Talent and Persistence …
Posted by Tricia on 16 Aug 2008 | Tagged as: Craft, Writing Life
… also known as the nature or nurture argument. Which wins out, do you think? Do we have to have talent first, a natural ability that with persistence ensures success? Or does writing success come with a mere grain of ability and then by working at it, learning and practising until our minds and fingers hurt?
I’ve been thinking on this for a while now and not sure I’ve reached any conclusions. Sometimes it feels like the more I know the less I know, if you get my drift. I’ve GMC’d, plotted and pantsed, snowflaked and what-if’d until my head spun, yet lately it feels like wading through treacle. It feels like I’ve hit a barrier which I can’t get through.
The first stories I wrote were as an innocent. I was totally green and naive and just enjoyed the wonderful process of making up those stories and developing the characters who inhabited them. I didn’t know I was doing anything wrong. Then comes the reality of trying to sell those stories, of having them fester in that awful thing they call the slush pile. Of having them critiqued and rejected. Of learning from mistakes, and trying to move forward.
So, my question … Does there come a time when those with the raw talent power ever onward and upward? While those with less talent reach a plateau and stay there? Is there a limit to what we can learn as a writer, a barrier beyond which we cannot move no matter how hard we try? Are writers born or made?
What do you think?
I don’t think there is a limit for anyone, mainly we set our own limits. Finding the courage to take our skills a little bit further every time, being prepared to listen and learn and to challenge ourselves are the important things imo.
August 16th, 2008 at 4:48 pmTricia, I’m an organic writer, or at least I’ve been told by Very Famous Personages that I’m an organic writer. Which means, like you, I create then think about fixing later. Is there a venue for that? Totally. But it’s through studying the craft of writing and hobnobbing with other authors that we do what we do–organically–better.
One of the mistakes I see a number of writers make (on their way to becoming authors) is they read this or that How-To-Write book, it doesn’t resonate with them and they think there’s something wrong WITH THEM. Fact is, you need to find the craft books or blogs that work FOR YOU.
Writing is a very individual process. There is no one fully applicable universal bit of writing advice. My dearest friend, Stacey (YA paranormal with Hyperion) swears by Vogler and his “hero journey.” Vogler leaves me cold. I’m a Swain-ite, through and through(Dwight Swain’s TECHNIQUES OF THE SELLING WRITER). You need to find what works for you.
Do all writers need craft to become authors? IMHO yes, they do. This is my third career. I’ve been a reporter, I’ve been a private detective. In both of those, I STUDIED. I researched. I joined industry organizations. I pushed myself to learn what was up and coming.
If you want to be a success at something, I don’t know how you can NOT study the market or study the craft of what you do. Writers, especially, are their own worst critics. I suck at critting and proofing my work. I know what I MEANT to say. I don’t alway say it. Fresh eyes and guidelines help me when my desire is to bang my head against the wall.
But take heart–no one can teach you raw talent. That you either have or you don’t. But a craft book/teacher/seminar can take your raw talent and make it more powerful.
~Linnea
August 17th, 2008 at 7:43 pmhttp://www.linneasinclair.com
Yes, we do set our own limits, Kate, and I’ve just shoved back my own barrier. Thanks for the timely reminder
Thanks, Linnea. Love the idea of being an organic writer. I’m also a Swain fan, plus Debra Dixon - they work for me and, as you say, that’s what really matters.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:23 am