Writing: Skill or Talent

 Melissa Donovan asks Would You Rather Have Skill or Talent as a Writer? I really do not like either/or situations. They are restrictive by being most often unreal. I do believe in pluralism.

Ms. Donovan answers her question:

What happens when skill and talent meet?

You get craft.

That’s what creative writing is: craft.

There’s no way around learning writing skills. All the talent in the world won’t magically manifest an ability to read and write. And no matter how talented you are, there’s a lot to learn. Talent helps. It gives you an edge. But you know what helps more? Interest. Passion. Drive. Determination. I’ll bet on someone with self-discipline, commitment, and a solid work ethic over raw talent any day.

And if that is not enough, What Writers Need to Master Their Craft:

How in the world will you be a proficient handler of the English language if you don’t know anything about the tools of your trade? What would you think if you brought your ailing car to a mechanic and he didn’t have any tools in the shop? Or he had a box full of tools but hadn’t a clue how to use any of them correctly?

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 The fun thing about being grown-ups is we can decide how, when, and what we want to learn. The challenge is to erase the bad associations we have with certain subjects we suffered through in school (such as English Comp?) and find a new joy in the learning. It may sound trite, but it truly is a matter of attitude. Make the decision to adopt a healthy attitude about learning grammar. Set aside some time each day or week to dig into books or websites that can teach you what some of those yucky things are all about. Who knows, you may even learn to love those dang(ling) participles or misplaced modifiers!

Rock on.

sch 7/10/22