Can Hard Work Beat Talent? A Writer’s Guide to Success

The debate on natural ability versus persistent effort. What does it take to be successful in any industry? Do you need to rely on hard work or talent? Ideally, it should be a balance of both. In other words, it is not about hard work versus talent but rather about finding the right approach. When it comes to a writing career, a natural ability to express ideas creatively is definitely a must; however, consistent effort is also needed to drive improvement and results. The writing world values those who revise, learn, and adapt.

There's also an ongoing debate between the importance of talent vs. hard work and dedication. What is more important for subsequently transforming you into a successful writer? Our resume writers service shares the thoughts on this debate.

Why Do We Overestimate Inborn Ability?

Our society exalts talent. A talent tends to be seen as an inherit ability of the individual. When we see an artist at work, we often have an impression that he/she was born to do this thing. And we often say things like “That singer is so talented” to express the highest praise for someone's ability that we admire.

However, is it really a talent that determines your success or failure in a certain field? Is there a reason to start practicing a thing for which, as others say, you are not talented enough? One of the skills that evokes most questions of this kind is writing.

Moreover, it is also important to keep in mind that talent is nothing without hard work. If you have a passion for writing, you still need to practice and improve your skills. In addition, cognitive biases, such as the halo effect and confirmation bias, lead us to overestimate "innate talent." We tend to attribute success to natural ability, overlooking effort, practice, and experience. So, is talent enough to be successful in writing? In 99% of cases, no.

Can Hard Work Make You a Writer? Real Examples & Principles

People often ask themselves: can a naturally gifted, talented person achieve success in their profession thanks to talent alone? This question is even more pressing for creative people like photographers, writers, web designers, musicians, dancers, artists and more. It is considered that to make it in a creative more complicated than simply choosing between natural ability and dedication.

Not all famous people were talented from the early childhood. In many cases, they reached success by trial and error. For example, Steve Jobs and Michael Jordan failed a lot before they achieved their goals. But since they were hardworking people, they became successful people in their respective industries, and they serve as role models to the entire world. Their dedication and learning illustrate that talent without hard work is just a natural gift rather than a guarantee of success.

Natural talent is nothing without persistence

People are often fascinated by the idea of pure talent that will lead you to a tremendous success. Indeed, innate ability is important, but not everyone with a talent for something becomes a successful person. You need to develop these natural talents through hard work, practice regularly and grow better year by year.

You've probably met someone who has a magical voice or a talent for painting, but chose not to develop these natural abilities to pursue an artistic career. Without focused work, talent fails. Both talent and hard work are equally important. Many famous writers admitted that it's a strong work ethic that helped them grow their talent and finally reach that finish line.

Here are just a few examples of authors who combined hard work talent and dedication to achieve global recognition of their writing:

1. Stephen King - Known for his storytelling instincts, King faced many rejections early on. Carrie, his breakthrough novel, was initially thrown in the trash and described as not worthy of any attention. His persistence in rewriting and submitting work built him into one of the most successful authors of all time.
2. J.K. Rowling - Rowling had a vivid imagination and natural gift for world-building, but her path to success included poverty, single motherhood, and multiple rejections before Harry Potter was published.
3. Maya Angelou - With a powerful voice, Angelou’s early life was filled with many hardships. Her persistence through adversity, along with continuous refinement of her craft, led to her acclaimed autobiographies and status as a literary icon.

Dedicated work helps you develop new talents

If you are a gifted person, it only means that acquiring skills and knowledge in your field will take you less time and effort. Say, if you're a naturally intelligent person, you'll pass IQ tests and get good grades with ease. Yet, through working hard, you can achieve great results as well, with the only difference that each task will probably take you longer.

Moreover, a great byproduct of focused and persistent work is that it helps you hone your natural skills and develop new abilities. If you dream of becoming a famous painter but you aren't hugely talented, it's no reason to put your dreams aside. If you practice and learn more about fine arts, you can actually develop that important talent. Or, you might discover similar career options - such as gallery manager who ensures business grows, an art director, or other.

If you don't have the natural ability but are passionate, keep trying anyway

When discussing the hard work talent, it's hardly possible to say that either makes all the difference. Of course, if you have a talent for something and work hard to develop yourself every day, you'll inevitably achieve success at one point. But if you are fascinated about, say, writing, but people keep saying it's not your cup of tea, don't give it up.

If you take some training and practice writing every day, you'll see results for sure. Maybe, they won't be as brilliant as those of someone who has an innate ability to write. But still, you will see the progress and that progress will inspire you to keep going. You can later find out that writing a novel doesn't seem exciting any longer, but you can tell great short stories, so you can post them in a blog and monetize it. Whether you consider yourself talented or not, persistent work is essential to achieve tangible results.

