dgcasey said:
Now that's just ridiculous, but I know there are writers that truly believe that. The same way some people believe they can't become artists because they can't draw. Which, by the way, is a bunch of hooey.
Anyone can learn to draw, just like anyone can learn to write. But the hardest part of drawing --your eye for colors, textures, steady hand, etc.-- must be learned, no matter how much someone tries to teach you. I'm not saying that a teacher can't help speed things along, but this is something that will be learned through practice, not through reading a book or being told what to do.
The same is true with writing. A book on writing can tell you about the hero's journey. It can tell you about plot points, etc. It can tell you to show not tell. But the hardest part of writing is finding your voice and developing your own personal style of writing. If you read a good book and then ask yourself 'What makes this book great?' then you will probably learn more about writing than you would if you had read a book on writing. If you write 100,000 words, your next 100,000 words are likely to be better. If you read a book on writing, you will be lucky if you pick up one or two sticking points if any at all.
When people say that they have a favorite writer, it's generally because that writer is telling stories that are different from other books that they've read. It's not because that writer is following a manual.
Also, learning to draw and learning to write are kind of hard to compare. I'm going to guess that most writers were readers before they began writing, so they have essentially had hours upon hours of study time before they even start their journey. People who say they can't draw probably have never studied drawings and have never took any substantial steps to become good at drawing. If someone is learning to write, and all they've done is watch movies their entire life, then yeah... I guess they should pick up a book on writing as they are going to face the same uphill battle as someone trying to learn to draw. They need as much help as they can get to learn the basics. Someone who has been reading their entire life is way ahead of the game when it come to writing, so long as they are capable to deciphering what made the bad books bad and the good books good. They will see more benefit from writing more words over reading what other authors have to say about writing.
)
