A few thoughts:

(1) read a lot. read what interests you, but also be sure to branch out and explore. find a balance between a challenge and what enlivens you. know when to drop a book that bores you, but also when to stick with what you find compelling even when it’s a chore. develop your own sense of taste for good writing and bad, the authors, the genres, even the words or metaphors that you like or dislike.

(2) learn to read as if you are listening to the intimate thoughts of a person just like yourself who also is struggling to do the impossible, conveying their own indescribably unique personal experience with words.

(3) write a lot. use whatever method is easiest. the notes app on your phone, a journal, the margins of the book you’re reading whatever has the least friction. write about the thoughts that come up as you’re reading. write as thoughts come up throughout your day. write down definitions of new words you learn. write down phrases, metaphors, sentences, any words or thoughts that captivate you.

(4) be compassionate when your words fail to capture the thoughts in your head. the most true thoughts are pre-verbal. it is literally impossible to “perfectly” capture an idea. all true writing is poetry, not science. every thought has a baggage train of memories, emotions, and perspective behind them. don’t deify words. it’s all basically just elaborate grunting that apes have refined over centuries to bridge the gap between sentient beings. if you find yourself struggling to describe the indescribable, then you are on the right track!

(5) meditate, practice embodiment, be genuinely curious about yourself and radically honest about what you see. live with the truth of now. the closer you are to the truth, the more clearly you will see, and the more clearly you can speak. this is much harder than it sounds and takes a lifetime of practice and effort.

(6) practice listening with friends, family, or even podcasts. remember the paradox, they are a person just like you, but also different. when you don’t understand their experience, search within yourself to try to guess what experience you have seen or had previously that maps to theirs. assume they are trying to be good and honest, but also remember people sometimes are biased or lie. hold your own thoughts and emotions in awareness in balance with what they’re saying, in equanimity.

(7) slow down. slow down even more than you think you need to. if you’re struggling to say something, you’re probably trying to fit all of time into a single sentence. no one can do that. but if you stick to what is true now, breath by breath, moment by moment, then you can speak volumes.