Earlier this month, Nathan Bransford asked:
“Can anyone with enough practice be a good writer? What about a great writer? Is there a part of writing that is innate, or can anyone learn it?”
As a teacher, I have to believe that with enough work, any reasonably intelligent person can become a good writer. It’s what I tell my students and what I believe. Give me a hard-working, dedicated student and enough time, and I can help that kid become a good writer.
Writing is hard work, but it’s not rocket science.
I am fond of telling people that I am not very impressive, and this is true in many ways. I once thought of authors as brilliant, talented, almost other-worldly beings. Now that I have joined the club, their stature has diminished considerably. I can’t help but think that if I can do it, anyone can do it.
It turns out that authors are ordinary people like me.
I always tell the people who attend my readings and appearances that they should be writing, regardless of what they perceive their ability level to be. I firmly believe that everyone has a story to tell, whether fiction, memoir, or something else entirely. Based on the success that I’ve had in the publishing world, I can’t understand why more people are not working on a book.
You never know when you might strike gold.
I like to say that, publish or not, finishing a book is a significant accomplishment. It’s a goal many people have, but very few ever achieve. People spend their lives thinking about writing a book, envisioning their story, and imagining the finished product, but never getting around to putting words to paper.
Finishing a book places you well ahead of this enormous majority.
And with the self-publishing outlets that exist for authors today, finishing a book doesn’t mean it has to remain on your hard drive or in a stack of printed pages, even if you can’t find an interested publisher. Design a cover and a layout, and print as many books as you’d like. Sell them from the trunk of your car, give them out as gifts, or pass them on to your children as a timeless piece of you.
Either way, you will have written a book. That is quite an accomplishment.
