English teachers in high school and college often get a bad rap. It’s unfortunate because English teachers are by and large wonderful people. But students who did not do well in those classes sometimes blame teachers for killing their writing dreams. 

First of all, you should never give a teacher that much power over your life. And second of all, the skills you need to be successful as a writer don’t have much to do with what you learned in English class. 

Nevertheless, some students look at their bad grades and wonder, “Am I cut out to be a writer?” I want to challenge this question because it assumes that you are either born a writer, or you aren’t. In reality, you aren’t born anything… you choose to be what you want to be. If you want to be a writer, it’s completely within your power to do so. 

Here are some wise words from the author R.L. Stine:  

“People say, ‘What advice do you have for people who want to be writers?’ I say, they don’t really need advice, they know they want to be writers, and they’re gonna do it. Those people who know that they really want to do this and are cut out for it, they know it.” 

In other words, what makes you “cut out” to be a writer is the fact that you choose to do this work. You don’t need anyone putting their mantle on you or giving you approval. It’s just something you decide to do.  

The only question that remains is… do you want to be cut out for it?