I wish I could write this well

“I really connected with your writing. You are such a talented writer. I wish I could write this well.” Ah, the praises of the internet comments can really make your day. “I laughed out loud while reading this,” said another. Yeah me too, except I was the one writing those sentences.

I am sure my high school English teacher would have something entirely different to say about that. “Maybe writing is not for you,” would probably be her words. Maybe not in a such direct down-putting tone, since teachers are in general not supposed to discourage people from trying, but you get the idea.

Which got me thinking, why do we refer to someone as talented when we know that they weren’t born with this skill? You weren’t born with the ability to speak, write stories or make computer programs. It’s a skill that you have have learned over time, mostly due to spending a lot of hours in that particular field. Sure, natural capabilities matter when you are competing with the best in the world, but for most people competing with the best is not a part of their daily job.

I started learning English in primary school. I had an English teacher that tried her best to teach English, except her best way of teaching was often quite the opposite of what is best for learning a foreign language. She followed the iron practices that were recommended by the board of education, but after years of following those practices, my ability to write in English came down to jotting down a few lousy sentences and eventually I ran out steam. The only thing that I can remember from those practices, was filling in thick workbooks full of exercises. And papers. So many exercise papers still warm from the printing.

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