The idea for this blog came from one of Chance’s comments on Friday. She said, “Me voice instructor used ta say that everyone can sing, it jus’ takes instruction ta sing well!” Since I know I can’t sing and have a hard time believing any amount of instruction would change that, it got me thinking. Can a person learn to do something well without being born with some kind of talent for it?

This is the classic nature vs. nurture argument. If a child is hateful, is it because he’s born that way or because of the way he’s been raised? Simply put, if nurtured differently from birth, would we be different people? I’m pretty sure no definite answers have been decided, but the experts do love to keep the debate going.

So, I’m bringing the debate onto the ship. Nature or nurture?

To form my argument, I’ll use personal experiences. For those who don’t know, I spent eight years as a disc jockey on the radio. I did have a minor amount of instruction in this area during my first stint in college, but once thrown on-air, it was sink or swim. Thankfully, I took to it like a fish to water.

However, I worked with a young woman who had been practicing her on-air skills for years. From talking to her, I knew she wanted to have a career in radio, but after many years, she never seemed to improve. Today, she sounds as unnatural and amateurish as the first day I heard her.

This is where I bring in writing. I’ve always enjoyed writing and if my grades throughout the years are any indication, I do have a talent for it. But, as we all know, writing a paper or even a letter or an email or a blog, is very different from writing a novel. I’m hoping that with years of practice and study, I can cultivate whatever talent I have into what it takes to write a really good novel. But will that happen? The jury is still out.

There is a part in my current WIP where the heroine points out to the hero, a high school baseball coach, that most of his kids will never be good enough to play ball either in college or the professional leagues. To which he responds, “Which one?” Which student do you discourage? As is to be expected, she doesn’t have an answer.

Now the question goes to you. Nature or nurture? Is hard work, instruction, and practice enough? Or are some things just not going to happen without some kind of innate talent? And how do you decide when it’s time to say, “This just isn’t going to happen?” Be it to yourself, or to someone else.

PS: My killer cold returned yesterday so if I’m slow to get here, I’m either buried under work due to losing two days to weather, or knocked out on cold meds. Either way, I’ll get here when I can.