NATURE VS. NURTURE

Just for the hell of it, I would like to add my strictly anecdotal contribution to this age-old argument. I was raised with two brothers in a Boston slum in 40s and 50s. We went to average public schools and earned average grades. It never occurred to us that we would go to college and we didn't. We all worked at ordinary jobs from an early age. But in time my brother Gary, the youngest, become a successful author. He wrote mysteries, youth novels, biographies, and many admired books on the subject of writing. He wrote a bio of Bogart's son and was working on a bio of Kelsey Grammer when he died at 50. I, the middle brother, became a copywriter for leading agencies in Boston, Miami, and L.A. and won many awards. In addition I have written three books, many magazine stories, and over 70 short plays, and one full-length play that had two workshop performances in Manhattan. David the oldest brother did not become a writer, but had a successful career nonetheless and did in fact write several short stories and an unpublished novel. So you see the writing gene came from somewhere. Because, like I said, no one went to college. This is not to brag, but to remind you that there is no accounting for some careers and you are not out of the running just because you don't have a college diploma.