SiteIs Writing Talent Inborn or Learned?
I’m reading Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. According to the copy on the jacket flap, “There is a story that is usually told about extremely successful people, a story that focuses on intelligence and ambition. In Outliers Malcolm Gladwell argues that the true story of success is very different, and that if we want to understand how some people thrive, we should spend more time looking around them — at such things as their family, their birthplace, or even their birth date. The story of success is more complex — and a lot more interesting — than it initially appears.”
I always thought that writing ability was an inborn talent — either you had it or you didn’t. I just couldn’t imagine, say, Annie Dillard ever struggling in her English classes. And not that I consider myself a great talent, but I do make a good living as a freelance writer, and I was in all the advanced reading classes in elementary school and wrote my first poem — with internal rhyming — at age 6.
According to Gladwell, success can be an accident of birth timing. Those born right after the cut-off date for any activity, from school to hockey teams, join these activities a year more mature than people born before the cut-off date. For example, in Canada the cut-off date for junior hockey is January 1, and the most successful players are overwhelmingly born in the first three months of the year. Because these players are bigger and more coordinated when they finally start, they play a bit better, and because they play better, they get more attention and more opportunities for practice. I’m not sure when the cut-off date was for my elementary school (I was born in February), but because I showed a little spark in kindergarten, I was given more opportunities to learn in the advanced reading classes. One teacher even gave me a picture dictionary in the first grade because she wanted to encourage my writing talent. (Math, on the other hand? Don’t ask.)
Gladwell also focuses on the benefits of practice. He notes that amateur pianists get 2,000 hours of practice by the time they’re 20, while professional pianists at the top of their field rack up 10,000 hours of practice by age 20. The studies show no evidence of people who practice their hearts out and don’t succeed, or people who barely practice but still rise to the top. It’s all about practice — which of source is influenced by other issues, such as how much opportunity you have for practice; if you’re poor and have to work a job as a teen, you won’t have the time to practice enough to become advanced.
So what does this mean? It means I may have been wrong. You don’t need innate talent to succeed at writing, but you do need plenty of ass-in-chair. You need to hone your grammar, read constantly (when you’re not writing, that is), study great writers, and write, write, write. If your grammar stinks, you need to study grammar. If your first draft is no good, you need to write a second draft — and a third, and a fourth. Even if you didn’t get opportunities for practice when you were younger, it’s not too late to rack up your 10,000 hours.
What do you think? Is writing talent inborn or does it come from practice? Do you consider yourself a natural talent? Please post in the Comments below. [lf]
10 Responses to “Is Writing Talent Inborn or Learned?”
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Davin
Said this on March 16th, 2009 at 8:29am:I recently read this too. I think it is all true. Natural talent can be present, and I’m sure it certainly helps. But, the people who seem to succeed are always willing to work very hard for their goal in one way or another. That 10,000 hr requirement is very interesting. When I do the math, I don’t think I’ve gotten in my time yet, but I’m getting closer! Nice post and nice blog.
Iain Broome
Said this on March 16th, 2009 at 9:04am:This is remarkably timed for me, as I’ve just released a free e-book on the subject via my blog. Well, on creative writing courses, specifically. I don’t necessarily think that writing can be taught, as such. But it’s practice, as you say, and putting yourself in the right environment to succeed that makes a huge difference. If you approach writing as a craft, a process almost, then you can start to see areas that you can improve. If you write with the blind notion that whatever happens, your ‘talent’ will see you through, then you’re hindering your chances of, well, getting better.
Humility is so important in writers. We should ackonwledge our strengths, but always be prepared to accept our weaknesses. It’s the only way to improve. Oh, and practice, of course.
Melanie Brooks
Said this on March 16th, 2009 at 12:09pm:I have always loved writing — even when I was a child. At the same time I have always been praised for my writing. Usually the people who are really good at something also love the thing they are good at. When was the last time you heard of an Olympic championship gymnast say they didn’t love their sport? Of course, there are many athletes out there who simply aren’t talented, no matter how hard they try.
If you love writing you are going to write and write and write and, hopefully, get better and better. You will be open to criticism, studying your craft in college and perhaps grad school, and write so much you get cramps in your hands.
As a journalism professor I meet a lot of kids who, for the first time, are struggling with their writing in my class. Journalism has a set of rules that need to be followed and only when you have a grasp of those rules can you learn how to bend them. These kids have been told over and over again that they are good writers by people who love them. When I mark up their papers they get angry at me. But the ones who love it learn from their mistakes and get better throughout the semester.
I also think good writers are good readers. I can’t tell you how many of my students do not read the news. It’s appalling. I think good writing can be learned — but the ones who will succeed are the ones who have a passion for it.
margiewrites
Said this on March 16th, 2009 at 12:15pm:I really believe you need both. You need natural, raw talent, but that also needs to be developed by taking classes, reading books and practicing your craft!
I have always excelled in English classes and writing stories ever since elementary school such as yourself (heck, I even wrote a play and started a novel when I was eleven!), but there’s no way I would have been able to jump into publishing without any kind of guidance. I don’t think you can become a writer simply by reading books or taking classes and I don’t think natural talent is all you need to be a writer either. You need both.
Valencia
Said this on March 16th, 2009 at 3:01pm:The desire to write may be inborn…but that doesn’t guarantee a natural talent. In this case, a person may need to hone their writing skills or work on their grammar & spelling via a writing class or writing books.
Melanie Brooks
Said this on March 17th, 2009 at 4:05pm:http://whatmimiread.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-be-good-writer.html
Nithya
Said this on March 18th, 2009 at 4:17pm:Most writers seem to be people that have written all their life. They seem to have the compelling urge to write. That urge and a combination of skills is probably what’s crucial to be an excellent writer.
As a recent blogger, I take comfort in your words that the writing skill can be honed with hours of practice. I enjoy writing, though I’m afraid I’m not very good, but I do notice that as I write more, it seems to be a little easier to put down the thoughts on paper.
kiersten
Said this on March 20th, 2009 at 1:42pm:I think Anne Lamott said
“Writers are made not born”
Melissa
Said this on March 30th, 2009 at 7:19pm:I haven’t read Outliers, but it seems that the 10,000-hour observation doesn’t necessarily mean that people who practice a lot will become extremely accomplished. It could be that people who are innately talented feel more motivation to practice than people who lack talent.
Most nature-vs.-nurture questions are nearly impossible to answer, because there’s just no way to control for every environmental difference in individuals’ lives.
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