andrea on writing.

i've been thinking.

(dangerous for humankind, i know. i know.)

a lot of mis amigos out there are familiar with the concept of writing, and a lot of you could even call yourselves writers.

so. as a writer myself, i was thinking.

can writing be taught?

like, good, honest, lyrical prose? poetry?

you can teach grammar and mechanics. that's only natural. some people will absorb grammar and mechanics and put them to good use; others will not.

you can teach vocabulary words. again, only natural. some people will absorb them, and others will not.

but can you teach someone how to put those two elements together - punctuation and words - in such a way that it's beautiful, that it's lyrical? i mean, you can explain it, and people may or may not understand ... but there's really just got to be something in your mind and in your ears, i think, that allows you to feel and hear how the words should go, what way will make them flow together best, what makes them the most moving...

i really don't think you can teach writing. others? what do you guys think?

says bri: "i think it can be [taught] to a certain point... not so much teaching someone how to write, but i think you can teach someone how to think about things in a different way, or how to word things differently, but i agree, you can't really teach someone to really write. it's definitely an innate thing..."

everybody else?