There are a bunch of people in the world who would say that they were born with a certain talent. Some of them call themselves, and each other, poets and writers. Just to keep others out. It's bullshit. Anyone can write. But to get good at it, you need to practice. Get up early and sit in your chair, stop whining and write. Here are: Seven things you can write.

Keeping a diary goes way back in history. Anne Frank wrote a diary. Carrie in Sex and the City writes a diary and I have tried to start keeping a diary about 500 times but I’ve never followed through. I realize that it’s stupid to begin a text that’s supposed to inspire people to keep a diary by describing my inability to keep a diary. But I have a point to make with the introduction. Stick with me.

When I was five, I started keeping a diary. Every day I wrote about who I was in Street Fighter and what kinds of kicks and combos I had learned during the day. I’m not saying that I was a fat kid but I was very fond of video games.

When I was twelve, I started keeping a diary. Every day I wrote about how unpleasant going to school was. I hated being a child. I hated being afraid of the older students. I hated that most adults would tell me what to do.

It wasn’t until I started keeping a diary as a 20 year-old that I managed to keep at it for a longer period of time. The trick was that I wrote the diary as a different person. I won’t say his name but I can tell you that it was funny shit. I took things that happened to me and placed it all in a universe that was surreal, twisted and in a character that was completely stupid. Suddenly, writing a diary felt great.

Text: Navid Modiri