Writing Talent vs Skill: Can It Be Learned?

If you have talent in writing, you still need to build skills through practice. The role of practice, neuroplasticity, and learning in a writing career is crucial. Regular practice strengthens skills, expands vocabulary, and develops personal style. Writing talents require self-exploration and self-criticism on a regular basis. Is creative writing a talent? It definitely is. Can it be learned? Yes! Even without “natural talent,” a writer can achieve mastery through consistent effort and structured improvement. Ultimately, success in writing is the result of deliberate training and ongoing self-development. You can even take a writing talent test to assess your writing abilities. So, let's take a look at the difference between gifted and trained writers.

Difference between Gifted and Trained Writers

Is writing a talent or skill? Let's check the differences between gifted and trained writers.

Aspect	Gifted Writers	Trained Writers
Natural Ability	Strong innate talent in language or storytelling	May start with average skills but develop over time
Writing Style	Often original and intuitive	Polished through technique and structure
Learning Curve	Quick to grasp complex ideas	Progresses steadily through practice
Feedback Response	May resist critique, relying on instinct	Welcomes critique to improve
Discipline	May write in bursts of inspiration	Maintains consistent writing habits
Risk of Plateau	Can stagnate without effort	Continuously grows with effort
Strengths	Creativity, voice, and originality	Craftsmanship, clarity, and precision
Weaknesses	May lack structure or consistency	May struggle with originality or spontaneity

The nature of writing

Writing - especially creative writing - is an exhausting process. You need to create the entire thing out of your head, and no one can guarantee that the result will satisfy you (here are some professional tips for beginning novelist to ease the process: https://resumeperk.com/blog/how-to-start-your-first-novel-15-winning-tips). Since the process is stressful, many writers are waiting for inspiration to get started. However, this is definitely a way to nowhere.

Even if you possess a natural ability for writing, it will take you anywhere if you'll be solely reliant on the talent and inspiration only. However, only those devoting hours of hard work to writing every day usually achieve writing success. It's more about stamina and a clear goal of becoming a writer and willingness to work for it.

So, do you really need talent to make it as a writer? Yes, it's good if you have it. It's not a big problem, though, if you don't. Because most published writers have got there with only some talent and lots of hard work.

Steps to Become a Successful Writer (With or Without Talent)

Let's explore how to become succesful writer. There are several steps you need to follow to become a successful writer. While you do not necessarily need to follow them all, it will be helpful at least to read about them.

1. Read a lot
   All successful writers are keen readers. Thus, if you wonder how to become a successful novelist, start reading! It's easy to explain as it's only through reading you learn the writing styles of great authors, their unique tricks, and expand your vocabulary. In other words, you won't be able to create something substantial unless you've read a plenty of others' work. Reading a lot also works for web writers. In addition to learning classical and modern literature, follow the most popular bloggers in your niche to learn how they capture the attention of their audience and their writing style.
2. Practice every day
   Perfection comes from practice. How to be a successful writer? Start writing! All the outstanding sportspeople and artists spend hours every day practicing. There's only one way to succeed as a writer: practice every day, learn from your own mistakes, and practice again. Even if what your write isn't any good so far, remember: the more your write, the faster your writing improves over time. Have you heard about the 10.000 hour rule? To perfectly master any skill, you need to spend 10.000 hours practicing it. It takes almost 5 years of full-time work. So, don't waste the precious time and spend a few hours every day writing if you are really determined to be good at it.
3. Get the feedback
   Mastering your writing skills shouldn't be a single-handed journey. Without the regular quality feedback you'll find it difficult to constantly advance your writing. So, spread your first copy around the internet and collect other people's opinion. Where to get feedback? Join an online writing forum, an offline class, hire a professional editor, or approach the writer/blogger you admire and ask for their comments. A constant feedback, both positive and negative, will not only help you develop your writing skills faster, but also will help you stay on track.
4. Develop your self-belief
   Although you might not need a huge talent to get started, you do need a courage and confidence. Without these two ingredients, you'll unlikely advance your writing to the master's level. Or, if you manage to, you'll be too shy to promote yourself. Self-promotion is crucial in the era of internet. If you aren't aggressive and persistent enough, your name will get lost in the midst of other names of aspiring writers. So, what contributes to your self-belief?
   • Knowing that you have something to say. In other words, understanding of your value as a writer comes from a genuine understanding that you have something to say that no one else can. Your unique experience cannot be explained by any other individual.
   • Confidence in your professionalism. As your writing skills continue to develop, you'll feel more confident which will reflect on your writing and professional life in general.
5. Complete your writing projects
   How many of us have left the novel, a short story or post halfway just because we realize it wasn't going to become ‘a next big thing'? To achieve writing success, you'll have to give up this habit. In this case, perfectionism isn't helping but only slows down your writing progress. Even if the piece you are working on isn't as good as you expected, finish it. Complete the book and get feedback to correct your mistakes and do things better the next time.
6. Keep going
   Whatever happens during your writing career, don't stop halfway. It can take you years before you get at least little recognition. On the contrary, your first or second novel can surprisingly catapult you into writing stardom. Both situations have their pitfalls. It is important not to lose motivation and drive when things aren't going well, and it's even more important not to lose your head when you're successful. Whatever happens, you need to learn from the past mistakes and just keep going.
7. What if I start late?

