Some critics will write 'Maya Angelou is a natural writer' - which is right after being a natural heart surgeon.
Maya Angelou
Since we've had two posts based on writer's quotes this week, I'm going to keep going with them for these next three days. We should feel privileged to receive free advice from top-notch professionals. I liked the wit included with Maya Angelou's wisdom in the quote above.
There's often a debate over whether writing is an in-born trait or if it is a learned skill. Famed poet, Maya Angelou indicates here that you aren't just born a writer. A whole lot of learning must take place over a good many years. Some writers are self-taught while others obtain degrees in creative writing programs. Whether you take umpteen classes or do the reading and research on your own or participate in a professional program, you can learn to write fiction, nonfiction including essays, memoir and articles, and also poetry.
Yes, you can learn but it doesn't mean you will be a roaring success instantaneously. You still have to work hard at marketing what you've written and building your author platform. Being a writer is not a one-step process.
I happen to believe that anyone can learn the craft of writing with the proper tools. But I also feel like there is something within some people that make them better writers, that there is an in-born ability to be able to reach a reader better than some others.
It's much like the old Heredity versus Environment argument. It's not all one or the other but often a combination of the two that creates the people we are. So, a natural born writer versus a writer who uses all the tools available to learn to write. With both in place, you have the ingredients to become a first class writer.
Maya Angelou
Since we've had two posts based on writer's quotes this week, I'm going to keep going with them for these next three days. We should feel privileged to receive free advice from top-notch professionals. I liked the wit included with Maya Angelou's wisdom in the quote above.
There's often a debate over whether writing is an in-born trait or if it is a learned skill. Famed poet, Maya Angelou indicates here that you aren't just born a writer. A whole lot of learning must take place over a good many years. Some writers are self-taught while others obtain degrees in creative writing programs. Whether you take umpteen classes or do the reading and research on your own or participate in a professional program, you can learn to write fiction, nonfiction including essays, memoir and articles, and also poetry.
Yes, you can learn but it doesn't mean you will be a roaring success instantaneously. You still have to work hard at marketing what you've written and building your author platform. Being a writer is not a one-step process.
I happen to believe that anyone can learn the craft of writing with the proper tools. But I also feel like there is something within some people that make them better writers, that there is an in-born ability to be able to reach a reader better than some others.
It's much like the old Heredity versus Environment argument. It's not all one or the other but often a combination of the two that creates the people we are. So, a natural born writer versus a writer who uses all the tools available to learn to write. With both in place, you have the ingredients to become a first class writer.
At the age of nine, I started to write little stories, with my friends as the characters in simple, childish tales. I have never stopped writing; and a few of those childhood friends showed up, under cover, in the Starlight series. I wonder if some people might be natural-born story tellers who develop writing skills in order to tell those stories. Are some of us driven to write, or do we just enjoy the process of watching thoughts and stories unfold? I occasionally pick up something I wrote several years, and I'm always a bit embarrassed at the stilted dialogue and transparent plot, which sometimes leads to a rewrite and a decent story. Still, I do believe in the equation that says talent is 5 percent and hard work is 95 percent of any successful writing career, with perseverence being critical to the outcome.
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