Even if you have the writing talent of Lord Byron, you need these things.
by Anne R. Allen
I understand why new writers want to be reassured they have writing talent. They don’t want to embark on the long road to a writing career if they don’t have the chops. So I have sympathy with the writers who ask me to read their fledgling work in hopes I’ll pronounce them “talented.”
But I always decline.
A wise author never goes there. Even if we had the time to offer freebie critiques, we don’t want open ourselves up to lawsuits for “stealing ideas.”
But biggest reason is: I have no way of telling if people have “writing talent.”
I can only tell if they have writing skills.
And if they don’t have skills—which they probably don’t if they’re newbies—their job is to acquire some, not rely on some stranger’s opinion of what abilities they were born with.
In fact, sometimes I think the most insulting thing you can say to an author is, “you’re so talented,” although I know I’ve said it myself, intending to praise.
When We Say Someone has “Writing Talent,” We Usually Mean “Writing Skills.”
Lots of people are born with creative gifts—but very few have the ambition and determination to use those gifts to create anything meaningful. Many talented people sit around in cafés and talk about the great art they’re going to create someday.
But skilled people are more likely to be at home actually creating it.
I believe everybody comes into this world with certain talents, and the talents you’re born with will probably determine the path you take in life (assuming you live in a society where you’re allowed to choose.)
You find out what your talents are by what you’re drawn to. Nobody else can tell you that.
But even if you do have loads of talent, that and five bucks will get you a Venti Caffe Mocha. What you need is talent plus skills.
And acquiring skills takes time.
The Magical Thinking of People with “Writing Talent.”
I have known lots of wannabe writers who sabotaged themselves with magical thinking about their own talent. Usually some teacher or mentor told them early on that they were gifted, and this made them feel special.
Feeling special is great, if it motivates you to work hard and acquire skills.
But unfortunately, for a lot of people, this “special” feeling either makes them feel entitled to a fast-track to success, or it paralyzes them with fear they can’t live up to the promise.
This is because so many people believe talent alone is all that’s required to be good at something.
It seems to be true of writers more than musicians, visual artists, or athletes. I suppose because there’s a prevailing belief that “anybody can write.” But that’s simply not true. Nobody’s born knowing how to write strong, compelling prose. You need to study and practice.
What aspiring violinist wouldn’t take violin lessons? Would an aspiring painter refuse to learn how to mix and apply paint to canvas? Doesn’t a golfer constantly work to perfect a golf swing?
But writers think we can hit a hole-in-one on our first day on the course without so much as a lesson.
Writing Talent Doesn’t Entitle You to Anything: You Need to Acquire Skills Like Everybody Else.
Some writers feel too entitled by their talent to bother to study the craft and business of writing at all, and others seem embarrassed to admit how much they don’t know.
It’s as if they think they’re betraying that talent by going out and learning how to use it.
Agent Jo Unwin, talking to the Bookseller several years ago said: “it seems to me that the people who find it easy to submit to agents aren’t necessarily the best writers.” She added: “Some people feel more entitled to write than others.”
I recognize the kind of writers she’s talking about. And I fear I may have once been in the ranks of the “entitled.” I queried way too soon and expected agents to recognize my talent even though I hadn’t studied enough about the marketplace to know what contemporary readers were looking for.
I’d spent most of my life reading the classics and shunning the bestsellers my academic family considered “beneath” them. And yet I wanted agents to see my work as the next bestseller.
1) Commitment and Patience
To become successful writers, we need the determination to overcome the obstacles our subconscious will erect for us. Sitting down and actually putting those first words on a page can be one of the toughest things you’ll ever face.
We all need the courage to put butt in chair (or if you’re super-health-conscious, get behind one of those standing desks) and start typing words. Then make sentences of those words. (Why sentences? Here’s a hilarious classic piece from the New Yorker on how (not) to write a sentence: guaranteed to make you laugh.)
After that, you have to make the sentences into stories. With characters. Who are not all idealized versions of you. Stories with scenes in which something happens. Something that propels the reader into the next scene.
Sounds easy. But many “talented” people never get there. I have known tons of talented sentence writers who never learned to write a story. On occasion they may write poetic, reflective vignettes. Usually about sitting in cafés. But anything more would take away from their sitting-in-cafés time. They lack commitment and patience.
These days we also need the comittment to build a social media presence and author platform while we’re learning craft, or all those lovely stories won’t reach readers.
It’s a long road, but if you learn the skills, you can get there.
