Source: http://zenhabits.net/writing/
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:
Write every day. I write pretty much every single day. Not just once or twice a week, but every day. In various forms: for my blog, for my Sea Change Program, or for a new book or course I might be creating. This is perhaps the most important thing I’ve done in these 25 years, because constant practice has smoothed out the rough edges a bit, and made the difficult obstacles a lot less scary. I recommend doing a daily or every-other-day blog.
Learn to overcome the resistance. E…