Can Writing Be Taught?
The question of whether writing can truly be taught has been bandied about writing circles in perpetuity. Certainly it predated my own tenure at Writer’s Digest, persisted through the decades I’ve spent on the masthead, and followed me as I shifted my editorial career to full-time writing. Fortunately, after half a lifetime of watching this point be raised and just as quickly dodged in countless interviews, I’m pleased to report that I’ve learned the answer.
Ready? Here it is.
Aspiring writers who are genuinely curious about this matter are … Asking the wrong question.
Let’s get this out of the way: Writing can be taught—I’ve seen it. For us writers, time is precious … and procrastination takes many creative forms. The form of this question, for instance. Because time spent arguing theoretical points is, frankly, not time productively spent.