2) Empathy and Listening Skills
This may be the most important ability of all. If you can’t listen and relate to other people—and work to truly understand them—your stories will turn into flat, repetitive navel-gazing.
If you only write about yourself and your own thoughts and experiences, you’ll bore your readers silly. You also won’t have much to say. As Nikki Giovanni said, “If you wrote [only] from experience, you’d get maybe one book, maybe three poems. Writers write from empathy.”
You need to tell stories about other people. How do you find out about other people? By zipping your own lips and listening to them.
You also have to care about what you hear.
This is true of listening to your fellow writers, too. Sometimes they can give you very silly advice—but usually you can get some pretty solid tips.
3) The Desire to Learn
I’d say about 50% of wannabe writers don’t actually want to learn to write. They want to BE writers, but they don’t want to acquire the skills to do it effectively.
I’ve actually heard newbies say stuff like, “I don’t need to read a book about how to write. I got A’s in English all through high school and I’m a great speller.”
There’s a word for people who think they know everything already: ignorant.
Writing is like any other craft. You need to learn the basics. And then practice, practice, practice until they are second nature to you.
I love to quote Somerset Maugham’s great observation about writing rules: “There are three rules of writing. Unfortunately, nobody knows what they are.”
But actually we do know what some of the rules are—up to a point. We have rules for grammar, spelling and word use.
There are also some fairly firm rules about point of view, story arc, and character development. And the necessity of conflict to create story. Not to mention believable dialogue and non-snooze-inducing inner monologues. We need to learn them.
We also need to learn to make the words flow on the page without sounding as if we’re robots, illiterates, or pretentious asshats.
Plus we need to learn these rules and guidelines tend to evolve according to changes in the marketplace and new technology.
Those aren’t “talents” you’re born with. They are skills you have to learn.
4) The Ability to be Alone
I suspect a lot of those café sitters are simply extroverts who have a tough time being alone.
I’m not saying you have to be an introvert to be a good writer. Many great novels have been written by extroverts. Many have even been written in cafés.
But these are people who are actually writing, not talking about it. When they write, they’re creating their own “alone” space. Even in a crowd.
And no matter where your “room” is, you have to be able to tolerate your own company.
Columnist Michael Ventura wrote an iconic essay on the subject for The Sun literary magazine over two decades ago, called The Talent of the Room, and it is all still true, in spite of social media:
“Writing is something you do alone in a room. Copy that sentence and put it on your wall because there’s no way to exaggerate or overemphasize this fact. It’s the most important thing to remember if you want to be a writer. Writing is something you do alone in a room.”…Michael Ventura
5) Understanding of the Marketplace
You wouldn’t open a dress shop or a hardware store without visiting a lot of similar retail establishments. And you wouldn’t open a restaurant without noticing what other restaurants are located nearby.
Publishing is a business, and if you want to sell a product, you need to know what’s selling and what customers are buying.
This means reading the books on the bestseller list. Or at least knowing about them. You don’t need to read a one-off viral phenomenon like 50 Shades of Grey or Gone Girl as much as you need to read the writers who top the list consistently. Especially bestsellers in your genre. It’s the only way to understand what readers are expecting right now in terms of style and content.
It’s also important to read the classics, of course. If you don’t know what has gone before, you’re going to waste a lot of time re-inventing the wheel.
Mostly you need to read, period. As Stephen King said:
“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.“…Stephen King
6) Passion
You need to be in love with writing. You have to fall in love with the process itself: not just your characters and story and what’s going on in your head. Not just the praise you get from your critique group or your readership. You need to adore the day-to-day work of putting the story on the page.
If you don’t feel the passion, your reader won’t either.
7) Gratitude
If you reject information that’s offered to you, and stubbornly cling to bad writing habits—or take lessons as personal insults, you’re in for a grim time.
It’s good to remember that every failure—as well as every success—can be an opportunity for growth and a way to acquire the skills you need to succeed.
When some beta reader sends you back your ms. bleeding with comments about your misuse of commas, this is not the time to stage a temper tantrum. It’s time to buy a grammar book and learn something about that pesky punctuation mark.
You should also be glad you now know why all those agents rejected your pages. Maybe your story is great, but they saw 20 misplaced commas in the first page and hit delete.
I’m not saying you should be grateful for every pointless, mean review, or the idiot critique that is only about the critiquer’s personal agenda.
I’m not saying a little wallowing in hurt and anger isn’t therapeutic when we’re in the stage of gathering rejections or getting those first one-star reviews. (Yes, everybody gets them.)
