Anyone can write, right?

Yes.

And no.

Do you write emails at work? Do you write notes to your spouse to pick up milk and eggs on their way home? Do you sneak in nerdy opinions in a professional article about how "The Last Jedi" ruined the Star Wars franchise?

If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, you're a writer.

If you answered 'no,' you're still a writer. Let me explain.

Writing is simply a form of communications. It can be simple or complicated. It can be a best-selling novel by Stephen King or a note to tell your kids you love them. It can be creative or technical. Long or short. It doesn't matter what type of product it is, it's communication. It's writing.

Sometimes writing scares the hell out of people because they assume they can't do it like a professional. Relax. There are professionals out there who struggle with writing (actually all of us do), but the difference is we're willing to practice, improve, learn, and fail at our craft.

Practice
Write every day. A quick paragraph about what you plan to do today. A follow-up email to a colleague. Describe the sunset. Just write.

Improve
As you continue to practice, you'll notice you're getting better. Words are coming a bit easier. Sentences are forming a bit smoother. Writing will always be work, but you can always improve.

Learn
How do you learn? Reading? Watching? Hands-on? Do all of those. Writing is communications with other humans, right? Well, if you want to communicate, understanding broad topics will help increase your knowledge which makes writing easier. The more you know, the better you will communicate.

Fail
This will come naturally with writing. Don't be disheartened though. Writing something that someone hates is a great teacher. Sure, writing styles are subjective, but getting feedback that isn't always positive can strengthen your writing muscles and stretch your abilities.

So, if you want to be a writer (or just get more comfortable with it) do those four things (practice, improve, learn, and fail) and in no time you'll be able to easily slip snide remarks into your articles questioning why Snoke was killed off without telling his backstory!

Good luck and keep writing!