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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Great points, Patti. And beautifully expressed!
Many writers that I know (myself included) have to first get through a bunch of emotional issues that basically boil down to the question: “Do I deserve to be a writer?” I'm not sure why some (or many?) of us were born with this gene of self-doubt . . . do artists and musicians ask themselves these same kinds of questions on a regular basis?
After agonizing over that one for long enough, some of us actually make it through that phase (LOL) and commit to becoming a writer. “Becoming” being the operative word. Even after years of living my writing dreams whenever I can, I still feel I'm learning and teaching myself to become the writer I want to be.
It's a journey and we're never really “there.” I believe that might even explain why some writers are so darn prolific (we've all heard of those Amazons who churn out 80 or so books in their lifetime) . . . because they never really feel they are “there” yet.
And that's probably a good thing. Writing is about creating. If we ever stop to rest on our laurels for too long (or become stagnant out of feelings of failure) then we stop creating.
I'd rather be on a journey with no end in sight than lose my creative bone–even though that bone *does* cause me emotional rollercoaster rides on an ongoing basis!
I loved your article! I've had that passion to be a writer since I was 13. I am now twenty. Before that, all through gradeschool, I was always making up stories. The problem was I never had the confidence to write any of them down until junior high.
To this day, I still question whether I am a “natural” storyteller or not. My great grandmother was a writer, and both my Dad and aunt are gifted storytellers. I must have gotten some chunk of their storytelling skill.
That fear in regards to my writing comes from being too hard on myself. If I don't get something the first time around, I automatically think that the draft is garbage, I suck, don't have the knack, etc. Your article has given me some things to think about.
@the_bard
I completely understand your fear. I've recently become involved with the Fear of Writing Website and online writing course. You should check it out and consider taking the course.
http://fearofwriting.com/creative-writing-cours…
Twitter: pattistafford
says:
@the_bard
I completely understand your fear. I've recently become involved with the Fear of Writing Website and online writing course. You should check it out and consider taking the course.
http://fearofwriting.com/creative-writing-cours…
True and most anyone can write a letter, story, article, or even a novel. But to say writers are created is a misunderstanding of what it is to be a writer. One can learn the craft of the written word from an academic point of view, but one cannot learn the creativity behind those words. I have known many “writers” with few creatively gifted or talented enough to gather as many words needed to craft a novel worth reading. With a repertoire of several published works and a novel, I do not consider myself a writer although technically I can put words together which is really what most writers are all about.