But after that, figure out what you’ve learned. Sometimes, of course, what you’ve learned is that the world is full of asshats whose opinions are based on ignorance and/or malice, but that’s important stuff to learn, too.
Then be grateful, accept the lesson and move on to the next level.
8) Persistence
You knew I was going to say this, right? Yeah, there are thousands of Internet memes with inspirational messages like, “The difference between success and failure is persistence.”
Things get to be clichés for a reason. People think they’re worth repeating.
Here are some of the more popular ones:
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Thomas Edison
“A successful man is one who can build a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him.” David Brinkley
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” Confucius
“Failure is just a resting place. It is an opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” Henry Ford
Is Writing Talent Unimportant?
No. Talent helps, of course. But less talented people who are willing to work and learn are more likely to succeed than wildly talented people who aren’t willing to put in the time to acquire skills.
In a 2008 essay titled The Myth of Talent, photographer Craig Tanner said,
“Conventional wisdom says that it is not enough to dream. You need talent. And definition of talent lifted straight from the dictionary describes talent as ‘a natural ability of a superior quality’. In other words, you either have it or you don’t. I call this cultural flaw in our self-awareness the Myth of Talent. And buying into this dead end myth about ourselves is where it goes wrong for many people – particularly people who have a dream of becoming an artist.”
His essay argues that the real talent is indeed skill, which can be acquired, and is not not an accident of birth.
“The truth about talent is this – talent is a set of skills you develop over time through desire.”
Anne R. Allen (@annerallen) January, 2018
What about you, Scriveners? Have you ever worried whether you have the “talent” to be a writer? Were you told you were talented and found it hard to live up to the title? Have you known wildly talented people who never produced anything meaningful?”
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They simply want to be writers. I think that nails it. Especially in this day and age, no one wants to really put in the effort required. They want instant gratification. They want a prize even though they didn’t really do anything. Just might be some social commentary in that thought…
Alex–You’re right. If you want to BE a writer, you have to BECOME one. And it’s the becoming that’s the hard part. Yes, I think the culture of “everybody gets a gold star” may have contributed to the problem. Although it’s always been there. And vanity publishers have always exploited it.
I agree with you both, “becoming” a writer by developing appropriate skills is paramount. This said, I still believe that the difference between a “great” writer and a “good” one is…talent!
I can never tell if a writer has talent either. Hack, I don’t even know if I’ve got talent. What I do know is, if a story is great, you’re more than half way there.
The way I see it is that there are three types of writers.
You have the writer. These people can write pretty pros and are skilled with words. They love thinking of new ways to say common words and they could describe a picture so well, an artist could paint it without ever seeing it for himself. These people may have trouble thinking of plots, and characters and stories in general and make for great editors.
Then you have the story teller. These guys delve into the deepest parts of their minds and are constantly thinking what if? They create characters and scenarios in their heads, and they don’t think it’s silly to daydream about dragons flying through skyscrapers. These people are able to come up with brilliant stories, but may have trouble with sentence structure, voice and descriptions. They’d make good movie directors and play writers too.
Then you have both of them combined, and I envy these guys.
I agree, you have to be willing to learn and I don’t think having A’s in english give you an advantage in writing, except when it comes time to spot grammar mistakes. Many writers I know – myself included – have learning disabilities, but that doesn’t stop us from learning something we feel completely passionate about.
Nice post. 🙂
Steff–I think most writers are good at one or the other and they have to work on their weaknesses, whether it’s grammar or word choice or storytelling. But I believe any writer who wants to learn can develop those skills, at least to the point of being able to write a good book. It may take some longer, especially if they have challenges, but it can be done .
Anne—Words of wisdom! Anyone can write? Yeah. A grocery list. The rest—great dialogue, compelling narrative, credible characters—is a result of hours and hours of hard work and practice. No short cuts. No cheating. No BS.
Ruth–No shortcuts. That’s the truth!
You mean no novel-writing apps??? :o)
Tiger–From what I’ve seen those robots write, I think it would probably take longer to turn it into a readable novel than starting from scratch. 🙂
An app for writing? It’s happened, and it’s hilarious! Check this out from Mashable: http://mashable.com/2017/12/12/harry-potter-predictive-chapter/#tfG7WqKJFaqD
Jennifer–Thanks much for the laugh! I’ve seen other things written by robots, but that’s the funniest!
Oh Lord- the ABILITY to be alone, that is perfect! So grateful just for that point, Anne.
Will–I think that’s one that a lot of people don’t get. It’s not easy for extroverts, because they get their energy from being with other people. But they can learn to create a balance.
