Ah, now we are speaking about something different.

Yes, I absolutely agree that life-long learning is an excellent thing, and it should definitely be encouraged. I also absolutely agree that all skills can be improved with sufficient practice. We can all achieve basic literacy, arithmetical competence, and an understanding of the scientific method through greater exposure.

We can also develop our ability to plant a garden, ride a horse, cook a meal, and a thousand other things. A rocket-science brain is not required.

Talent shows up very early. In writing (as with most talents), development is requirement. With writing, it is early and frequent reading. That is where the rhythm of language is acquired. Learning grammar in school will give an understanding of language structure, but it will not create the same flow of language that early and frequent reading does.

To draw an analogy, if we learn to speak second and third languages during childhood, we have no accent. Later we do. Why? Because the epiglottis that is responsible for us making sounds is fully developed by our teen years, and if it hasn't developed to make certain sounds, it physiologically cannot after that age.

An example of that is that I learnt Afrikaans (which makes the same sounds as Dutch and German) growing up. It was one of my home languages. So I can easily pronounce German and Dutch words without an accent. Xhosa - the clicking language - is quite another cup of tea, though. I simply can't do it!

Yes, there are writers who started late in life. However, that doesn't mean the talent wasn't there already. My daughter (three generations now) is a very talented writer. Both her A level teacher (London) and her college professor (San Diego) spoke to me about her becoming a professional writer as she was so talented. She is 35 now, and is only beginning to think about writing now. Starting late does not mean one doesn't have the talent. My daughter's talent showed up very early in all things.

Her art projects in year 5 were equivalent to to a four year fine art student. The same thing happened for the other things she was gifted in. Again, whether one chooses to do something early on or not doesn't mean one doesn't have the talent or capacity early on.

Home life has nothing to do with talent. Talent is a genetic component. Generally great writers are gifted. Nobody teaches you to be a writer - it is something you you pick up as you read and as you learn basic literacy during the first three or four years of school.