Training to Be a Good Writer

By Leo Babauta

I’m not going to claim to be the world’s greatest writer, but I do think I’m reasonably competent. I’ve been training for 25 years, and I make a living as a writer.

For those who are just starting out as writers, I’d like to share my training. I didn’t wake up and suddenly know how to write – I’ve been training for most of my life.

A short background on my writing career: I started out as a sportswriter, as a senior in high school, and eventually became a full-time reporter and then editor for my local paper on Guam. I went on to do freelance writing for magazines and other publications, worked for awhile as a bill writer for lawmakers and a speechwriter for the Guam governor. Eventually I started my own blog while doing freelance blogging for about 5 different blogs. Finally, I’ve written my blog for almost 10 years now, and have written numerous books and courses.

Here are the most important aspects of my training, in no particular order:

So that might seem like a lot to take on! It’s doable, though, if you just keep churning away, every day, and learn all of this a little at a time.

A few points I’d like to make for those who’d like to write:

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