I was lucky in the first person I contacted when I wanted to make “big money” was kind enough to talk writing. My first projects were so very flawed. The biggest piece of humble pie for me is to learn to improve my style of writing. I would take ten words to say what three words would suffice. This individual wrote with very few words and I was so impressed.
One thing that helped me was blogging. I had a hard time commenting in the beginning. Ironic in that I wanted to churn out a book right away.
I’m far from where I need to be. But I can look back and see how far I have come. Practice.
Ann–I’m so glad to see you say that blogging helped your writing skills. It did for me too. It can help us write leaner, more active prose. Thanks for the tip!
Kudos on this piece, Anne, which contains many home truths. Persistence and the ability to be alone, and kindly allow others to leave you alone–and yes, that includes Facebook–are crucial skills. I’d add time management to the list as well. In this day and age of uber competition for our attention, we have to develop the skill to use our writing time wisely and not wait for the muse. With practice, we get better at all these skills.
Camen–Great point! Time management skills are crucial in the age of ubiquitous media. The muse hardly ever visits when we’re vegging in front of Netflix. 🙂 Thanks!
Excellent article Anne! And I’ll add that no matter how talented any one of us thinks we may be, it will be the readers that will let us know.
Also, if we don’t have the passion to want to sit in that chair and write, it’s like any other job, maybe it’s not the job for you. 🙂
Debby–I agree. I see people complaining about what a slog it is to write a novel and I wonder why they’re doing it. There are so many ways to be creative. They might be happier painting or weaving or finding another creative outlet. I wonder how many people write because they were told they have “talent” when they’d really rather do something else.
I don’t think – out of over 1000 writing students I’ve had in 20 years – I ever came across a truly talented one who didn’t put in the effort to learn the skills. Yes, getting that original plot idea is important – or that spark that makes your story sing. But if you can’t write it in a way that people want to read it…it’s useless. I can’t understand why so many students think it’s enough just to get the idea. No one pays you for ideas. Will be sending this term’s students to this page, Anne!
Melodie–That’s so true. Talent and an idea will get you…nothing. Unless you put in the time to get the skills to put that idea on the page. Thanks for sharing this with your students!.
I don’t see myself as gifted or talented, but I have learned how to produce good novels through hard work, writing and editing and rewriting and….
Darlene–That’s the way to do it right. Editing and rewriting and editing some more. Every book makes us better writers.
I was guilty of submitting to agents too soon. Fortunately, I found a few good writing groups that taught me how much I didn’t know. I actually thought my early attempts were good. LOL. Still out here trying to get better.
Susan–That’s what I did. I nailed the query long before I could write a character arc or a non-episodic storyline. And yes, I kept some of those early attempts for decades…until I finally sat down and read them. Haha. 🙂
Hey Anne,
I’d answer yes to all your questions. When I was a kid I had a teacher who thought I was so talented that she took books out of the library for me, encouraged me endlessly and was went out of her way to help me. I, however, thought she was delusional. LOL. Though I’ve always written, it was really born out my introversion and my inability to be bold and talk back to people. Though I’ve since learned how to do that.
To me, the biggest waste is seeing writers who can write but as you say won’t pursue the learning aspect of the craft. I mean, I get it, sometimes you just aren’t on that vibe. Sometimes you just need to write or catch up on your reading, but it should really be part of your routine as a writer. If not every day or every week, at least pick a season where all you do is craft. Like you say, even the pro’s study. I tend to focus on that all at once. For example for the last 6 months of 2017 all I did was read about craft, books, webinars, videos, courses, essays – whatever I could get my hands on. Then at some point, I was finished (for the time being). I’m now on my catching up with all my reading phase. And will cycle back to craft probably in a few months – unless something really catches my eye before that.
I do agree also that you see not so ‘talented’ writers succeeding wildly – which used to make me scratch my head. Like, how on earth did they become so big? The only answer was the persistence and determination to make it happen. And honestly, more than anything else, even talent, I think persisting, promoting and persevering is the key to turning a hobby into a career.
Bottom line is, if you want to make it as a writer (or any other career for that matter) you have to dedicate yourself to all aspects of it, from study to production to promotion. If you are lacking in any of those skills – you won’t make it. God will not come down and make it so and neither will Captain Picard.
Thanks,
Annie
Annie–A comment with a Star Trek reference needs a special prize. 🙂 What a great teacher you had! Even though she may have been misguided about talent, how fantastic for her to notice you and go out of her way to find things that interested you.
