There's a writer living inside of all of us. He may not be a professional writer, but he is a writer just the same. Unfortunately, most of us become intimidated by the thought of writing and rarely, if ever, put pen to paper. But the truth is, everyone can write. It's not a matter of taking classes, or reading how-to books; it's simply a matter of sitting down and doing it -- of cutting through the natural resistance and getting to the words that really need to be said. Natalie Goldberg, author of the popular guide Writing Down The Bones, describes writing as "a way to penetrate your life and become sane."
So think of writing as a spiritual process of self-discovery that helps you not only know yourself better, but helps you deal with the world around you and preserve your sanity.
The first steps to accessing the writer within are:
1. Gather your tools. Buy a cheap notebook and a pen you feel comfortable with. Buying expensive journals puts too much pressure on you to write profound thoughts. Buy something you don't mind making mistakes in.
2. Determine your method. Handwriting may not work for you. Perhaps you'll be more comfortable typing on a typewriter or computer, or speaking into a tape recorder.
3. Commit to a time frame. Practice writing for a specific period of time that you set for yourself. Commit to write during that entire time. Try to make that commitment on a regular basis.
4. Be kind to yourself. Expect nothing more when you sit down than the fact that you'll write for the entire time period. It's not important that you write something great, only that you're writing.
And during your writing practice, you should:
1. Keep your hand moving across the page during the time you've allotted for yourself. Don't stop to reread your work, edit your work, or work on grammar and punctuation. It doesn't matter.
2. Freely express yourself. Don't try to compose sentences in your head; just write without trying to control your thoughts or the direction of your writing. This will help you get through to what you actually want to write about.
3. Encourage the powerful or scary stuff that crops up while you're writing. Go for it. Write about it. There's energy in the stuff that scares you.
Okay, you're thinking, that's all fine and good; but I have nothing to say. NOTHING EVER HAPPENS TO ME. Don't be discouraged. Everyone has something to write about. You live your life every day. Just put it on paper. Begin with the past, such as a memory from your childhood, and capture every single detail you can remember. Or try a detail in your current surroundings, an obsession, a fear. The list of possibilities is endless.
Bottom line - write about what you know - anything that you know. Trust your own voice and know that good stuff will eventually come. As Anne Lamott, author of Bird By Bird says, "good writing is about telling the truth."
So tell your own truth. 
