Not Everyone Can Write

It's sometimes said that everyone has a novel within them. This should be clarified to specify that everyone has their own story to tell, however, to turn that story into a novel takes a lot more. There's a lot of people who figure that when they retire, they'll finally crank out that novel that's been sitting inside them all those years.

Trouble is, if you haven't been writing all those years, the result is unlikely to be any good. So many people think writing is just something everyone can do. They're proficient in the language and can type, and they think that's about all that's needed.

The truth is it's no easier to do well than successful surgery. Yeah, most people can pick up a scapel, and even cut someone if they had to, but how many could take out a gall bladder without medical training? Doctors go through a lot of training and practice to do what they do, and so do writers. But it's a field where many think they'd be successful, if they just sat down and tried it for a little bit.

Well, it aint so. It takes time and a great deal of concentrated effort to be a good writer. And we're always learning. There is no perfect writer, and there never has been. There has never been the perfect novel. There are some short stories, however, that approach perfection.

Is there perfection in other fields? Is there a perfect musician, artist, banker? Are there some professions which lend themseleves to absolute mastery? We have Master Chefs...