I went in for a blood draw for one of my meds today and was chatting with the person doing the draw. Those folks have an impressive sounding title but I can’t remember it. She was nice and it was painless.
It was the middle of the day so she asked if I was heading back to work afterwards. I told her, no, I was retired. I didn’t tell her that I appreciated being thought of as young enough to still be working.
When I mentioned that I spend my days writing, she said she admired writers because it is really hard and she didn’t have the talent.
While everyone likes admiration, I don’t think it is warranted. This person works in a lab and is able to skillfully and painlessly draw blood out of a human being in a way that doesn’t cause problems. This was a skill that she learned. At some point in her life, she didn’t know how to do it. She did some learning and then she could do it.
I think writing is like that. Anyone can learn it if they want to and they are willing to put in the work. Sure, there will be some that pick it up easier or have a greater command of the written language. This is no different from any skill. Based on my personal experience, she could have been at the top of her blood-drawing class. Maybe there was someone who didn’t pick it up as fast as she did. Or maybe she had to work really hard to get as good as she is.
Anyone can be a writer if they want it bad enough to put in the time learning, and practicing. Writing isn’t something limited to those with magical language skills or those with a special connection to some inner muse.