B&A Writers: Are you artistically talented in other areas?

In my opinion, the word "talent" is very subjective. It's like Thomas Edison said "Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration." Sure, I think that there are people (such as the Stephen Kings of the world) who were born with a predisposition for writing.

Some are just better story tellers than others, and King is one of these people. But I think that the best writers are the ones who realize the shortcomings in their writing--whether it be with grammar or wordiness-- and learn to overcome them. And how do you overcome them?

By writing as much as possible and letting others read your work! I'm not saying that I'm talented or destined to be a (published) writer, but I have been writing since I was seven years old. It started with my mom accidentally buying me the wrong notebook for school, so I decided to use it for journaling.

The journaling turned into short stories, and by the time that I was eleven, I was actually putting friendships on the back burner so that I could stay at home and write. I'm not saying that you have to become an antisocial hermit. However, you do have to work at it.

Though a lot of people may be talented, they don't get published without hard work. So I recommend that you write as often as possible and don't be shy about letting others read your work. Post it on online forums, let your friends and family read it.

I even had a (really really nice) English teacher in high school who would sometimes read my stuff. Just make sure that you ask people who will give you an honest opinion, and you should be fine :).

You don't know right away, you have to start writing to realize it. People will tell you if you are talented. As for what makes you talented, I find that talented writers always have a way of connecting with you.

It may be through emotions, or also they may just describe it SO well that you can just picture it in your head. Talented writers are also original. You can't tell yourself if you are talented, you cant simply read yours and tell you are extremely talented, because its YOUR work.

You have to get a few opinions from people. They are the ones who improve your work and make you a better writer.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.