Might Genetics Influence Writing Ability?

PaigeElizabethTurner

I have carried this topic over from my blog for its interest factor.

We know that an introverted person is said to be ill at ease in social settings. That caused me to wonder whether our genetic make-up might influence the manner by which we write.

As an introvert myself, I feel comfortable writing across many disciplines (albeit with little commercial success). I have no problem inventing and ‘fleshing out’ characters. However, might an EXTREME introvert have difficulty in doing so, because of lack of immersion in dense social situations? Conversely, might an EXTREME extrovert struggle with writing a scene of, say, being trapped in a cave?

A fellow TBer responded with the analogy of writers immersing themselves in all situations, i.e. adopting the persona of a murderer, (which I can easily relate to!) but those types of references are commonly derived from research.

Perhaps the question should be: Could an introvert write and exceptional 'dialogue-based' novel? (I tend to believe that the introvert does have the 'capacity' to socialise, but not the ability.)

A very interesting conundrum which invites a variety of response.

Mrs Bear

I don't see why not. An imagination is what's required, and that's not confined to extroverts. The world inside your head can be far more lively than the world outside it, because it doesn't threaten your safety.

It's like saying you'd have to be a sex god/dess to write erotica, which simply isn't the case. Neither does research account solely for the ability to get inside the mind of a murderer - there has to be a huge amount of imagination too.

An observer who doesn't interact: that doesn't mean he can't take it all in.

Genetics? Now we're in nature versus nurture land, which is a whole other subject. Can you be a writer if no-one in your family before you has ever written? Yes, whether you're introvert or extrovert, or any shade between.

Liz

Yes. Agree.

However, I think the propensity to be a good/successful writer is in the genes, as in are you articulate on paper, intelligent enough (let's not kid ourselves, all good writers are extremely intelligent), and as Mrs B says, imaginative enough.

If you looked back in your timeline maybe you would find someone else who writes or has a similar gift... my grandfather wrote all is own speeches and talks and was a Town Crier (the champion of Great Britain on 3 occasions).

Eddisbury

I was already intending to come out of long-time lurking mode and this is an appropriate thread to give me the impetus.

I don't know about genetic inheritance for writing, but my father was an avid reader who would never be without a book to read. He was also a teller of stories, many of which still fascinate me as examples illustrating the way in which stories take on a life of their own and migrate all over the place, and change details and settings. That's a topic at the heart of my current non-fiction project. So, my writing bug is definitely inherited from my dad.

Phots Moll

How would we know if we'd inherited a love of stories, or had learned it by following the example set by our family?

PaigeElizabethTurner

How would we know . . .

Excellent question to a long-held assumption. We have our mother or father's blond hair and knock knees because they are predetermined by genetics. The interesting question is: what degree of brain matter is so predetermined? A case in example is Charles Dickens, who is widely regarded as one of the greats. I know little of his father other than his working as a clerk and being jailed for debts. However, I have read much of his great granddaughter's work (Monica Dickens) and whilst a prolific writer is not in the same class as Charles.

I feel that writers and artists convey thoughts and imagination that is generated from life experiences; not from the helix of DNA. I wonder if Liz's grandfather cultivated his ability to exceed at his chosen profession, or did he inherit it? Too often, we have had it drummed into us: 'Oh, you're just like your father/mother.'

I'll step on a limb here: I wonder if we should be credited for creating our work under our own initiative, rather than as an offshoot of a previous generation?

Lizy

My father wrote really good sermons which he delivered clearly and concisely without ever patronising. Even as a child I listened! He also wrote interesting letters to me when I was away at college. My heart always lifted when I saw his writing on the envelope rather than my mother's. She lacked his easy facility with words - her skill was in crafts, which is why , possibly, I do both.

Liz

My dad's dad and uncle and he used to draw and paint - really well. I thought that was where I got the ability for that, but looking through mum's Grammar School books, she, too, could draw.

You only have to watch Who Do You Think You Are to see that gifts filter down - Warwicke Davies was on the other night, and one of his ancestors used to sing and play several instruments and was the head of a group of travelling players, so was also in the entertainment and creative industries line.

I suspect our ancestors were certainly story tellers even if they couldn't write.

Liz

hi, Eddisbury, welcome back!