I recently did a post at Blogging Tips titled, “You Were Not Born a Writer.” One reader disagreed with me.  I’d like to use my own blog here at Writing 101 to discuss it further and explain why writers are not born but created.

We are not born writers.  Before we can become writers we must take a few steps to reach that destination.  It takes years to get there.  This process requires us to learn the alphabet, learn how to make our little fingers form these new frustrating shapes, then in a few years we begin to learn English (or language as it may be).

When my husband, Kevin, was 3 years old he picked up his first guitar and that’s when people decided he needed a guitar, because even though he didn’t “know” the mechanics of using this instrument he made nice audible sounds come from it.  The music was born in him. In fact he played music for years before he ever learned what the notes were or how to read music.  He plays by ear, but he’s also had the teaching to read from sheet music–although he rarely does this.

I’ve never seen a 3 year old pick up a pencil and write a story, or even have a story in them.

Let’s look at people in third world countries–or even the deep wood Aborigines.  These people are not subjected to school, television or anything that we are.  Yes, many of these people grow up to “tell” great stories verbally but that doesn’t make them a writer–especially since they don’t use a written language to the extent the rest of us do.

But even peoples of those cultures who know nothing of the modern world, can pick up sticks and stones (at a very young age) and make music with them.  So I feel music is something many people are just born with.  Writers have to master a whole skill set.  Musicians can make beautiful sounds just playing by ear and may not be able to tell you the first note they’ve played–they don’t have a clue if it’s G or C or E—they just hear it and can reproduce it.

I do believe that some people are born natural storytellers, while some of us have to really use our noggin’ to tell about a mishap in the kitchen.

Storytelling and writing do not always come together and not all great storytellers can write it down.  Not all storytellers are even literate.  I’ve known many old men who could tell you a story and hold you in the palm of their hand–their writing ability didn’t go any further than learning to sign their name.

Writers are not born, they have to be created. Unless you learn the skills to put stories into the written word, you are only a storyteller.

Any thoughts? We’d love to hear your opinion.

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