Guest Post by B.G. @ Getting Through Anxiety – The Truth About Writing: It’s Not That Simple

Hi all,

B.G. from Getting Through Anxiety has written another wonderful guest post. If you aren’t familiar with her yet make sure you check out her blog!

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THE TRUTH ABOUT WRITING: IT’S NOT THAT SIMPLE

“Everyone can write.”

I hate when people say this. While I understand that many people can yes, literally write, that’s not what people mean when they say this. No. What people usually mean when they say this is that anyone can write a good story. I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s true.

Writing takes talent and practice. While anyone can string words together and write about their experiences, not everyone can do it well. I remember telling this woman once that I wanted to be a writer and she made some comment about how anyone could do it. Now she wasn’t saying that writing wasn’t important or that true authors didn’t need much skill, but I think she was trying to say that anyone could be a good writer if they just put pen to paper and expressed themselves.

While I agree that writing is a universal way of expression (and a good one at that), the truth is that writing takes great skill. Just as not everyone is born with the talent to solve complex mathematical equations or draw, not everyone has the ability to move people with the written word.

As someone who loves to write and hopes to one day be a professional author, I hate the fact that some people seem to think that writing takes no talent whatsoever. Writing a good article, post, poem, or story is not easy. Writing is an art. Writing takes hard work, concentration, and yes – talent.

I think it’s a major disgrace to say that “anyone can write”. Saying this seems to minimize the effects of truly amazing writing. Not everyone can just pick up a pen and become the next Ernest Hemingway. Not everyone can just go over to the nearest computer and become the next Harlan Coben or James Patterson. How many people do you see writing books that become bestsellers? Not many.

There are many different levels of skilled writing – there’s no denying that. Everyone has their own tastes and therefore, different readers will appreciate different writing styles. Still, not everyone can be a “writer” and not everyone can write. Some people can try and try and never be good at writing. Period. It’s sad, sure, but it’s true.

Good writing is grammatically correct. Good writing whisks the reader away and takes them to a world full of wonder. A good piece of writing makes someone forget that they are reading and forget the world around them. Good writing is like a good TV show – for that moment, all your fears and your worries disappear.

Please don’t sit there and say that anyone can be a writer. They can’t. Not everyone can put words to paper and move people. Not everyone has the ability to enter the reader’s soul and make them feel as if their hearts have wings.

When you’re reading a book, piece of poetry, or article, remember how much hard work went into those words. Think about how much thought the author put into the pages, how much time and effort was put into making everything perfect – just for you. Now tell me, can everyone do that?