You don't need a writing degree, a fancy computer, or even a profound story to tell to
start writing-- You just need a desire to.

I have discovered so many benefits from writing (clearer thinking, stronger creativity, healthier emotions, and even friends who enjoy the same!) I believe anyone can start writing if they want to, and you should!

Over the years, I've discovered my favorite writing essentials from pens, to notebooks, journals, magazines, headphones and environments. Every writer is unique and has their own writing tools that work for them. The best way to find what you like is to try them all. These are my personal favorites to get you started. 

Here's something odd about me. Despite being born at the start of the digital era, I have always had to write everything on paper first (before typing it). School essays, news articles, blogs, work projects-- you name it, paper saw it first. That being said, my favorite and most trustworthy pen has always been the simple blue bic ballpoint pen. Nope, there's absolutely nothing fancy, fun or expensive about it, but when big and I work together the words roll right onto the page. 

Speaking of page, every manual writer needs something to write on. When I'm not journaling my thoughts, I like to use a 5 subject, college-ruled spiral notebook with a fun color for the cover. Again, nothing unique about it, and that's why I love it. The smaller lines and bulk of pages provide plenty of room to write. When I am journaling, I like to use simple, leather-bound covers. 

Usually when I write, I listen to the playlist I created for writing (click here to listen). 


Headphones can be expensive, but if you don't mind background noise, you can get earphones for less than $20. I use Sony noise-canceling headphones and have enjoyed them for the past year. When I do have to transfer my writing onto the computer, I like using Google docs. As long as you have a gmail, you have access to a Google drive where you can type 30GB of documents for free and organize them in folders based on categories. 

Another tool I use when I'm transcribing my write works to the computer are blue light glasses. I don't love looking at a screen all day (although, who does?) and I want to protect my eyes as much as I can. Blue light glasses remove the blue light from the screen which can strain your eyes and arguably make you more awake (not ideal at night). You can get them with prescription or not at places like Target, Walmart, or Amazon. In terms of where to write, that's personal to every writer. Coffee shops, libraries, and the comfort of your personal home are the most common, but certain coffee shops and my home office are my favorite. 

If you want to write, the most important thing to do is to write! Writer's block is very real but it shouldn't stop you from writing! When I'm hit with the inevitable block, I like to write on a prompt. It's okay if you're not writing about what you want to, any rhetoric stimulation triggers creativity that will help push through the writer's block. These are some of my favorite kind of prompts to go from: 

Describe a "first day" in your life. (First day of school, a new job, marriage, in a new place, etc.)
What is one thing you've done in your life that you're really proud of? 
Look around and choose an object in the room. Now write something from the point of view of that object.
 
You can also order a book of writing prompts to have on-hand.

Lastly, it's true that if you want to write, you also need to read. I'll be honest, for most of my life, I did not like to read. That was until I discovered reading material I was interested in. My favorite style of writing is creative non-fiction so I discovered how much I love reading memoirs and biographies. I also highly suggest getting a copy of the most recent publication of 'The Writer'-- A magazine with helpful tips and tricks for writing and publishing. 

Sometimes the hardest part about writing is starting-- Don't let the daunting task discourage you. As they say about dancing, "write like no one's watching." Do it for you, and if people end up reading your work and following it, well then that's a fun bonus :)