Writing: Teaching Yourself
Can you actually teach yourself to be a good writer?
The short answer is no. The long answer is yes.
I have two degrees in writing but I didn’t get them until I was over fifty years old. I started mailing out manuscripts in my early 20s and the manuscripts kept coming back with rejection notices until I started working on my first writing degree. So, I think I have some insight into at least trying to teach myself how to write. Some of the lessons I had to learn in trying to teach myself to be a good writer may give you some insight in trying to teach yourself to be a good writer.
Image by ronnie44052 via Flickr
I was always reading the fiction of my favorite authors. I read their biographies. I read critiques of their work. I read books on how to write. I read books on grammar, punctuation, spelling and books on the definitions of words. I studied writing the way a biology major studies for an exam. Yes I did. I still stayed unpublished.
In desperation I applied to the University of Pittsburgh and was accepted as a 53-year-old sophomore with a writing major because I had a Liberal Arts Associate Degree from 1973.
During my first conference on one of my short stories, my professor complimented me on how well my story was written, that I had done a wonderful job teaching myself to write. Then she said a few words that lead to my first publication. She said that my introduction was too long. That was it.
A few weeks later my first short story appeared in a local weekly newspaper with a circulation of over 5,000.
It is my contention that a writer can teach the self to write. It’s also my contention that many writers will not pay the price to do it.
Above all else writing is a craft. Don’t be afraid of the hard work.
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Tags: authors, books, good writer, Grammar, professor, publication, punctuation, read, short stories, Spelling, teach, teaching, unpublished, words, Writing
47 Responses to “Writing: Teaching Yourself”
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Share Your Writing Tips
October 3rd, 2009 at 4:28 am
We are always learning Guy. No matter how old we are we will never know everything. Great article.
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:54 am
It looks so simple when you read a book, you think how difficult can it be? But how many drafts did that author write before the finished product?
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:49 am
Youre right, and its easy to say right now that I wont give up on writing but as things chance I may not be so sure in the futur. I hope I keep going, it must be very rewarding to be published.
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:17 am
Great article. I’ve always thought that most writers are self taught. Though I do believe that suggestions along the way help if the writer is open to them.
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:49 am
It’s that love of writing that keeps us coming back to that draft again and again until finally we let that child go out into the world!
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:17 am
lillyrose, it certainly has been a long journey of learning for me. Learning about writing is now my life style. I feel pretty good about this particular life style.
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:26 am
agriculi, that’s the beauty of a well-written book. The words flow together so smoothly and everything is so easy to understand. Little does the reader know how much of the writer’s sweat went into making the book read like that.
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:35 am
Aleena, all I can say is there is nothing to stop you from writing unless you decide not to write anymore. Just live your life. Your life will provide you with plenty to write about. Writing doesn’t have to be your job. It can just be something you do like eating. Think of it that way if that will keep you writing.
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:40 am
martie, I also think that no one can teach a writer to write. Writing is such an internal process. But the writer has to be able to learn. A writer who cannot learn will not be much of a writer.
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:45 am
Kelly, that’s a great way of looking at it. And sometimes that’s just what it feels like, too. It can be very personal.
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:52 am
I’ve been learning tru the internet, books, and listening to best selling authors. I think that will be a life task, for me. Love the article.
October 3rd, 2009 at 10:45 am
Marie, I know writing is a life task for me. And I’m learning right here in the community. Especially when it comes to online writing.
October 3rd, 2009 at 10:47 am
I’ve earned a living writing for nearly 50 years. I’ve learned this. People who can write, write. People who can’t write, teach.
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:47 am
Guy, we never get too old to learn but some of us get too tired of trying. I congraulate you on your success and your determination.
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:22 pm
ken, I know that saying that people who can write write and people who can’t write teach. It was true of my undergrad profs but all of my grad profs had to be active writers. All of them were active, recognized novelists or had collections of short stories in book stores all over the nation; some even had international reputations.
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Ruby, I like to joke that my one true talent is perseverance. And believe me, at times it was the only thing that kept me writing.
October 3rd, 2009 at 2:11 pm
I agree with you. Everyone who can write can be a great writer if they dedicated themselves to it.
October 3rd, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Avaxier, I don’t think everyone who dedicates themselves to writing can be a great writer but they certainly can be a better writer and maybe even a good writer.
