I think part of the problem with writing as opposed to, say, playing the violin is that most people are taught to master the *technical* part of the skill as part of our basic society -- they can use language, read and write words. So the skill gap is less obvious. - ThreadSky

djangowexler.bsky.social • 290 days ago

I think part of the problem with writing as opposed to, say, playing the violin is that most people are taught to master the *technical* part of the skill as part of our basic society -- they can use language, read and write words. So the skill gap is less obvious.

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djangowexler.bsky.social•290 days ago

Like if you handed me a violin I know for a fact I couldn't do more than making screeching sounds, which dissuades me from thinking I could do it. But writing is just typing words, right? I can do THAT.

peterclines.bsky.social•290 days ago

I think the catch here, though, is that we're *not* taught to master the technical part. We're given bare-bones level survival skills in school, and maybe a few of us with serious aptitude or desire might get a little more out of it. But all those other folks *think* they've mastered it.

djangowexler.bsky.social•290 days ago

I guess my technical here i mean literally the physical skill. If you gave me a genius work of literature to copy, I could DO it in a physical sense, type the words in. The same is not true of a brilliant drawing or violin performance.

peterclines.bsky.social•290 days ago

Ahh, okay. Gotcha. I thought you meant more in the sense of "well, I learned all the rules of grammar in high school, so let me explain to you how this actually works, Mr. Dreyer..."

levpetrovitch.bsky.social•290 days ago

Even for playing violin there is a difference between mastering the technical skills that make you a violin player and being a Paganini. Once that difference was called "genius", don't know how's called now, but it still exists

djangowexler.bsky.social•290 days ago

Right! Every art and skill is like that -- mastering the technical fundamentals is only the FIRST part. Part of the problem, though, is that understanding the later parts often requires some knowledge!

djangowexler.bsky.social•290 days ago

I -- knowing nothing about violin -- would probably not notice the difference between Paganini and a replacement-level pro violinist; you don't have to be a genius yourself to appreciate it, but you need to know *something*.

levpetrovitch.bsky.social•290 days ago

The difference with writing, as you pointed out, is that everybody know how to write, still it takes "genius" to make a writer as opposed to a scribe

word-geek.bsky.social•290 days ago

Plus you see a lot of great writers talking about how awful their first drafts are and encouraging new writers to persevere through that stage

What separates published writers is that they also get good at self-editing, possibly even completely redrafting the entire piece

word-geek.bsky.social•290 days ago

And they seek and take feedback on their work

Beta readers, subject matter experts (including sensitivity readers), agents, and editors all make suggestions to writers, and they sort through those comments, decide which to accept, and how

word-geek.bsky.social•290 days ago

I am an editor, but I work with analysts producing technical reports. They have technical knowledge; I have writing skills. What I do frequently involves a degree of rewriting.

I would 100% get hunted down and shot by any writer in the fiction world. But I get rave reviews for it

brianstaveley.bsky.social•290 days ago

What do you think: if 100 random folks were given 10 years (paid stipend, didn’t need to work another job) to write/revise a book, how many of those would finish books that you would find interesting? I have a hard time even guessing at an answer to this question.

peterclines.bsky.social•290 days ago

Personally, I think it's kind of a silly question (no offense) because it inherently assumes *everyone* wants to write a book. If we grab 100 random people, we're grabbing athletes, accountants, actors, chefs, sculptors, engineers, etc.

peterclines.bsky.social•290 days ago

If we limit it to people who actually want to write a book, well... a writing coach I knew years back believed only one out of a hundred people who say they want to write a book actually finish one. Not a good one, mind you -- just a completed one.

Off my own experience... I'd say that's accurate.

brianstaveley.bsky.social•290 days ago

So, you think less than 1 out of 100 people, fully funded for ten years, would produce an interesting book? I’d believe that! Just don’t have any conviction about that figure…

djangowexler.bsky.social•290 days ago

Produce an INTERESTING book? If we're talking random people, unless you give them a strong incentive, I doubt you'd get more than a couple of finished books *period*.

djangowexler.bsky.social•290 days ago

If we restrict it to people who claim to want to write a book, I'd guess you'd get perhaps 25 books? The obstacle of having a job and other stuff to do is just not the main problem on that time scale.

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