To the girl who thinks she can't write,
First of all, I'm sorry. Sorry that for whatever reason, you think you can't put pencil to paper and create something or tell a story through words. Most of all, I'm sorry that you don't think you have anything meaningful to say.
If you're scared or intimidated by the act of writing, don't be. Not every written work is the next great Novel and not every poem is meant to be read and deconstructed in a high school English class. Sometimes writing is just a place to make your thoughts visible, or to reflect about something in your life. Plenty of people journal as a stress reliever or blog as a hobby. Some people choose to share their writing, and others don't. Writing doesn't have to be for the entire world; it can be just for you. That being said, don't be afraid to just write about your daily life and share it; I guarantee there's someone else out there on the Internet who can relate to whatever your struggles are and will connect with and support your writing.
If you think you can't write because you suck at grammar or can't spell, don't let that stop you from writing. Written work comes in all shapes and sizes. Write an essay. Write a novel. Write a poem. Write a blog. Write without care for the binding rules you were taught in school about prepositions and i before e and present or past tense. Yes, they're important, but getting your thoughts out is vastly more so. Discover a style of writing you like and stick with it, or challenge yourself and write in a variety of styles just because you can. The more you write, the better you get at it.
Writing can be scary, I totally understand. It can force you to come to terms with some deep marts of yourself. In order to write, I've had to search within myself and think critically about my experiences. It can be an emotional process, and I've shed more than a few tears when writing. But with that comes liberation, and a better understanding of yourself. Writing has helped me come to terms with so much in my life, and even reflect on new topics. It forces me to look at myself as a person, which is a challenge and a blessing. Don't back away from writing because of what it may reveal about you, because you will learn more about yourself than you ever expected to.
But most of all, please don't think you can't write because you don't have anything meaningful to say. Every voice, including yours, is meaningful. You see the world differently than everyone else on this earth, and have unique experiences that make your voice stand out from all the others. Don't stifle that voice by fear, fear that what you write won't be good or people won't want to listen or that you don't have anything to say. You have opinions, you have beliefs and convictions and likes and dislikes and hobbies. Write about all these things and so much more. I don't even care if you write about what you saw when walking your dog, it's still important. Get out that paper or open that laptop and just put it out there.
Those first few words can be hard. But don't let those fears of writing hold you back. I promise, you CAN write. You can write poetry, essays, short stories, op-eds, and much, much more. All you need is a notebook and a pen and your thoughts. I'm excited to read what you have to say.