October 3rd, 2009 at 3:42 pm
I think if you continue to write then you will improve. I think that’s the key. Nice article!
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Sourav, yes that is exactly the key. The writer has to take the long view. If the writer takes the long view it will pay off.
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:37 pm
You are so correct, writing is a craft which becomes better with time. Well done, article.
October 3rd, 2009 at 8:09 pm
I love how passionate you are about writing. You inspire all of us.
October 3rd, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Only when we try we know what we are capable of. Many times when we are forced to rewrite (lost the original, work was rejected…anything) we surprise ourselves with an output that was better than before. That’s why we have to persevere. To come up with better work, first one has to admit to oneself that the writing can be improved.
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Try, try, till you succeed is the writer’s mantra. Thank you for the good advice. Only learning enhances the thought process
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Congratulations! Not only did you teach yourself how to write by reading, but your perseverance and determination is admirable and this is why you are a good writer. It doesn’t matter how many times you got rejected back in your early 20’s or whether you were accepted to the University of Pittsburgh at the age of 53. The bottom line is that you succeeded. Great lesson to all writers.
October 3rd, 2009 at 11:40 pm
Talent is a gift and I appreciate you sharing your talent. Every great athelete does not become a professional. But, they still teach others how to play the game.
October 4th, 2009 at 12:13 am
I agree with many of your contentions in the article.Thank you.
October 4th, 2009 at 10:08 am
You are certainly right.
October 4th, 2009 at 10:19 am
I Agree, it truly takes time to become an awesome writer, and get ones degrees. Especially with the English language since I believe it is one of the hardest languages to learn, to speak of write.
October 4th, 2009 at 10:43 am
PR, I guess writing is what use to de called labor intensive. That’s okay with me. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty, sort to speak.
October 4th, 2009 at 10:53 am
WriteEditSeek, I think when I was young I made the decision that I could see myself as a wrter and that if I studied hard and long I could be good at writing. As the years passed I realized I was not going to make a living at it but I could see I was becoming a better writer. So I kept writing.
October 4th, 2009 at 11:00 am
Uma, my middle name should be “Re-Write”. I was obviously a slow learner. When you’re a slow learner you have to study longer. So I did.
October 4th, 2009 at 11:10 am
chitragopi, writing is a long term investment. Even the writers who accomplish fame and money in their 20s usually have many years of writing behind them.
October 4th, 2009 at 11:18 am
marlene, I tried to give up on writing. Year after year I could see I was not going to make a living at it. But every time I tried to give up on writing it felt like I was giving up on myself. So I decided to find some other way to make a living and to keep writing. That’s probably when I became a writer.
October 4th, 2009 at 11:25 am
milinda, what a great metaphor for what I hope I’m doing. I feel lucky I found Triond. I’m not much for online networking but I feel comfortable here.
October 4th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Southgate, I’m glad you found the article useful. A writer never knows the impact of a piece until there is some sort of a response that the writer can detect.
October 4th, 2009 at 11:39 am
Hemingway and Gertrude Stein used to sit together for hours re-writing their stuff though they later fought. Great writers are not born they have to make themselves and few are willing to put in the time.
October 4th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Writing is an art, no doubt.Some are gifted but we can also try, and our continuous effort may bring in good result one day or the other.Patience works.
October 4th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Nice work it really good.
October 4th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Writing is one of those good investments in yourself that over a period of years could turn out to be very valuble. And it usually is a good investment.
October 4th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
congrats
October 4th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
I happy for you that you went back to college to figure out what it takes to reach that goal.
October 4th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
When we read something good we always say”I can do that ” or “why didn’t I think of that”.
We should learn something everyday,that’s why we should always keep practicing .
October 4th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Even when I create my CREATIVE articles, I too realize that I’m getting to know lot new stuff each and everytime coz innovation also need some research.
October 4th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Thanks a million for this article, I am in the process of teaching myself to write. I am trying to write a book, but, I am having a hard time getting it on paper……Guess I’ll continue to try. I am not afraid of hard work.
You write VERY well.
October 5th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Going back to school was one of the best decisions I ever made; but if it had not been for all the years of hard work teaching myself to write I would not have been able to take advantage of the opportunities that going back to school gave me.
October 7th, 2009 at 9:22 am
I enjoyed reading your article.
It was an inspiration to read.