Writing - Is it a Craft Or an Art?

There has been a quiet debate among writing teachers for a long time about whether writing is a craft or an art. That is not a simple question to answer because writing, as with most subjective endeavors, has aspects of both. In a way, the writing instructor, whether teaching in a storied MFA program or at a community creative writing seminar, is letting themselves off the hook if they come down too far on the "writing is an art" side of the debate.

Yet there is a measure of truth to the argument of writing as an art that is nearly impossible to teach. Some things, such as what the writer brings to the page from their personal history and inner life, cannot be taught. It is just who they are. For instance, being a physician in rural Russia in the 1800s is what made Anton Chekhov, well Checkhov. he would not have been able to write the short stories and plays he wrote without those experiences. Flashes of imagination may come to one writer more readily than to another, but even ways to heat up the imagination can be improved with some teachable techniques.

The craft of writing is more about the tools a writer will use in drawing the scenes and images to bring his imaginings and experienced stories to life. This is the process of actually building the cathedral that the builder imagined when his patron stopped by and said, "Build me a grand cathedral that will inspire men to greatness."

Having an idea or a vision of what you want to create is crucial, but it is only the first step. To take the cathedral analogy a step further, once the vision has been found... "A grand cathedral to inspire greatness..." then the builder has to sit down and think about where to build this cathedral and what specifically building it will entail. That is where his skill and experience as a builder comes in. This is the craft part of writing that can be taught and honed through practice.

While it is fine for a writer to think, "I want to create memorable and believable characters," it is understanding and applying the craft of writing that allows a writer to create the characters and stories of his or her imagination. Can craft be taught? Yes, I believe it can be taught and that a good writer is both an artist and a craftsman. In the best writing the craft is so well done that the reader loses themselves in the story and enters what John Gardner called "the fictive dream" in his book, "On Becoming a Novelist". A writer who is an expert craftsman has a robust and well-stocked tool-chest from which to create that dream and draw the reader in.

Don't accept the argument that writing cannot be taught. You can improve your writing craft through determination and commitment to the path of writing.

My name is Rocky Cole, and after a career as an intelligence officer I created http://www.colewriting.com to follow my passion for writing full-time. Visit my website for more tips on fiction and non-fiction writing, as well as tips on freelance writing and writing-productivity.

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