Lately I’ve been wondering about natural instincts and predispositions. I am not very technically minded. My instinct is to be passionate. At school I was either the one sitting at the back of the class ‘off with the fairies’, or talking too much to the person beside me. This natural predisposition to withdraw into my imagination, or be overly communicative, meant I was very good at creative pursuits, like Drama and English, but bad at formal ones like Math and Science.
I used to think that writing was just the ability to tell a good story. There is no doubt that the Lord gave me more than my fair share of imagination. Story telling is as natural to me as breathing. However, the ‘technicalities’ of writing, (grammar, spelling, sentence construction); are all aspects I need to learn more about and improve upon.
Certainly, you can have the most well written book in the world, but if it lacks imagination it’s going to lack appeal. But then you can also have the most captivating story in the world and if it is poorly edited, it will be disregarded.
I admit that I will most likely never have an aptitude for technical aspects. But we all have challenges to our natural instincts. Learning curves are important because without them there is no growth. I think understanding your natural instincts and working with them, is half the battle. A good dose of discipline and a prayer for help to overcome what is lacking is also vital.
What are your natural instincts? Knowing them is a great step towards understanding who you are, and what motivates you.
Rose Dee. Author. Redemptive Fiction 
Your post brings to mind the Biblical story of the Body of Christ, because you (and I) don’t have to be good at everything. We have to find our own gifts and operate in those, relying on our fellow Christians to back us up by operating in their giftings.
I remember being told three very important things in my first job (human resources, giving psychological assessments to job candidates, doing numerical analysis, and writing the company newsletter):
– for most people, what they enjoy is what they are good at, so they should pick a career they enjoy;
– women tend to be stronger in verbal reasoning, and men tend to be stronger in numerical reasoning. It is unusual to be equally strong in both (but I am, so I am obviously strange);
– you can’t proofread your own work because you don’t see the mistakes.
My strange brain also means that I have always been the person my friends and colleagues have asked to check over their writing. So although I haven’t realised it, I have been editing and proofreading since high school. I’m the annoying person who picks up the incorrect use of prodigy vs. progeny, your vs. you’re, and even (sometimes) know how to correctly use an apostrophe (although I will confess that I have also been known to rewrite entire paragraphs to ensure I don’t have to use an apostrophe and risk getting it wrong).
Hi Iola,
Thank you for taking the time to comment. I always say that successful business people know their strengths and weaknesses. They then employ the right people to make up for what they lack. I have improved dramatically on the ‘technical’ aspects of writing, and am learning all the time. My neighbor is just like you. She sees the technical aspects clearly, and loves the process. She is a great help to me.
Your friends are blessed to have you in their service. I know how valuable that is.