<p>I'm pretty sure anyone who's considering journalism as a major must have some sort of writing talent.</p>
<p>Well, as a high school student, I was just wondering:</p>
<p>Would you say people become good writers through a lot of practice/experience, or simply through their own natural and/or creative ability to write? Or maybe a combination of both?</p>
<p>About the natural ability, I've heard of stories of astounding writers who received no formal education in writing, so this surprises me a lot.</p>
<p>Would reading books also have a significant impact on your writing style?</p>
<p>I've had classmates whose writing ability I've noticed has flourished quickly over time, while others maintain the same level of writing performance or very slowly demonstrate advancement their writing skills.</p>
<p>Judging my own writing ability, this would probably be the best way to describe it:
-Not that fluid in English writing as I'd like to be
-My sentence syntax is too basic
-I always end up spending a lot more time trying to express my ideas on paper than I need to. The essay comes out fine, but it takes a while to spew out my ideas in my head onto paper in an organized fashion
-People say my writing is pretty stiff, possibly monotonous
-Never really had a good English teacher since 7th grade(even though I got A's in the courses)</p>
<p>Even though I'm probably not going to pursue a journalism career, or a English major, I'd still like to be a proficient writer. Will intro English college courses at a higher tier UC help me achieve this, or will I have to be more proactive about improving my writing? Thanks.</p>
<p>I think good writers come from practice and from natural ability. Some people are better story tellers than others, some have a way with words, some people are funny–some things are just inherent. But you can always hone what you have, whether it’s average natural ability or off-the-charts, by practicing. </p>
<p>If you want to improve you’re writing, I definitely recommend reading, and reading a lot of different things. Read classics, read different genres, read recreationally, read fiction and nonfiction, read different cultures. The more you read, the more you’ll find out what writing styles appeal to you. Pay attention to the way different writers structure their plots, introduce topics and characters and arguments. Look at their word choice and they way they flout traditional grammar rules. Then experiment. </p>
<p>If you want to experiment with your own personal style–as you say, you’re a bit stilted, perhaps overly formal because you write mostly academic essays?–start free writing. Find some prompts online and write creatively. Go outside and people watch, and write what you see. Really search for an interesting, apt way to describe something. Focus on diversifying your nouns and verbs so that you don’t have to rely on adjectives and adverbs to create a scene. Try different genres. They all have something to offer, and will help you become more flexible. </p>
<p>It’s so nice to see people who want to write, whether or not it’s for a major, a career, a grade, etc. Writing is so important, and will definitely make you stand out, no matter where you end up going with your major/first job/career.</p>
<p>at this age, it’s mostly natural and creative ability, but experience certainly is important for improving as a writer. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>books significantly impact my writing. i have not developed a distinct voice as a writer yet (too young and inexperienced–i know a few writers my age who have though, and i SO admire them), so i often am inspired by well-written novels and stories. even famous writers have used books as sources of inspiration for their writing.</p>
<p>i agree with URichmond. the best way to improve your writing is to write for fun on a regular basis. i need to work on that. lately i’ve been falling down on my writing. </p>
<p>intro english classes in college will introduce you to good writing, but i feel that you will have to write on your own as a hobby to truly improve the feel of your writing. a lot of formal english classes, after all, involve writing essays. keep a journal?</p>
<p>Practice, practice. My writing was fairly bad until I started writing well thought out stories, and this was when I was a freaking reading machine. Find a style of writing that appeals to you and just try.</p>
<p>How coincidental that this thread should rise to the top this week! For those still interested in the original question, I’m currently writing a series of blog posts titled “How Good Writing Happens.” Each post features a different area that I feel has helped me become a better writer, and continue to grow as a writer–reading, editing, journalistic writing. </p>
<p>Also… I’m just now getting back into forum-stalking and have rediscovered an old haunt, the Absolute Write Water Cooler. It’s a huge community of writers from all walks of life and genres, so do join up, lurk, interact and learn: [Absolute</a> Write Water Cooler - Powered by vBulletin](<a href=“http://absolutewrite.com/forums/]Absolute”>http://absolutewrite.com/forums/)</p>
<p>I’m an editor at my school paper, and writing is kind of my thing-ya know, the thing that “defines” you at school (the athlete, the singer, the dancer, yadayadayada). Anyways, I’ve been writing since I knew how to hold a pen (and even before-I’d tell my mother stories I came up with in my head so she could type them up), and I can tell you that natural writers that are going to be (decent) journalists or novelists are born with an innate ability, much like singers. I could practice for hours every day for years and I wouldn’t sound like Whitney Houston (pre-Bobby Brown), and the same goes for writing: if you don’t have it, you simply are never going to be great.</p>
<p>That being said, you could definitely become decent simply through practice. I will say this. English class won’t make you a great writer or teach you how to construct wonderful prose, but it could make you at least a proficient scribe.</p>
<p>Reading books helps so much. It definitely hones your craft and aids in formulating your voice, but ultimately background, personality, and life experiences are what really molds together a writing style. For instance, I’m from the South, and my writing “voice” isn’t going to be the same as someone from Maine, just based on my dialect and background.</p>
<p>Actually, formal classes don’t help a lick. I took a creative writing course, got wonderful reviews, and good grades-and I didn’t learn a thing. To take a class on creative writing-where you’re told what to write-honestly defies the purpose of creative writing. Not trying to hate of creative writing teachers or majors here, I’m just saying-Stephanie Meyer, “author” of the Twilight series (…gag) was a creative writing major…and can she hold her own against, say, Faulkner, who was simply born with his ability? Absolutely not. So no, a writing-specific education a great writer does not make.</p>
i need to work on that. lately i’ve been falling down on my writing. </p>