Anyone who wishes to be a creative writer- that is, a
writer who produces fictional works- must go through a period in which
their work is generally not very good. This is usually the starting
point most authors have. No one, however talented as they may become,
begins knowing how to write a bestselling novel, or a short story that
is in great demand. If this were so, then the task of writing would be
an easy one. Great stories would be a dime a dozen and therefore cheaply
acquired. The necessary maturation process a writer goes through makes
his own work valuable in the long run by reason of such work becoming
ever more scarce the more he improves his craft. Thus, it may be said
that improving one’s own writing is improving one’s own potential for
profit.
This process is somewhat akin to that of a person’s matriculation
during years of puberty. A human being, however advantaged or
disadvantaged at birth, nevertheless begins life as little more than a
wailing lump of flesh, incapable of looking after itself, prone to
injury and accident, easily susceptible to sickness. Compare that
condition with that of an adult: an adult, it may be presumed, is
capable of looking after himself, has developed a strong enough immune
system to ward off most diseases, can withstand shocks and
perturbations, and in most cases need not rely upon the care of others.
To suppose that some people are “born to writers” or that only
certain people can be writers while others cannot is the same as
supposing that some babies are incapable of fully maturing into adults.
It makes little matter that one process happens naturally without the
permission of the person who experiences it, while the other is the
result of practice, acquiring knowledge, patience and lots of hard work.
The end is essentially the same: a writer starts off producing fiction
not suitable for public consumption in the same manner that a person
starts off being unable to form cohesive speech patterns.
As a result, it seems clear that statements to the effect of “not
anyone can become a writer” are fallacious, if not absurd. Writing
requires practice, as with anything else. No one who takes training
courses on how to throw a baseball expects to become a major league
baseball pitcher overnight. Nor should anyone who first takes up a pen,
or opens a word processing program, expect to write a manuscript capable
of earning them a comfortable living on their first try.
That people give up due to frustration, or an inability to overcome
writer’s block, is not an indication that only some people can write. At
best, it is only an indication that those individuals who did not
succeed at becoming good writers were unable to do so. The potential may
have lain within them, stifled by any number of factors, or kept hidden
inside, never let free by means of self-education. A crucial step in a
writer’s maturation process may have been missed, such as getting
feedback from an editor, attending a writing seminar, or anything else.
Just as there are conditions the human body can have which impair
physical growth- such as osteogenesis imperfecta, a condition which
prevents the growth human bones and thus the human body- does not render
some people capable of becoming normal, fully-functioning adults, so
too does not a lack of success from some writers prevent others from
succeeding. Indeed, a condition such as the one described here may be
cured at some point in the future. A statement declaring it impossible
for physically disadvantaged people to overcome their disadvantages does
not take into account the work that doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and
all sorts of medical professionals do every day to add to the knowledge
of their profession.
So too is it a fallacy to say that a struggling writer cannot
overcome his disadvantages through the means of hard work by learning
from the example of writers who have come before him, who offer their
knowledge to the public. A pessimistic statement made against certain
people to become writers is a statement against individual human will,
which history has shown can overcome any number of difficulties. It is a
statement which says that it is impossible for human beings to produce
ever more stories of quality for ever lower prices even while that very
process appears to be occurring: more stories are being produced than at
any other time in human history, some at less cost than a fast food
meal.
However, while I believe that anyone can become an writer, it is not a
process that is easy, or at first profitable. Writing is a vocation
which is often done on the margins of one’s life, a discipline taken off
to one side, a consumption of an individual’s discretionary time away
from the business of making money and accumulating wealth. There is no
guaranteed path to success for a writer. Indeed, writers can toil in
obscurity for years before being “discovered.” The famous authors of the
world are by no means representative of the individual writer who must
continually toil away at his craft, either by reason of his passion, or
to meet his obligations.
The most common result for a writer is to be relatively unknown. This
is a natural process which forces writers to increase the quality of
their work in order to make more money from it. If this were not so,
then anyone could be a writer spewing out any kind of drivel they
please. The market for fiction has allowed the best writing to rise to
the top, while the rest of it, howsoever good it may be, is less
well-known, less famous.
There are, in fact, thousands upon thousands of unknown writers
churning out words in the hopes of making a living with their craft. It
is very likely that these people were told that their work was
impractical, or that they weren’t any good at it. It is very likely that
when they attempted to publish their works, they were greeted with
rejection slips or, more commonly, outright silence. Some writers give
up without an audience. Some press on, determined to make something of
themselves, come what may. It is these writers who persevere through all
difficulties that we generally recognize as being successful.
Yet, it must be said: if every writer would realize that they have
the potential for greatness inside of them, would not they continue
along the path they have chosen, regardless of whether people liked
their work or not? Perhaps when people say that only certain individuals
can become writers, it is this very statement which discourages writers
from pursuing their dreams, leaving all future creative efforts
unfinished, their dreams scattered to the wind.
I am here to tell you that anyone can become a writer. If you are
willing to put in the work, if you are willing to weather the storms
that will come your way as a writer, if you are willing make yourself as
a person better suited to the task of writing, then you can do it. Just
as each baby has the potential to become an adult, so too does every
adult have the potential to become a writer. The talent already lies
within you. It’s just a matter of finding it, honing it, and using it.
