ANyone Can Write

I think writing skill can be improved but not as good as natural born writers.

 

I started writing professionally at a young age. I actually got national attention in my teens just doing book reports and essays my high school teachers thought were of professional caliber.

I got my first job at a newspaper not because I'm an excellent illustrator, which is why I applied, but because the managing editor remembered my reports and essays from high school.

Learning to write is like learning to live. You've got all the essentials to do so but it takes one's own abilities to observe and transpose what one interprets from either the objective and or subjective. Give the reader a sense of being there with the use of not just sights but sounds, smells, textures. Validate the senses and don't evaluate for the reader, instead let the reader either ride along with the narrative given the conjugation.

The reader should be swept up in your narrative in the first few paragraphs and/or pages or you've failed.

When writing blog posts for others it takes a keen sense of analysis to assess the client and direction of the blog.

I've made a killing the past year and a half writing for bloggers. I look at it as getting paid well to have fun, learn, and practice new writing techniques. Whatever you write, enjoying it is not only a reward to yourself but to your client as well.

I'm really glad to have found this message board. There's so much here that's helpful and educational.

 

There are "natural" writers that just know how to put together everything beautifully and then there are "made" writers who learn all the tricks and the necessary skills. One is not necessarily better than the other. It all depends on what you are writing and why.

 

Yes, those two groups exist. But it doesn't mean that absolutely anyone can become one of those "made writers" as per the OP's question.

 

I completely agree. Without an eye for quality content, many will spin their wheels trying to "become" a solid writer.

 

I agree that everyone can write, but not everyone can write well. However, writing skills can be developed and enhanced so one can easily become a writer. All it takes is genuine interest and passion for it.

 

Anyone can write. Just like anyone can cook. This is a skill that can be learned. If one can just learn to organize thoughts and write with relevance... it should be ok.

 

That's like saying anyone can hop in a pool, so they can all learn to be professional swimmers. It's not true. It'll never be true. There will always be people who cannot write no matter how much instruction they receive. The vast majority may be able to string together sentences, but that in no way makes them writers (in the context of this post and audience) any more than being able to blabber garbage out of their mouths makes them skilled orators.

 

I know blog posts fall outside that old truism, but in general, I believe it's true. An army of chimps can bang on typewriters all day long. It takes a WRITER to re-write and polish.

Personally, I believe the poll is very flawed. Writing is a learned skill, but talent is an important factor in whether writing communicates well or not.

 

I agree that "anyone can write" but then again, "that doesn't mean anyone should write". We learn how to write when were in school. However, after graduating, not everyone is going to make use of writing anymore. So, basically anyone can write. They can write a letter, they can write a complain or maybe a review on something. They can have personal blog so that they can write about themselves but in the end, if they want to write professionally / for business, they need special skills.

 

You'd be surprised how many otherwise well-educated people cannot do those things (engineers, for example, are notorious for this). Then again, I love those people because I get paid well to clean up their messes.

 

Haha, at least they can express themselves using words although they need professional writers to help them clean up the writing. I am sure they are good at teaching people 'how to write badly' or 'how to NOT write anything'.

 

Leaders are not born but they are made.If you agree the above point then any one can write and write well with good preparation and diligent attitude

 

I personally believe people can be taught to write correctly, but to capture the imagination of the reader needs something special - a desire within that writer to weave a tapestry on the page.

 

I think that the ability to write well could be something that you are born with or something that you learn through good education. You could be born to parents who are award-winning novelists but because you were not exposed to reading and writing that much in school, you might not be a good writer. On the other hand, you could be born to parents who cannot read or were not well-educated but because you were exposed to resources such as books and education, you might have grown up to be the best writer that the world has ever known. It basically boils down to enhancing the skills that you already have to become a good writer, maybe not the best, but at least, the best you can be.

 

I think the term "good writer" is too broad and too subjective. Yes, a good writer has to captivate readers, but I don't find Gore Vidal particularly captivating. Does this mean he is not a good writer?

I think that yes, everyone can be taught to write and, when judging good writing by proper grammar, spelling and sentence structure, can be taught to write well. Just like they can be taught to fold laundry.

What I don't think is that everyone can be taught to communicate well or to be entertaining. Those skills can not be taught.

Of course, you then have to consider that what I find entertaining, others may not, so there is still a very broad range of possibilities in which a writer can be considered good but then...that wasn't really the question.

 

Just go to youtube. Pick a video at random. Scroll down to the comments and read.

You'll see that everyone can go through the mechanics of spewing words onto a page. They can "write".
The second thing you'll notice is that they write terribly.

I think learning to write can only take you so far. You need some passion and flair for the written word that can shine through and grab the reader. You can't really learn that from courses or books.

 

I think that anyone can learn how to write, and writing is of course just putting words on paper. Being able to write well takes skill, and not everyone has it nor has the capacity to acquire such.

 

Your poll: writing is a learned skill or an elite expresion. What does an "elite expression" mean?

In my opinion you get 3 types of writers:
1. Crap writers - who have no regard for the craft and write drivel for peanuts.
2. Good/serious writers - Workmanlike writers who have practiced their craft for many years and have honed their skills and take pride in delivering professional work.
3. Brilliant writers (born with the gift) - Hemingway, JK Rowling, Tolstoy etc etc. The rest of us can write for a million years and never even come close.

 

I did see that movie. I want to negate many here!! I think anyone can write. And their are only three rules to achieve a level where you can say "YES, I can now write".

1. Hard work
2. Hard work
3. Hard work

By the time, you start adopting minute details of writing. Everything always comes through experience. & the people who has passion and love towards the things which they want to do, achieve top within no time, like that mouse had, in the movie.