If you want to write, you should read — a lot. And not only in a certain genre, but outside of what you’re interested in. If you like realistic fiction, you should read fantasy. You should just read across the board. And if you want to write, you should write, which seems kinda like a no-brainer, but it took me about ten years to figure it out. That means making some kind of commitment to doing the work of writing, even if it’s two pages a day; if it’s a page a day; if it’s, you know, just some kind of goal that you set for yourself that’s reachable.
If you want to write, you should pay attention to people — everybody has a story — and listen to people when they talk. Not because you want to steal their story, but because almost everybody’s interesting if you give them a chance and if you ask them the right questions.
So, that’s it. Listen. Write. Read. Pretty simple.