Can You Teach Others How To Write?

[FEELINGLUCKYPUNK]

I observe most writers fail at teaching writing to others. No teacher I had knew what to do. Most teachers are incompetent. The best students figure it out alone. Can you teach writing?

 

[ElectricBlue]

No one taught me how to write fiction, and I've never tried to teach anyone else.

 

[MagnusRhodes]

I had a few teachers who forced me to figure it out, and parents who backed them up. So, yeah, I'd say it's possible.

The best always figure it out on their own; that's true for everything. You can't teach passion any more than you can make students want to write. It's a two-way street.

 

[redzinger]

Writing what?

And what part of writing?

There's people who can construct a great paragraph but can't write a great story.
There's people who can come up with great ideas and a fabulous storyline, but fail to be able to write it well.

 

[KeithD]

What a comfort it is that James knows "most writers."

 

[TxRad]

What a comfort it is that James knows "most writers."

Not to mention most teachers.

Writers teach by example. People learn to write by wanting to write. My take on it anyway.

 

[SimonDoom]

As with anything creative and artistic, a good teacher can help a student improve, whether at writing, painting, needlepoint, sculpting, drawing, whatever. I've benefited from having had good English teachers in my past, who loved reading and writing and also imparted deep respect for English grammar. But even the best teacher can't teach desire and talent. Some have more than others.

 

[OmnislashXX]

I really don't think you can teach people how to write. Each person has their own unique style and some don't have the talent. You either write or you don't.

 

[FEELINGLUCKYPUNK]

Writing isn't rocket science, and what you write will likely suck, but writing succumbs to rhyme and reason.

 

[TxRad]

Is that a self revaluation, JBJ?

I've partnered with a couple of different authors on stories and we both learned something. You're right, it is not rocket science. It is something you practice until you get it right if you really want to do it.

 

[Blind_Justice]

I'm not good at teaching anything. Too impatient. It's a real issue, especially when trying to teach new players the rules of D&D or Pathfinder, Thankfully, what I lack in patience, my lady love has in spades, which evens things out nicely.

 

[oggbashan]

I attended three sets of Creative Writing Classes with different teachers. I learned something from all of them, but some of the students were unteachable because their basic skills were absent. They couldn't write sentences nor could they tell a story. They needed basic skills in reading and writing English before they could learn how to be creative.

One of those took advice and enrolled in a school-level English course for a couple of years before coming back to try creative writing. She was then an average student instead of absolutely out of her depth.

 

[LaBelleDameSansCulotte]

I'm of the opinion that you can't teach an individual anything he or she isn't motivated to learn. However, anyone who is motivated to learn usually finds the means to do so—one way or another—whether by instruction, research, or experimentation.

I think the onus of learning, especially in the case of adults, is on the learner. But, even then, everyone has specific strengths and weaknesses. Yet, as with any craft one can dedicate a lifetime trying to attain a level of writing mastery.

 

[KeithD]

I think the thread premise is dumb and not worth discussing, much like most JBJ threads.

 

[Paul_Chance]

I think you can teach and learn both writing and storytelling. Some people take to it more intuitively than others, but everyone can learn if they want.

 

[OnnaDare]

I think you can teach and learn both writing and storytelling. Some people take to it more intuitively than others, but everyone can learn if they want.

I don't know. I never thought I could write until a friend of mine who was a published writer (who loved to talk about the craft) and I had a lot of great conversations about writing. She dared me to start.

So I did.

 

[ChloeTzang]

In the end the only way to learn is by sitting down and writing and writing and writing and working to improve your writing every step of the way. Teachers and workshops can show you and give you examples but in the end it’s down to you individually to put words down and create your own stories and every one of us has to learn that for ourselves. It’s easier for some than for others but either way, you’re on your own. You have to go off on your own and write, taking those ideas in your head and you and only you have to turn those words into a story. Sure, teachers can tell you do this and do that but it’s you that has to write.

 

[JanusGoneAwry]

My daughter is an artist. I’m talking fine arts, like oil, and acrylic, and watercolor, and pastels, and markers, and charcoal, and digital, and ceramics and college, etc... I’ve watched her over the years go from a kid who was “interested” to a young lady who is “accomplished”. No one taught her creativity but you bet your ass that the tools that allow her to express her creativity were taught. Every damn one of them. There is a feedback loop of sorts with having the tools and skills to create, that allows ones creativity to expand and I think that holds true for writing as well.

