Writing

As I've gotten older I've come to believe that people are born with various inherent abilities and talents.  Perhaps they're athletic, or musical, or some other type of creativity.  People with that ability can be coached into honing it into something special. But without that inherent ability no amount of coaching will develop that skill beyond a basic level.  The inherent talent simply isn't there to be something special.  This also applies to writing ability.  I had that point hammered home to me last week when a friend forwarded to me a paper she had recently written.  As I read it I couldn't help but be impressed by the clarity of the writing and how point after point was made succinctly and was supported by references either to the work being evaluated or other material. As I read it it became obvious that this wasn't just someone who was taking a stab at writing but rather someone who had that inherent talent and was letting it show.  The paper was part of an assignment, and I guess a cynic might say that anyone could write well within the parameters laid down by the assignment. And while I don't totally agree with that,  I CAN see there might be a LITTLE something to that.  However, as I read the most recent work my mind wandered back to another piece of writing that was sent to me by this person that explored some the history of the church.  Only this one was more spontaneous..no structure provided, just a flow of words.  I remember being incredibly impressed by it, knowing that I couldn't replicate that type of thing in a million years.  It's talent.  Period.  When it comes to writing, this person clearly has it.  As for me, I'll continue to muddle along.