You can absolutely do it! The hardest part is starting. How you start is up to you.

I loved writing when I was younger, but I gave it up for a variety of reasons. At 40 years old, as a part of rediscovering who I am, I decided to pick up the hobby again. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life.

I have listed below a number of action steps that I did to get going. Feel free to use them if they are helpful!

Join a Writer’s Group
MeetUp should have options for both in person and virtual writing groups. Getting in front of a group of other people who were also dedicating time to writing was the number one most effective strategy to help me get started.

Listen to Podcasts
Full disclosure, I didn’t do this. But I know a lot of people who do and it was recommended to me more than once. I tried a few, but it didn’t hold my attention.

Get on Social Media
I’ve heard surround yourself with those you want to be like. Even if I didn’t have people in my world on this journey, I had access to the journeys of other people in the world. I followed other people who were writing on TikTok and Instagram. JaqOfMostTrades was a great example of someone in the process.

Journal
I spent a lot more time looking up prompts on Pinterest to help me brainstorm journals, character development activitiies, and other methods of practicing skills. I also found many insights from other authors and many other forms of general inspiration.

Start Reading
Pick up a book. It doesn’t have to be connected to anything you’re writing, in fact it might be better if it isn’t. Just read something. It’s amazing how the ideas multiply and spill over into writing.

Write Badly
Allow the space for terrible writing. Terrible writing offers space for growth. And sometimes something terrible can lead to something great!

Share Writing
Show people what you’re working on! Don’t overwhelm them, but be willing. And read their work. That’s an honor to be trusted with someone else’s creation.

Start Writing
Pick up a pen, jot down a haiku or create a sentence describing your surroundings. Open a Google doc and write a one page short story. Write a journal entry about how much you don’t want to write. (I’ve done this many times.) Anything at all will activate the skill and the drive.

ChatGP
Use it as a writing coach. Ask for a grade, reflection notes, areas for improvement, assess the skill level/grade level, etc. If you receive feedback that is less than great, ask it to create skills practice for improvement. I do not integrate the writing into my work. My work is mine. But it’s a great tool.