A Writer is born

As I mentioned before my husband is in college now while he was looking for a job, volunteering, taking me to doctors appointments and everything else he does to take care of everyone around us...now that I think about it I don't know when he has time to sleep!

Anyway, he had a composition class which is normal for starting over in college. In this class they told him writers are not born, they must learn to write effectively. Of course he came right to me with that since I am the "writer" of the family. He began to question me about why I write, where the drive comes from, how I do it naturally since "writers are not born" and wanted to know the tricks to getting a good grade in the class.


He was very disappointed when I had to tell him that as long as I can remember I wrote; I wrote before I knew how to spell words or form letters. I wasn't the child that drew pictures, I scribbled and told the stories to my dolls. My grandmother had pictures of me when I was only 2 or 3 years old sitting in an old wooden desk with the wrap around arm, pencil in hand and writing away. She always said she knew that writing was my calling and my way to communicate with the world.

I know there are many opinions on this subject, but really is writing learned or is it ingrained? Are writers trained or are they born? In my opinion writers have to want to write, they have to feel the need to write, they have to be able to bare their souls with the written word and form logical thoughts with the written word so others "feel" what they are trying to convey. Is it just me that feels this way?

I am sure writers can be trained to be effective, however; would you criticize a painter that was trained rather then one who painted what they felt? Probably. I find it difficult to swallow that any artist first must be trained, sure there are certain techniques and rules that must be followed but for the most part its the spirit of the artist, the love for the art that makes them an artist. Nobody can deem another an artist, they are if they feel they are in my opinion.