Can you learn to be a competent writer?
August 31st 2008 08:13
Can you learn to be a great writer? Probably not. Great writers, like great composers, great painters, and my wife when she's making her spaghetti bolognese sauce, have a connection to a wellspring of inspiration and understanding that is denied lesser mortals.
Can you learn to be a good writer? Probably yes.
Can you learn to be a competent writer, capable of producing a successful blog? Definitely yes.
Now comes the tricky bit. How do you know if you are a competent writer (let alone a good one, or a great one)? I ask this because it is hard to define what constitutes good writing, and there are many people who believe they are good writers who are not. What is important about this is that, in my experience, many people who want to be good writers, who pick up books or read articles or blogs like this in the hope of finding some burst of insight, are in fact looking for quick fixes.
Quick fixes don't exist, and what they invariably find in a serious guide is that it takes patience and practice to get your mind and your keyboard around the principles of good writing.
That's enough for now. I can hear some spaghetti bolognese calling me. But when I return, I will present some simple rules for good writing.
Can you learn to be a good writer? Probably yes.
Can you learn to be a competent writer, capable of producing a successful blog? Definitely yes.
Now comes the tricky bit. How do you know if you are a competent writer (let alone a good one, or a great one)? I ask this because it is hard to define what constitutes good writing, and there are many people who believe they are good writers who are not. What is important about this is that, in my experience, many people who want to be good writers, who pick up books or read articles or blogs like this in the hope of finding some burst of insight, are in fact looking for quick fixes.
Quick fixes don't exist, and what they invariably find in a serious guide is that it takes patience and practice to get your mind and your keyboard around the principles of good writing.
That's enough for now. I can hear some spaghetti bolognese calling me. But when I return, I will present some simple rules for good writing.
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