“How did you become a writer?”

I get asked this question a lot.

In response, I talk about my love of reading (readers make good writers). I was one of those kids who would read until the wee hours, with a flashlight under the fortress of my blankets, when I should have been sleeping.

I was always entering writing contests (and winning some), taking correspondence courses (old school!), and anything else where I could flex my fledgling writer’s muscles.

In fact, I’ve been writing longer than many of those who ask me have been alive (gasp). So, while I never profess to be an expert on anything, I will share with you my number one tip to becoming a writer.

Here’s the deal, if you want to be a writer, start writing.

Yep, that’s my number one tip. In order to be a writer, just write.

It doesn’t matter if your daily writing is a grocery list, affirmations, recipes, or the tangle of words floating around in your head. It doesn’t even need to be coherent.

Write every day. Write for 10 minutes or 10 hours. Write your heart out.

And that’s it, folks. That’s how you start on the path to becoming a writer. Writing, like meditation, yoga, or juggling takes practice, IS a practice. So the more you practice, the more you are becoming. It’s so simple. Definitely not easy, but it is simple.

Now, what are you waiting for? Get writing!

photo credit: sergey zolkin via unsplash.com