The art of writing is as easy as picking up any tool that can turn one’s thoughts into visible words. Excelling as a writer is more challenging. A flair for conjuring up the right amount of words and being able to communicate its intentions with a total stranger is not something to be taken lightly.

Remember that writing is an extension of your thought process, and shouldn’t be harder than talking. If you are in a situation where you are obliged to share with a total stranger such simplistic information as the time of day, when the next bus is due, and so on, then you are well on your way to using your communication skills. So why does the canvas of print have to be any harder than that? Much comes down to the question of expectations. The example of answering someone seeking to know the time, or when the next bus or train is due, doesn’t require any real level of professionalism and should come naturally to the most illiterate of us.

But is the art of communication when desiring to share written ideas so much more complicated? Probably it is if one over thinks what the recipient’s expectations will be, but less so if one starts from a simple premise that a carefully chosen subject shared in an uncomplicated way might just be a good starting point. So you want to be a writer? Enjoy the realm of courses out there, including many free ones, practice, practice, practice, but don’t lose sight of how you intend to share your ideas with an audience. Does anyone have the time?