Introverts are often drawn to writing because they can be braver on paper. Sometimes that makes them very good writers, if they persist and learn.
Anne, thank you for this well-timed piece of advice. We all have doubts about our abilities (skills) at times. These hard truths need to be said and often. I like to think of myself as a sponge – soaking up everything I can learn. Hugs for such a great article. <3
Colleen–There’s a hilarious line in the play Auntie Mame where Mame decides to write a book and hires a sad-sack private secretary named Agnes Gooch. Mame goes into a long reverie about what Agnes is supposed to be and one of the things is “a sponge” to soak up all of Mame’s wisdom. Later, somebody asks Agnes what her job is, and she says “I”m a sponge.”
So I laughed out loud at your sponge line. We all need to do a little Agnes Gooching. 🙂
I’m glad the timing of this piece was helpful for you.
Anne, I normally revel in scoffing at every piece of advice I come across in January, but now you’ve ruined my record with this enormously helpful and excellent piece. I’m even finding myself inspired. Mixed emotions doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Tara–As long as you’re not inspired to write satire or use adjectives, I think you’re safe. 🙂
Ok strange, I’m trying to reply to your reply and I can’t reply from the notification on my blog and when I came here my original comment to which you just responded, is gone. But here was my response to your response, lol : So true Anne. I think if one at least has the passion and continues writing, their skills will only get sharper as they continue to create too. 🙂
Debby–I have no idea why the blog elves do things like that. But your original comment is back–up there in the thread, as well as my response. And you’re absolutely right. Passion will get you much farther than innate “talent.”
Thanks Anne. 🙂
My 7th grade English teacher made an example of a poem I wrote to the rest of the class, reading it aloud, and then asking the class what they thought. The responses were that she’d slipped in a ringer, and when she identified the author I wanted to disappear. The class stared. And there was a shift in the air I didn’t like — I had been singled out, for good reasons, but it didn’t feel good.
My teacher spoke to me after class and congratulated my for writing beyond my class rank, but then told me something I’ve never forgotten: “You reached me, you reached the class, you gave goosebumps — now you have to learn how to do that for every reader, you have to learn how to speak to every common dream, fear, and joy.”
I felt, well, stabilized, knowing I had some guiding spark, but knew and have known since that this isn’t enough…I have to have the craft knowledge to frame it.
I also know of being alone. I can be alone and happy, yet can also write when surrounded by activity. Only music seems to be disruptive, as I become torn between the two creative communications.
I really enjoyed this post, Anne, it touches on things that step beyond the trite and, hopefully, will allow a new writer to see that writing is part of life, not just something you ‘do’ and need validation to keep ‘doing’ it.
Thanks, as always!
Maria D’Marco
Maria–I had similar experiences, and I know what you’re talking about. You felt mortified at being singled out, but it was so cool to know you’d written something powerful. But then the challenge of doing it again could paralyze me.
I have the same problem with music. When I listen, I really *listen* so I can’t write. But I think we’re in the minority. Lots of writers I know always write to music.
Thanks for the kind words!
I’m part of your minority on the music while writing question.
Great advice… with a little bit of luck and serendipity thrown in…may we all have a successful writing year.
Gabe–I didn’t mention luck, but luck sure helps. 🙂 Best wishes for a sucessful writing year for you too!
Okay, this is the third time I’ve written a comment and then it tells me that I have an invalid signature or blog or some such thing….. So I will not say any more than thank you so much for writing this post. It’s spot on. Enough said, since I’m not sure this one will be posted either!!!!
Patricia–I’m so sorry that WordPress is being so cranky today. They’ve made me sign in twice, and once told me my password was invalid. This may have to do with the new updates they’re supposed to roll out soon. And you’re not the only commenter who’s had issues. Let’s hope the update cures the problem!
Thanks much for being so persistent–one of the skills you need to make it in this business. 🙂
Thank you for these wise words, Anne.
Leanne–Thank you!
Ha!
I had the reverse problem. I was told early on I was a terrible writer and wrote it off. And yet, writing kept showing up anyway. What I was actually missing was skills – including good handwriting (which I never did care about and technology replaced). I started blogging 10 years ago to test if I had a market and to practice. It still surprises when people tell me how well I put things.
Great article, Anne.
David–Good on you for persisting and proving them all wrong! I know people who think they want to be writers because they got penmanship awards in 5th grade. 5thd grade is not a good place to decide on your life work. (In 5th grade I wanted to be a cat burglar because I loved to climb things. 🙂 )
Hey Anne — thanks for another fine post. My guess is I’m mostly lacking in good old #5. Persistence, commitment, ability to be alone — got those, but something about marketplace knowledge that escapes me. Keep up the fine work.
