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Can creative writing be taught? Of course it can. Here’s how.
Yes. Of course it can.
Those who would convince you otherwise are usually small talents with big insecurities. They don’t want everyone to know that writing comes down to a set of simple practices which can be learned and iterated in endless configurations for the rest of a person’s natural life. They would rather gatekeep writing as a sport for geniuses, and by extension, promote themselves. They want to be big fish, so they’re trying to keep the pond small.
I hate this question because it pretends to be reasonable and straightforward, but it hides a lot of nasty assumptions about art, quality, utility, and our basic rights to occupy our own minds as we see fit. It assumes that writing is only worth doing if it’s done well, which further assumes that there is an objective standard we can all agree about.
It breaks my heart a little when an aspiring writer asks me to assess whether their work is publishable. Everything is publishable; publishing does not ensure any stamp of quality, even at the haughtiest imprints. I think almost everyone would admit that social proof and popularity have a sizable influence on what’s considered publishable at any era, so why pretend otherwise?
It has been convincingly argued that there’s just a certain spark to the way some people…
