I always thought I'd write when I retired - when I turned 65. But by the time I was 33, to tell you the truth, I was a little bored with drugs and sex, and I thought I'd do the writing thing.
Pain is a huge gift. It can expand you like nothing else. If you can embrace it and sink into it, you'll get to the point where you can bend and transform your experience of it. Having some sort of creative outlet to do that is another gift.