So, you've decided to be a writer. Your day job is secure, but it just doesn't make your heart sing. You've always been a reader and often think, "I could have written this!" And you really believe it.

While there are any number of ways to get started as a writer, perhaps the best way is to just write something. Anything. Describe your day, having coffee, looking at the sunset, or (and here's the hard part) make up a story.

Many people say they want to write a book. However, that can be something like saying you wish to swim across an ocean. It can be done, but only if you concentrate on each stroke and not the size of the ocean. If you have what you think is a good story, write it down and see what you think of it after it's written. Sure, the creative writing folks will tell you to outline the work, but often where you end up in a work of fiction is not always where you originally intended to go.

My best advise is to write the same way you'd build a wall, one brick at a time. Add a piece to the story each time you sit down to write. Don't sweat the sequencing at first, just get your thoughts down "on paper." And keep a notebook or recorder handy, because once you start on a story, it will be , for the most part, all you think about and you don't want to lose those great story ideas that hit you in the shower, in the coffee line, or anywhere else.

So, to paraphrase the Nike slogan, just write it!