Writing Skills Are Learned - Not Inherited

Writing skills are learned, not inherited.

I believe that writing skills can be learned and they are not inherited. Writing skills are very important for students or working professionals. Any person can improve his writing skills by reading a lot and dedicating more time to practicing his writing.

In his article "Are writers made or born?" Jack Kerouak states that "Writers are made, for anybody who isn't illiterate can write, but geniuses of the writing art like Melville, Whitman or Thoreau are born." I agree with Kerouak that talent is inherited but writing skills can be developed just like any other skill. If you practice writing, read many books and most importantly preform writing exercises, you have the opportunity to become a great writer.

Writing is very important for a student who wants to go to college. I found this subject on whether writing skills are learned or inherited to be very interesting to share with my son, who is a 5th grade student. He loves to read and spends most of his free time reading books. Many people say it is very unusual in today's world of technologies where kids play video games or watch television most of their free time. We read Kerouak's article together and discussed the subject. I pointed out to my son that we start learning simple writing skills at schools. The more time he spends reading and working on his essays, research papers and various reports now, the easier it will be for him in college. In order to be a successful student you need to be a good writer. Writing skills learned in school will go a long way in college and they are very important in the everyday life of a working adult as well. Anyone should be able to write resumes and cover letters well, because that will help to impress future employers.

I am originally from Spain and English is my second language. I know it is harder for me to write in English than in Spanish and that is why I read and write as much as I can in English. When I first came to the United States, I went to the University of Southern California for English program for Internationals. We had English grammar, reading, writing, listening and speaking classes. These classes helped me a lot and after graduating from the program I found that my English improved dramatically. English Composition classes also helped later. I found that preparation time for a class is very important. The earlier I start to research the subject and write the paper the better it turns out an the end. Learning to become a better writer is just like learning a second language, the earlier in life you do it the easier it is for you to learn.

Sometimes it is obvious that a person has a great ability to write and it is noticeable by many. But I believe anyone can learn elementary concepts of good writing by working hard on it. Working on writing skills and improving them will benefit anyone