CS–Reading what sells can sometimes be a trial when we prefer something with more depth, but understanding why they sell and what appeals to book buyers can help us reach readers, even when we’re writing more literary stuff. I have to admit I learned a lot from Dan Brown and James Patterson, even though I don’t particularly enjoy their work.
Anne – Probably the best post you’ve written. Thank you!
Garry–Thanks! I’m glad you liked it. 🙂
Excellent post. One has no control over natural ability, but a skill can be developed through practice.
Robert–Exactly. “Talent” is something you have no control over, but acquiring skills is entirely within your power.
One of your bests. There are truths here in every paragraph. And I’ve been guilty of a few of the things that prevent one from being a true writer. Thanks, Anne.
Beth–Thanks! Me tool. I rode the “talent’ bandwagon way too long without putting in the real work I needed to succeed.
Great post. Writing is a mix of art and craft. Without knowing the craft of writing the artistic part cannot shine. It is like making a pottery or quilt … Then again the best editor or best English teacher is not necessarily the best writer. It is a weird combination of things. You articulated them perfectly in this post. Thank you.
Anindita
http://www.aninditaswritingright.blogspot.com
Dita–Great analogy with ceramics and quilting. Yes, lot of people can do them, but very few acquire the skills to be able to take those things to an art form. Thanks!
Great post! Some of my friends just can’t figure out why writing takes so much of my time. I sometimes wonder about that myself. You have reassured me even though I shouldn’t doubt myself. Thanks!
Elaine–Thanks! One of the more hilarious moments of my beginning writing career came from a friend of a friend who asked me why it was taking me so long to write a novel. “My mom can type like 40 words a minute!” he said. “Why are you so slow?” Haha. Yeah. Take your time.
Talent? Talent? What’s this thing they call “talent”? Why, back in my day……
I concur that talent alone will not get you where you want to be (my daughter is living proof of that as she excels at what she does because she practices four to five times a week), especially as a writer. I was very fortunate to come across quite a few while practiced my writing via the world of blogging, who were gracious enough to offer tips and advice along the way.
I’m at that point where I’m more consistent with the type of story I’m writing and engaging readers with (got great feedback this time around from a freelance editor who loved the story and actually couldn’t wait for the sequel), but I got there on a modicum of talent (writing business correspondence and sensible e-mails was my platform of choice) and a boatload of practice and perseverance.
GB–That’s why I love blogging for authors. They provide so much practice! (And you may even get feedback.
Practice and perseverance are the keys! Congrats to you and your daughter both!
Great post! I found myself nodding in agreement while I was reading. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
David–I’m glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by!
The point about persisting no matter what resonated with me. Great job with this post.
Mark–Persistence is the key. I love the David Brinkley quote: “A successful man is one who can build a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him.”
First, I must say that I love that you use the word asshats. I use it all of the time.
I was never told I was a good writer, I never wrote anything. I did not write a single paper assigned to me in high school. I failed English three times. I am awful at punctuation (isn’t that what editor’s are for). I do not recall ever reading anything.
I now read 2-3 books a week. I am trying to write every day. Unfortunately, I still suck at punctuation. I would like to start up a blog. How do you choose a name? Does the name even matter?
The more I write, the more ideas for stories that come to me. Practice, practice, practice….
Thanks for the post.
Jonathan–I’m glad you’re a fellow warrior against asshattery. 🙂 Reading that much will certainly improve your mind as well as your writing skills. It’s good to aim to write every day, but most professionals don’t write EVERY day. We take time off like everybody else.
It’s so true that the more you write, the more ideas well up from your subconscious. It’s kind of magical.
The name of your blog matters very much, as I stress in my book “The Author Blog: Easy Blogging for Busy Authors.” Still only $3, but the price is about to go up. The name of your blog should be YOURS. Otherwise your blogging time is wasted. You can save a whole lot of effort and time with your blog if you read my book.
At least read the free “Look Inside” sample on Amazon. The link is in the sidebar, between the subscribe window and the Writer’s Digest Best Website medallion. 80% of the advice on blogging is NOT applicable to author blogs.
Or put “blog” and “blogging” into the search window. I post about author blogs a lot.
My book is only available in ebook now, but my publisher is coming out with the paper version in early February.
I just bought your book, already half way through it. Thanks for letting me know about it. I am sure it will be most helpful in my endeavors.