   You can start a writing career at any time in your life. Is it hard to become a writer when you are 50 years old, for example? The answer is: it is as hard as when you are 25! How hard is it to be a writer? You will not find out until you start writing! Moreover, life experience often brings depth, perspective, and emotional richness to storytelling. Many renowned authors began late: Toni Morrison published her first novel at 39, later winning the Nobel Prize; Frank McCourt released Angela’s Ashes at 66, earning a Pulitzer; and Laura Ingalls Wilder published her beloved Little House series in her 60s. Don't be afraid to start when you feel the right time has come!

Effort and Talent: What Drives Long-Term Writing Success?

For long-term success, effort is the key ingredient. When comparing long-term practice to raw skill, natural ability may make writing feel easier at first, but without consistent practice, even the most gifted writers can stagnate. Yet, if you are looking for long-term success, the difference between hard work and talent should be prioritized. It takes time to write a great story! Sometimes you even need to rewrite it several times! Why is hard work more important than talent? Effort fuels growth—it sharpens skills, builds discipline, and helps writers navigate rejection and revision. Thus, talent vs ability is about years of rewriting, learning, and perseverance.

What Hiring Managers Look for in Writers

While a resume is not a creative piece of writing, it also requires much attention! A resume is more than just a summary of your academic and professional experience. Is the document that sells your skills to the potential employer! Thus, a resume requires constant effort and deliberate practice as well. While some job seekers hire a writing coach, others prefer resume writing services for creative professionals. Likely for you, we offer resume writing help for writers, authors, actors, etc. Just send us a message and will guide you through the process!

The bottom line

As the history shows, it's not that important to have a congenial writing ability to achieve writing success. And, when it comes to non-fiction writing, such as white paper writing, content writing or PhD writing (learn more expert tips on how to handle PhD level writing here: https://resumeperk.com/blog/helpful-pieces-of-advice-for-phd-student-writers), everyone can learn to put their thoughts on paper.

On seeing another New York Times best-selling author or a winner of a Nobel Prize in literature, we always put it down to their writing talent, as we don't see the years of hard work that eventually led to the writing success. So, a writing talent is great. It will help you a lot as you learn how to write and gives you a head start. But, in the end, it's dedication, motivation and years of hard work that make a successful writer. This rule works for all writing jobs, from creative writers to industry specific writers and blog post writers.

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FAQ

Is writing a skill or a talent?

Writing can be both a skill and a talent. While some individuals possess a natural ability to craft compelling narratives, strong writing also requires continuous learning, practice, and feedback. A talented writer who doesn’t refine their craft may fall behind someone who works consistently to improve.

How to become a successful writer without natural talent?

You don’t need innate talent to succeed as a writer. Dedication, daily writing habits, and a willingness to revise and improve are more critical than natural ability. Hard work, persistence, and constructive critique can help you build writing skills over time.

Is talent enough to be a good writer?

Talent alone is not enough. A gifted writer still needs to develop discipline, master grammar, study storytelling techniques, and understand their audience. Long-term success depends on how much effort is invested in polishing that talent.

How to find your writing talent?

To discover your writing talent, try different genres—fiction, nonfiction, blogging, copywriting—and seek feedback from readers or mentors. Identifying what you enjoy writing and where you naturally excel is a good first step toward refining your strengths.

What is the difference between hard work and talent in writing?

Talent refers to a natural aptitude, such as a feel for rhythm, tone, or storytelling. Hard work involves structured effort—like writing consistently, editing drafts, and learning new techniques. Talent gives you a head start, but hard work ensures long-term growth.

Why is hard work important for success as a writer?

Hard work builds discipline, resilience, and a professional mindset. Writers who consistently show up to write—even when uninspired—gain real-world experience and mastery. Success in writing is more often tied to effort than to raw talent.

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