The whole ‘Are Writers Born or Made’ debate is still very much alive, and I thought I’d have a go at unwrapping this onion from the perspective of a writer who believes they are very much not “naturally talented” at writing. I’m not saying this to be humble or self-depreciating – I really wasn’t very proficient at writing when I was little. I remember quite vividly during ‘story writing time’ at around age 10, always wishing and dreaming that the teacher would finally pick my story to read to the class. But she never did. Because there was always someone better and more ‘talented’, who could express themselves far more succinctly on the page than I could. And so I was left with my daydreams, keeping my stories hidden and out of sight.

When I was about 13 I noticed that one of my friends, who was particularly intelligent, appeared to…