Let’s see if this works….
Jonathan–I think you’ll be glad you bought it. It can save you a lot of time and grief. As Ruth and I say, we made the mistakes so you don’t have to. 🙂
This is tough… I definitely agree skills are super important and crucial… but I can’t discount Talent completely. Esp. after doing lots of personality tests and personal research into that and seeing how personalities are different and how that impacts everything, from the right job, to communication styles, to how others perceive you to goal setting or not setting them etc. All of us have Unique Ability. Which is expressed as only writing or designing or music or analytics or other skill but a broader thing like ‘studying and simplifying systems’ or ‘creating systems’ etc. Which can be applied over multiple fields. And it gives us some big advantage over folks who do the same job but doesn’t have the matching Unique Ability. And overlaying skills that fit that Ability is huge.
Here is the book about it, well worth studying:
https://www.amazon.com/Unique-Ability-Creating-Life-Want-ebook/dp/B003KRP410
It’s a very valuable tool. Might explain why writers differ in writing ways or ‘systems’ too (some write one way and can’t write the other and this could explain why some writing ‘system’ or style works better for a person).
Adrijus–One of the skills–what some might call talents–that has been lost in this era is ability to read an entire article instead of skimming. If you’d read it all, you might have seen where I said this:
“I believe everybody comes into this world with certain talents, and the talents you’re born with will probably determine the path you take in life (assuming you live in a society where you’re allowed to choose.)
You find out what your talents are by what you’re drawn to.”
And:
“Is Writing Talent Unimportant?
No. Talent helps, of course. But less talented people who are willing to work and learn are more likely to succeed than wildly talented people who aren’t willing to put in the time to acquire skills.”
This is not a post denigrating talent. It is a post urging people with talent to learn skills. Which is something I did not do for many years, because I was deemed “talented” and “gifted.” I think even you would agree that learning skills a good idea. And no, I’m not going to give you a reading assignment to find that out. 🙂
I didn’t say I disagree with your post. Just stating that this is a tough thing to decide. If it can even.
And I tried to add another perspective to this because ‘talent’ is absolutely undefined. Your quotes are right, but they don’t define it and that’s where my point about Unique Ability comes in. Talent is too broad, and it needs to be more explained in general (not in this blog per se, in our society in general).
And you don’t have to read it, your life your choices. I know it’s been great choice for me. At least I brought up a different POV. Could have done it better maybe..
Adrijus–I absolutely agree that everybody has a unique ability. And sometimes conventional educational tools aren’t able to detect and nurture it.
Often the differently-abled are not recognised as essential members of the culture and they’re not encouraged to use their abilities (for instance, people on the Autism Spectrum are uniquely qualified for a number of jobs.)
Anything that helps us zero in on that unique ability and use it for the greater good is a gift..
Yup. Wish more people would be curious about it.
Looking forward to future articles as always!
Best,
Adrijus
I would add the ability to ignore distractions!
Faith–Great addition!
I teach high school art and find that the most difficult students to teach are the talented ones. Once they buy into the idea that it is only about talen and self expression they believe that anything they burp onto a page is gold. The older I get the more I realise that doing basics well and consistently is more important than anything else.
Gerhi–I’m so glad to hear that your real-life experience matches my observations. It’s great to get that validation. Thanks!
While I, Gerhi, had a high school art teacher who merely told us to do something and expcted us to burp it up. No instruction. She feared we would not learn by doing, but only be mimicking. She feared stifling our creativity. One time I attempted to paint something in the style of El Greco. She told me usually we should master exact reproduction before attempting the experimental. She probably wondered why I had a blank expression then.
I love number 2, “Empathy and Listening Skills”. You don’t see this often as qualities a writer needs to cultivate. (I think practicing being observant could probably go right along with these.) I have a good friend who’s the best listener I know, and I’ve told him so. I’ve also encouraged him to write.
And thanks for the link to that hilarious New Yorker article! Now I’ve read half of my allotted 4 free articles for the month, lol.
Tricia–That doesn’t get mentioned enough, does it? But people who can’t listen are not going to be able to write believable dialogue. Good for your friend. I’ll bet he’ll make a good writer.
The New Yorker used to give us 10 articles. I may have to subscribe again. But then I have all those piles of magazines clogging up my study. I always think I’m going to get time to read them, but I never do…
When I was a teenager I realized I was pretty good at coming up with stories. I always made someone laugh with a nutty short story or an idea that popped into my head. My dad was like that and sadly, like my dad, that’s as far as it went. In those younger days I had no interest in listening or sitting still. Pretty much everything you mentioned I had no interest in doing. Yes, I had the talent but that was it.
