"... I apparently don't have any innate talent and I'm going to have to actually work hard at it."
Unfortunately even with innate talent you will still have to work hard at it. There are many things to consider, from fitting in with the style and purpose of the project (Mrs Eaves is pretty but would you use Mrs Eaves on a project about the Titanic?) to practical issues like having the right weights for body type.
"even with innate talent you will still have to work hard at it."
Word. I responded to an earlier post that this sort of thing is a learned skill. About a year or two ago, i started a font blog[1] so that i could learn about typefaces and also so that i could become better at making type specimens.
It worked, at least until i got busy with school, but it actually made me understand type and it also had the effect of making me use typeface outside of my comfort zone. I welcome submissions, so let me know if you want to take a stab at writing up a typeface / specimen.
Just as with programming or, for that matter, anything, practice in seeing[2] and using type is really the winning ticket. The more you do it, the better you get. I know, lame, right? But how do you get better? You research, you try, you fail, you get feedback, and you get better.
[1] http://fontasm.tumblr.com
[2] Seeing Is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees (978-0520049208)
Unfortunately even with innate talent you will still have to work hard at it. There are many things to consider, from fitting in with the style and purpose of the project (Mrs Eaves is pretty but would you use Mrs Eaves on a project about the Titanic?) to practical issues like having the right weights for body type.