Write

Take this advice from someone old enough to have regrets. Write. 

Write early and often. 

Write late and dream of what you will write tomorrow. 

Write about friends: the ones who make you laugh, the ones who make you think, and the ones who don’t call you anymore. 

Write about lovers. You can always tear pages out later.

Write about family. You are stuck with them, so make the best of it. 

Notice details and write them down. The memory of a date, no matter how romantic, is somewhat lacking without the year, make, and model of car you were in. What did your date wear? What did you eat? What do you wish you had said?

When in doubt, choose a short sentence. Long sentences often cause more harm than good.  

Limit your use of the passive voice. Describe what things do, not what they are. 

Make lists. Historians and sociologists know that lists provide some of the best clues about the nature of a life and a society. 

No event is too ordinary. No detail is too small. Mundane things define our lives. Find their simple beauty. 

Examine your core values and write about them.  

Strive for precision, but settle for truth. 

By writing, you will learn who you are and how you fit into the world. And in the process, you will create the most valuable thing you own. 

Write.