Becoming a Writer: Talent vs. Training

How does one become a writer? Some would say that it is a talent that you are born with. Others say that it is a trained characteristic. I think that, as with most things, the truth is somewhere in the middle. I have met people that just seem to write like they breath. It comes naturally to them. Still others I have met have gone from poor writers to good or great ones through training. So what would the answer be?

Training versus Talent -

What does it mean when someone has a "talent" or "gift" for something? Does it mean that they are inherently better than others? Does it mean that they have a responsibility to use those talents? Can you be trained to have a talent? The answers to these questions are never very easy, though they would seem so at first.

The simple answer to the first question would be that they have natural ability in something, though what it means to the one with the talent is completely different and individual. Talents can create bonds, walls, friends, enemies, a brotherhood, opportunities, challenges, and legacies. I am sure that you could add a few things to this list.

As to the second question. My answer is this: no, they are not any better than others. Though they have abilities that others may not have, this does not make them "better" it can make them more arrogant though.

On to the third question. I think that the answer is yes and no. The individual still has his or her free will, they can choose to use their talents or gifts, they can also choose not to use them. However this is were the question gets tricky. Talents, to me, seem more like living creatures than an abstract idea. If you nurture and care for those gifts, then you will see them grow. The reverse is also true. I was once a pianist, though I enjoyed it, I stopped playing for some time. The result? I can barely plunk out "twinkle twinkle little star" (and that is on a good day). So in a sense a talented individual has a responsibility to keep his or her talents sharpened, if they want to use them that is.

Last but not least, my favorite question. Can we be trained to gain, or have a talent? This I think, has the simplest answer of all. Yes. Yes, we can be trained. If it were not so, then what is the purpose of school? Of course it can take years of dedicated practice to shape a talent, or gain a skill, but is it not worth it? When you apply yourself to a task, what happens? Are you really applying yourself? Try harder and see what happens.

In the end I believe that talent is a gained skill.

As Thomas Edison said, "Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration."