Does writing come naturally or not?

I’m pondering this question as I sit here eating a mini pumpkin spice cupcake after lunch. I have been so tired lately that I haven’t been writing much outside of my clients’ work, as exhibited by my last-minute gathering of thoughts for my Monday newsletter that I usually write on Thursdays. Instead, I’m writing it now. And, as it usually goes for me, once I actually sit down and let myself write, the words start to come to me. 

Writing comes naturally to me. But only because I’ve been working at it for 20+ years. And only because I’ve immersed myself in words for my entire life. I took my first creative writing class in high school and eventually pursued my MFA.

Also, while the act of writing comes naturally, it isn't always good writing. The first time I sit down to write after a spell of not writing is like pulling teeth trying to start and then once I start I zoom along.

But I also get writer’s block. Even great writers and professional writers (like me!) get writer's block. I read that Emily Henry who is a best-selling novelist, wrote Beach Read about a writer with writer's block because SHE was struggling with writer's block. Side note: Beach Read is one of my top 10 favorite books!

There are different ways to use your writing skills so that writing comes more naturally to you. I do believe some people are more creative than others, but I don’t believe that you are either creative or you’re not. It's not a hard and fast rule, and like life, it's not a black or white situation.

For example, I write a lot of blog posts as part of my business and spend a lot of time on social media. This is hard work because it takes up so much brain space, and takes a different kind of creativity. When I sit down to write a first draft I tend to write fast and then go back to edit. Switching to writing books is like turning on a different part of my brain and sometimes it feels like a new skill.

Writing might not come naturally to you. That’s Ok. It doesn’t mean you aren’t a writer, or that you can’t write in the first place. It just means you may have to practice more, and practice differently. 

For example, If you write a lot but never read, then your writing probably won’t expand or grow much. 

If you write once in a blue moon, those writing muscles will stay stiff. 

There is no black-and-white all-or-nothing when it comes to writing. 

It is a practiced skill that you can improve upon, if you really want to. 

The best way for writing to come naturally to you is to practice. And good news: there are four ways you can do practice at home in your free time.

Four ways to grow as a writer:

1. Read more. You don’t have to read every day, but read outside your genre and your comfort zone. Take your favorite book and analyze what you love about it.

2. Write more. You don’t have to write every day, but let yourself play and explore with different styles and themes.

3. Work with a writing coach to explore the above two even more deeply. I’m available!

4. Talk about writing and storytelling with people who care about it as much as you do.

Trying a new way to plot your stories or writing new ideas will help you feel more confident as a writer. The more you write and the more you read, the more you'll feel writing come naturally to you.