For example grammar is a foundation along with punctuation but so is vocabulary. There is sentence structure and paragraph structure and opening and closing elements all of which are not only teachable but need to be taught.

Which leads us to where most of you started your position on the OP, which was that writing cannot be taught and somehow is inherited or manifest by force of will, when in fact hundreds of thousands of people are learning how to write in the US alone every single day.

That having been said, only a fraction of a fraction of a fraction will ever be able to do what all of you do, namely write a story that compels someone to click 5 stars and add it as a favorite and leave you a comment about how much they appreciate your skill. Like my daughter each of you learned how to use the tools to craft your stories and like her the product of your efforts is uniquely yours. You continue to get better with practice and through constructive feedback but those underlying tools, those need to be taught, IMHO anyway.

 

[FEELINGLUCKYPUNK]

Most people cant write for one reason only, theyre psychotic with serious thought disorders. And when you repair the thought disorders the psychosis goes away. The treatment has a name: CLINICAL EPISTEMOLGY. You cant be nuts when you make sense. All writing is is a string of wprds organized by the major food groups, that form a logical trail.

 

[JanusGoneAwry]

Most people cant write for one reason only, theyre psychotic with serious thought disorders. And when you repair the thought disorders the psychosis goes away. The treatment has a name: CLINICAL EPISTEMOLGY. You cant be nuts when you make sense. All writing is is a string of wprds organized by the major food groups, that form a logical trail.

Uhhhhh Yeah I'm sure that's what it is

 

[KeithD]

My daughter is an artist. I’m talking fine arts, like oil, and acrylic, and watercolor, and pastels, and markers, and charcoal, and digital, and ceramics and college, etc... I’ve watched her over the years go from a kid who was “interested” to a young lady who is “accomplished”. No one taught her creativity but you bet your ass that the tools that allow her to express her creativity were taught. Every damn one of them. There is a feedback loop of sorts with having the tools and skills to create, that allows ones creativity to expand and I think that holds true for writing as well.

For example grammar is a foundation along with punctuation but so is vocabulary. There is sentence structure and paragraph structure and opening and closing elements all of which are not only teachable but need to be taught.

This. There's a lot that you can be taught about writing that, when you have, it frees you to pay more attention to the creative side. I feel like I have a leg up on writing because I'm a trained editor. It's not that I do everything right all of the time, but I do it right naturally enough that it's less than half the effort and attention needed to get a story written.

Don't pay attention to JBJ's sourpuss posts. He just regurgitates whatever he's most recently read about anything. (That said he's a competent writer within a narrow scope.)

 

[SamScribble]

Kurt Vonnegut, who spent a year or two teaching writing at various smart schools, said that it was impossible to teach people to write; god either lets you write or he doesn't. Mind you, I'm not sure which god Vonnegut was talking about.

 

[ChloeTzang]

This. There's a lot that you can be taught about writing that, when you have, it frees you to pay more attention to the creative side. I feel like I have a leg up on writing because I'm a trained editor. It's not that I do everything right all of the time, but I do it right naturally enough that it's less than half the effort and attention needed to get a story written.)

Yes, I think those techniques and technical skills can be taught. Grammar, punctuation, tenses, I didn’t know any of those when I started. I just wrote and having learnt some of that would really have helped. I still screw up grammatical things all the time and my self-editing is getting better but it still sucks.

 

[FEELINGLUCKYPUNK]

Kurt Vonnegut, who spent a year or two teaching writing at various smart schools, said that it was impossible to teach people to write; god either let you write or he didn't. Mind you, I'm not sure which god Vonnegut was talking about.

Jeez I wuz robbed cuz my college made me pass a writing test to qualify for graduation. I passed with a high score. Crimonie, Aristotle wrote a book about writing titled POETICS.

 

[TxRad]

Jeez I wuz robbed cuz my college made me pass a writing test to qualify for graduation. I passed with a high score. Crimonie, Aristotle wrote a book about writing titled POETICS.

As usual, now you are trying to juggle apples and oranges. Yes, any school can teach you to write but not how to be imaginative or talented enough to tell a good story when you write.

Next time try watermelons and avocados. They are both green after all.