To be a writer, you must be a masochist. And a sadist.
Want to see if you have the guts to be a writer?
Do this:
Think of something sad.
Now think about why it is sad.
Dig into it. Stick your finger in there and move it around.
What else is sad about it? Why is it beautiful? Why is it so sad and so beautiful that it hurts?
Now, what would make it even more beautiful and more sad?
As you think of these things, write down your thoughts.
Now read what you wrote.
What is painfully emotional about what you wrote? Write that down.
Is it raw? Yeah? Make it more raw.
Now let it sit for a bit. Go away from it. If you think of more details that make it sadder or more beautiful or gut wrenchingly emotional, don’t forget those details. Jot them down and work them into your original thoughts.
Now go back and stitch all your thoughts together using prose with a rhythm that really captures the rawness and the emotion.
Here’s the important part. Write something that will make someone feel raw and exposed and vulnerable and sad. Make somebody cry. Make somebody know that they are alive. Because they hurt. Hurt yourself.
Repeat the above a few times. Do it until you have begun to feel like a writer. If you haven’t killed yourself yet, you might have a knack for writing.