| Ever use the phrase "I've been writing since I could hold a pen!"? Ever tell everyone that you've always wanted to be a novelist? My husband hates people like you. (Just kidding!) But seriously. He hates that statement, no matter whether it's used in an art standpoint or a writing standpoint. A little bit of backstory for you - my husband grew up doodling and drawing. His father discouraged it, but he did it anyway. He was good at it - maybe not Michelangelo-genius-level, but competent and he enjoyed it. And when it came time to make a career decision, my husband elected to go to animation college. He learned how to apply his love for art in a realistic way and even went on to work for the animation giant (at the time), Disney studios. My husband is talented. I consider him a 'born' artist. He does not. Why? Because he went to school to learn to be a professional artist. He worked very hard for his degree, worked many years at crappy, low-paying jobs in the industry, and eventually climbed his way up to the 'pinnacle' of his career (Disney). And he would point out to me, constantly, all the art magazines and the bios listed there. Nearly every single one of them had some saying along the lines of "Born with brush/art pencil/crayon/whatever in hand." He hated that, because he felt that you shouldn't have to get around the schooling and the endless life-drawing classes and all the other good stuff that gave him the 'art skills' that he needed for his job. And while this may not sound like a writing-sort of thing, it totally is. Read the bios of a few authors. You'll often see "I was born with a pen in my hand!" or another such statement. Which is fine, really...but when did it become a bad thing to be a late bloomer in a creative career? I'll be the first one to tell you that I've always been writing inclined, but I never considered myself a novelist until my twenties. Sure, when I was a kid, I'd pull out Mom's old typewriter and bang away at some bad Pern fanfiction, or some sci-fi story where there was only one woman left in a universe full of men (a gal can dream) and other corny stories. They never got past one or two pages. I filled endless journals with fanfiction when I was a teenager. But novelist? No. That happened much, much later. So no matter the background, I always consider myself a 'made' writer. I made myself sit down and learn how to write a novel. I read a bajillion other books to figure out how to plot, how to make my characters interesting, how dialogue should (or should not) be tagged. I learned the hard way that adverbs were bad, headhopping was bad, and dramaz were good. Now, I'm not saying that 'Born' novelists are necessarily wrong. Every person is different. Maybe you HAVE been writing mini-novels since you were six. But is there some sort of stigma on people that decide to write their first novel when they're 30? 40? 70? There shouldn't be - a novel is a novel, no matter the age. It's all right to be a 'Made' novelist, isn't it? So here's my question for the gang - do you consider yourself a 'born' or 'made' novelist? And why? |
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Both. I was born with the desire to write, and some talent, I like to think. But I made myself write, I made myself practice, I took classes, I learn. I'm still making my born talent into something successful.
Tessa Gratton
I think it's okay to say we're born wanting to do something...and I think it doesn't matter how old we are when we finally accomplish it. I guess it's a little of each because even if we're "born" to do something, it takes a lot of time to hone our skills and grow into the pro that we want to be. I've always written and always wanted to write a novel, but I didn't get the discipline to sit down and start working at becoming a good writer until I was thirty. And two years later I'm still working at it. And someday I'll succeed!
Salamet from LJ
When I was growing up, the thought of writing 250 pages of anything was...laughable. I was never going to be disciplined enough to write something that long that was worth reading.
Then in college, I found the confidence to at least try. I wrote one practice novel, and am now almost finished with novel #2.
Maybe the tendency was always there, but, like Tessa commented, it was writing everyday, taking classes and learning about craft that made the difference for me.
Interesting post topic!
I think I was born with the proclivity. But once I started writing fiction when I turned 30 it took a lot of work to hone any latent skills.
When I was 6 or 7 I made a comic book for my mom. But mostly I drew blueprints, crazy ones, "And this is where the boat pull right inside the house." That kind of crazy.
By junior high, I knew that I'd end up being paid for counseling. Simply because I knew how to listen. Apparently, it's not a common trait. I mean really listen, shutting down all the inner voice and really hearing someone else. So I guess you could say my calling was Therapy.
And I did it for 12 years. The question is did I enjoy it? Not so much. Oh there were days where I knew I'd been successful in promoting some life change, but for the most part no.
I didn't start writing fiction seriously before 2 years ago. So, I'm gonna say, I'm a made writer.
I made those words on that page, and I'm proud of them. Was I born to do it? Doubtful.
I'm definitely in the made camp. I even went out of my way to tell people I wasn't a writer--even though at various times in my life I did start a book or write poetry. I think it was mainly that if I said I was a writer then people would expect it be, I don't know...good. ;-)
So, I never thought of myself as a writer and never told anyone I was a writer until after I had sold my first book. It just seemed embarrassing somehow--which is silly because you feel no embarrassment saying I'm learning to be a Doctor or whatever, but with the writing thing I was just...weird.
Lori
I've been writing the starts of novels and stories since I was a little kid, really getting into it in my teens, then fading all but entirely until recently.
I'd still say "made" however, tentatively asterisked by the fact I have never sold anything. Lack of actual credentials aside, I feel it's the practice and the study that really makes one a writer.
I'd say, for me, made rather than born. The inclination has been there for decades (always fighting with the reading inclination) but it's only been in recent years that I've been consistent in sitting down and writing.
Born to prevaricate, maybe. But not born to write (to be honest I'm still *training* in that regard, so even the *made* element isn't finished yet.) ;o)
There are tons of born writers just like there are tons of hatched green sea turtles, this doesn't change the fact that only a very few of them have the drive, luck, and skill to make it in the sea.