I’m not sure what changed. Maybe the cancer scare six years ago, the birth of my daughters, death in the family or maybe I am older and wiser. Whatever it is I’m glad. My father was a talented frustrated angry man but I am not and maybe a lot of it has to do with taking this talent that he gave me to the highest level.
Thank you for this. Good stuff.
Bryan–There’s a lot of insight in your comment. I agree that many people who are frustrated, angry, and negative have buried their own souls in some way. I believe everybody has the ability to create, and when people stifle that ability, they can’t fulfill their life’s purpose and life becomes meaningless. If everybody who watches cable news turned off the TV and wrote a story, carved some wood, painted a picture, sewed a quilt, planted a garden, or did something else creative. the world would be a better place.
Anne – So true. My grandfather loved creating. Every night (minus to cold that is) you would find him in his workshop creating something out of wood. It would be nice if all of us did the same. Thanks for the reply. You have an excellent blog.
Well, I don’t think marketing is a writing skill. If we also need to learn marketing, since publishers just hate to do it, then so be it. But let’s call it marketing.
It is also true that the ability to mimic can be stronger in some than others, but does not necessarily guarantee writing success, obviously, since all the writers we study in preparation for life, are passe. We learned to love them and now must learn to eschew them. Of course no one but a high school English student could get it, but we must learn that. No one wants to read it. In fact, we did not want to either.
I think a lot of the folks who think they have talent were lulled into a false sense of security in high school. No one taught them that their adult-level grammar, diagramming, and critiquing skills were not enough to make it in this world. No one taught me that. I remember worshiping Strunk because I finally found someone who “got it”.
We learn math all the way to calculus and sometimes beyond, to prepare us for the world, and no budgeting skills, either. Odd.
However, perhaps the real problem is those who teach Language Arts in high school do not know how to write, while writers are often invited to teach in colleges, some of them not really knowing how to teach. Maybe?
I appreciate your suggesting we study how to write. It would help if you told us where to access such lessons. Then we would be able to enjoy actual “free” critiquing of our work without bothering anyone. And, who knows, maybe there is a way to learn it by being in a structured class, writing on assignment. Or by osmosis. Or crowd-sourcing. Yeah, I like that one.
Katharine–I agree that budgeting and personal finance skills should be taught in school. Unlike creative writing, there aren’t 100,000+ books, blogs and online courses teaching the subject. (And no, I didn’t list all 100,000+ here. I think that job is done much better by the folks at Google. 🙂 )
This should be compulsory reading!
Thanks, Paulandruss! 🙂
Hi Anne I constantly doubt myself as a writer. But I have read somewhere that that is the sign that you are a good one. I have been writing for over a quarter of a century and have so far only e-published one book. But one could argue that sometimes hard work and persistence makes up for a lack of brilliance. Whilst it is very good to have talent, it can be a bit of a double edged sword in the context that people who think they are brilliant usually aren’t and vice versa people who think they are terrible usually aren’t. I am sure that everyone at some point in their lives have read a ‘bestseller’ that they thought was dross or sometimes some people have read something that they thought was amazing even if others didn’t like it.
A prime example of this is when I read A.S.Byatt’s The Children’s Book. It was a book that I physically could not put down, no matter how hard I tried. Although my sister didn’t like it.
Tom–Sorry I’m getting to this so late. Just discovered it. The notification elves must have been taking a nap that day. 🙂
You bring up a great point: the Dunning-Kruger Effect can often be in play in terms of “talent”. The most confident people are usually the least informed. They can also be the least talented.
But as you point out, “talent” an also be in the eye of the beholder.
I loved this post, Anne. 🙂 — Suzanne
Suzanne–Thanks!
“Publishing is a business, and if you want to sell a product, you need to know what’s selling and what customers are buying.”
The above sentence alone is why I argue with other writers who refuse to read. It is hard to take serious authors who are not readers.
Reading outside your genre improves your writing by bringing fresh ideas and perspectives. Reading inside your genre is crucial to be successful.
What a great post. Thanks for linking this to today’s post. I am sorry I missed it when it was first published.
Ingmar–That’s a pet peeve of mine. If you don’t read, you can’t write. It’s as simple as that. The newbie writers I’ve met who have the most trouble learning to write marketable prose are the ones who don’t read. Imagine trying to play professional tennis if you’ve never seen a tennis match. It’s just silly.