Can Good Writing be Learned?

 by The Write Readhead

Can good writing be learned?  Can it be taught? These questions have been hotly debated in writing circles for eons. Some say of learning to write, “Nope. You either have it or you don’t.” Others say, “Of course, writing can be taught. It is no different than any other skill.” And yet others would say that it can be taught but that some writers have more of a knack for it than others.

 Well, if you have ever been told that you can’t become a good writer unless you have the natural ability to do so, you are not alone. Just ask best-selling writer James Scott Bell who was told by his early writing instructors that his writing was dull and lifeless.  Not only that, but when he asked them how he could fix it, they told him he would have to figure it out himself. Then, when he asked how he could learn how to fix it, they told him he couldn’t.  Not giving up, he then asked if there were any good books on the subject of writing that might help. Their collective reply went something like this: “No. Books on writing are worthless. You either have what it takes or you don’t.” He got the message loud and clear: he didn’t have what it took to be a writer.

Nevertheless, thanks to his determination and will, he never let it destroy his dream of writing, even after becoming a successful trial attorney.

For Bell, it all changed one date night when he and his wife went to the movies and saw Moonstruck. Let’s just say he was just that—moonstruck. He came away from the movie knowing he was destined to be a writer and set out to write his own Moonstruck. So he went home and began the arduous task of writing a script. Six scripts later, he had it—his Moonstruck.

With a great deal of good fortune, his script found its way to a Hollywood agent.  And just what did the Hollywood agent say? Wait for it. . . .  “It’s got a good plot, but the characters don’t jump off the page.” At that, Bell claims he heard a sound coming from his heart similar to that of helium leaking out of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. Though deflated and a bit discouraged, he knew what had to be done; and so began his quest for the jump-off-the-page character, which, I might add, required learning.

And you know what? His writing education paid off. Today, James Scott Bell is the best-selling author of over twenty novels and over twenty books on writing, and is a much-sought-after writing instructor.  

So, can good writing be learned? Pick up a couple James Scott Bell books and decide for yourself. Whether your struggle is with character development, dialogue, description, or a number of other writing challenges, with a little determination and elbow grease, I believe you can become the best writer you can be.