Can Anyone Write? My Opinion On The Matter

 Can Anyone Write? My Opinion On The Matter

Hello my fellow writers or writers-to-be! I have seen and heard a lot of different thoughts on the question can anyone write? and I wanted to cover it. Now, plenty of people have conflicting viewpoints on this question, and I will be touching on both sides before presenting my opinion.

Not Everyone Can Write

On one side of a coin, we have the answer that not everyone can write. Not everyone can write, only those born with stories in their minds and words at their lips can do it. 

Only a select few have the natural talent of being a storyteller, and only they can tell stories. No one else can learn.

Within this ideology, there are two different roads that people can take.

One is, not everyone can write, and you cannot ‘learn’ to be better. Yes, your innate talent will grow, but it is simply that: a honing of a natural instinct and nothing more.

The other road is, while not everyone can write, you can learn to be better. Yes, you have a talent and a skill for writing, but you can grow, and by growing, you are becoming a better user of your natural gift.

Now this is a very simple, surface-level pass, and it's time to dive deeper into the nuance of this response.

Not Everyone Can Write Because…

One common nuance in this answer is: you are born with the ability to craft these stories and to create these worlds, but that is not the reason that you can write. It is passion for writing, more specifically what you are writing that enables you to be a storyteller.

Taking this into account means that while everyone can put words on the page, not everyone can have this level of passion and dedication and skill that it takes to be a writer, an author.

I’m going to ask you to reflect on this idea, and ask yourself a question: Do I believe in this? Do I think this is true?

Everyone Can Write

On the other side of the same coin, we have the answer that everyone can write. Anyone can become a writer, and a storyteller. It’s not an inherent skill that makes you capable of crafting a beautiful novel, it’s learning.

You may start out having never written anything in your life, but by learning and consuming correlating media, you can become a good writer. 

Within this thought process are two different contrasts. 

One of them is: Everyone can learn to write, and skill has no bearing in it. Everyone starts out with the same tool-set, the same comprehension level, and the same capacity of learning.

The other is: Everyone can learn to write, but some are born natural storytellers, and they start out knowing more innately. Anyone can still learn to write, and those who have talent can still learn and grow.

         Let's dig into a nuance that both contrasts and echoes our previous nuance of not everyone can write.

Everyone Can Write Because…

One common nuance is about talent and learning. It is not about learning to write or being born with the mind of a storyteller. It is not about skill or growth. 

It comes back around to passion and dedication. Talent only gets a person so far, you need the dedication to learn and the passion for your craft to advance. 

Talent only gets you so far. This is the distinction. As long as you dedicate yourself to learning through trial and error, to not giving up when you make a mistake, and wanting to write, you will become a good writer.

It’s not about talent, it's about perseverance.

Before we get to my opinion, I want you to ask yourself the same questions as before. Do I believe in this? Do I think this is true? 

What Do I Think? 

I am on neither specific side for the simple fact that I believe in both of their nuances. 

Let me explain. In both of the nuances, there is an overlap: that talent and skill is not the driving force behind good writers. 

I believe in that overlap. I believe that there are people who are born with a natural, innate gift of writing, but I also believe that anyone can learn to write well. It’s not what you’re born with, it’s what you make. 

It’s not the talent you have or even the desire to learn. It’s your dedication to what you are writing, it is your passion—not a fleeting passion, but a steady one—that drives you into becoming a better and better writer.

…and there you have it, my thoughts on the controversial question, can anyone write? 

If you’re new to this blog, make sure to check out some of my other blogposts, and take a look at my YouTube Channel, also titled RL Writer(you can find a link on the blog’s main page).