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1/8 When a professional writer - and by that I mean someone who earns a living from writing - hears someone successful in another field announce that they're going to write a book, their retort is often, "Well, I fancy turning my hand to brain surgery", the suggestion being that
2/8 there's a big difference between WANTING to do something and being ABLE to. But, if you think about it, that really is a crap analogy. Brain surgery requires an extraordinary amount of background knowledge along with the dexterity and ability to put theory into practice...
3/8 The great thing about writing is that there is real potential for great swathes of the population to be able write and write well, without any training. It's not that long ago that we didn't have a gazillion writing courses let alone creative writing degrees...
4/8 There may have been some 'How To Write' books but they weren't flying off the shelves. Writing is about giving it a go; investing the time and effort; writing and re-writing. Some people put in a huge amount of effort, write thousands of pages, do their very best...
5/8 But it lacks that certain something - that creative spark or turns of phrase - making their writing flat. Others may write a great three chapters then lose the impetus. Some will find they have a raw talent and, the more they write and rewrite, the further they develop it...
6/8 This is why we hear stories of a bus driver or retired school teacher or nurse getting a seven-figure book deal. If you have that germ of an idea along with a germ of talent and a germ of skill, you can get it to grow. Sometimes, writers spring out of nowhere fully-formed...
7/8 So writing ISN'T like brain surgery. Potentially, anyone who is literate and driven to write can give it a go. They may fall at different hurdles or find satisfaction at different levels, or charge straight through to the finishing line. That's the beauty of it...
8/8 Writing's not rocket science. Or brain surgery.
