and skill.
Harry and James at Web Content Writer Tips had two differing views (something nice about sharing a blog with someone else - you can have those pro/con posts!)
Deb Ng at Freelance Writing Gigs outlined some of the major problems with assuming freelance writing is easy money.
Lorna at Freelance Writing Parent has some great insights on education (and the lack thereof) and writing.
Even before the Internet, writing was marginalized and undervalued. I remember stories of my dad trying to make it as a freelance writer in the late 70s, back when typewriter tapes instead of modems were the necessary accessory. It’s part of what speaks to the “art” of writing. Doesn’t our society undervalue art in general?
Can everyone write? Nope. Not off the bat. I’d argue that anyone with a *desire* to learn to write can. And learning doesn’t have to mean formal training. My English degree helped me conquer the learning curve of proper writing. But it didn’t necessarily give me an edge when it came to learning about marketing and running a business.
Writing as a career isn’t as easy as it sounds, but it isn’t as mystical as some make it. With a little direction, practice and dedication, anyone with desire can write. Desire can get you through the millionth rejection, the fifteenth rewrite or the client that drops the ball.
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17 Responses to “Can everyone write?”
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Thanks for the link!
Writing isn’t mystical, I feel. It isn’t magic. It’s a skill that people learn, practice and use to become masters of words. Anyone can learn to write.
However: Not everyone can learn to write well.
Anyone can learn calculus - not everyone can excel at rocket science or accounting. Anyone can learn to lift stones - not everyone can become a stonemason. Anyone can learn to ride horses - not everyone will become Olympic jumpers.
In every job in the world - not just writing - there is a measure of innate talent and natural ability that comes into play beyond the raw skill required - and so it is with writing. Anyone can learn to (insert any job here), but if you weren’t born with the natural requirements required, you cannot be a pro. “Chacun son metier,” as the French say. To each his own job.
So the answer to the question, “Can anyone learn to write?” is that yes, anyone can learn to write. Can anyone learn to write well? Nope, sorry.
Well put. This reminds me of something Stephen King wrote in “On Writing.” I can’t remember the exact quote, but the gist was that an okay writer can become a pretty good writer, and a pretty good writer could become a great writer, but an okay writer could never become a great writer.
Practice definitely helps one write better, but those great articles come when inspiration hits. Great site you have here.
I’d say that most people can learn how to write well enough. They can be taught the basics of grammar and spelling and how to put together a five-paragraph essay that gets the job done without embarrassing anyone.
Some folks can become good writers, if they have an ear and eye for a particular mode or genre and enough patience to develop their talent. They won’t excel in every area, but they’ll make their mark in one or two specialties.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of people who believe they can write anything without having made the transition from the first group above to the second. These people tend to become either bosses or clients.
Speaking of inspiration…almost all of my inspiration comes after I’ve been plugging away at the writing for a little while. Inspiration for me is mostly a side-effect of effort put in.
And I do think most anybody can become an “above average” writer, given enough time and effort. This can be hard to see, for those of us who’ve been “naturally” good writers since childhood, and have invested a bit of ego in our talent. But it’s true all the same.
I don’t think that everyone can become an above average writer. I see a lot of people here and there who don’t try to advance their skills, believing that what they’re writing is good enough. When people reach that plateau, they don’t surpass average writing. The biggest problem is the belief is that anyone can write, and believing that, too many people try without really understanding how. I don’t know that I will ever surpass average, but I’m putting in the effort to get to a better place.
I guess my major question is….what does it matter if people try to write and aren’t that good? Eventually, they’ll realize they don’t have a knack for writing and will move on to something else. What’s wrong with trying?
I guess I’m just a believer of the cream rising to the top. All I can focus on is improving my own writing and getting better at what I like to do.
Courtknee - OK, seriously. How do you spell your name? I wonder every time I leave a comment.
Anyway! Thanks for the mention. To give credit where it’s due, Tamara actually wrote that post.
I agree that the cream should rise to the top, but for some reason I just can’t get past being irritated at really bad writers who think they rock. It’s totally a snobby thing, and I’m aware of that . . . I just can’t quite rise above it.
No, there’s nothing wrong with trying. I think there’s something wrong with not trying- with being average and deciding that average is enough. I think that a lot of people don’t realize they don’t have a knack for it at all. Have you ever looked through some of the portfolios at Elance? It’s dismal.
@Courtknee - Nothing wrong with trying at all. Knowing your limits and being able to self-examine progress or ability is important, too. You can try horseback riding, but if the trainer repeatedly told you that you aren’t maintaining the proper position for safety, wouldn’t you either do something about it (ie, learn new techniques, get extra help) or quit?
@ LS - It *is* dismal. And it also proves the point that not everyone can write well.
You know, if a stonemason that forgot to use enough water in the mortar or a roofer who used nails that were too small came to work on my house, I’d turn them down. Even at a cut rate. A professional should be a pro, plain and simple.
Thanks for the great perspectives guys. I know that a pro should be a pro, but someone not being a pro doesn’t get in my way of being a pro, if that makes sense.
Wouldn’t bad profiles at Elance make your quality profile stand out more?
Or is it that bad writers make a bad name for all writers?
And Lorna, it’s Courtney. Courtknee’s just my user name for Wordpress.
I would love it if it did that, but I think in reality it just makes all Elance writers look bad. They don’t want to pay as much as they should because they look down on us and think we’re all inferior writers. There are exceptions to that of course, but there are a lot of places online *ahem* Digital Point *ahem* where the people are rude and insulting to web writers because of the ones that flaunt their bad samples and poor skills.
I am learning more and more that the high-quality clients are more likely to pick the hight-quality freelancers. Like you said, they should be able to see a difference in online profiles and such.
I agree that someone else’s subpar practices don’t have to define mine. I just worry that in some people’s minds they do. I hear things like “there are just so many writers out there,” and I can’t help but think . . . “well, there are quite a few writers, but really there are a whole lot of people calling themselves writers.” I don’t think they should be considered in the same category as people who do good work in a mostly professional manner.
I actually saw a comment on another blog today where someone said something like, “I’m not a writer . . . well, actually I am because I have a blog.”
*high-quality freelancers
LS- Good point about Digital point! I hardly ever visit there anymore….it’s gotten so bad for writers. It seems like the copywriting portion of the forum is on a whole different level than the services section. There seems to be some quality writers there…but when you look at people who are offering work there, they are the $2 per article type.
Lorna-I definitely understand your point. I wish blogger and writer hadn’t become synonymous. Because you can definitely have a successful blog without being a good writer.
@ LS - I agree. Any profession or craft takes a hit from those who give it a half-hearted shot, don’t know what they’re doing, or just have poor skills. A friend of mine in another line of business does more remedial work than anything else - it’s pretty bad when pros get skipped over for serious work but are called in to clean up the mess.
@ Lorna - I agree with you too. Quality shines through. However, with portfolio files of many people all looking as polished as can be, it’s tough for buyers to tell the difference. Sometimes. Not always.
I have to agree that if the desire is there the writing skills will come along. The hardest thing for me is clearing my mind to write and get into the subject. Once I get started I can produce content with ease. However, if I find a niche market that seems promising and profitable but I have no passion for it I will outsource to a ghost writer.