So You want to Become a Better Writer?
A Zero Cost Lesson Plan
For the next few weeks I’ll be writing about writing. Per our agreement, you won’t see these posts in your inbox. They’re going straight to the web, though I will reference them in my Sunday Letter.
And there’s no catch. I have nothing to sell you. I’m up to my eyeballs in work, so I’m not looking for additional gigs either.
I want to practice what I’ve been learning and share it as widely as possible. I’ve been blogging for a while. I started somewhere back in late 2016, or early 2017. I don’t remember, but writing is perishable skill and I needed all the practice I could get.
Back then, I practiced by summarizing short entrepreneurship and personal development videos. I posted them on Medium. Somehow I ended up with over 3,000 followers.
I caught a lucky break somewhere in 2017 when Scott Adams read something I wrote and encouraged me to continue. Many of you are familiar with his ‘talent stack’ concept. I’ve certainly drunk the Kool-Aid.
In 2019, I turned those posts into a self-published book. Again, it was Scott Adam’s added encouragement on Twitter that kept me writing.
I flirted with ‘Money Twitter’. Thankfully, I was talked down from that ledge and just continued to blog. I took a stab at fiction, however, I found it intimidating; especially dialogue. But I never quit, so I’ll be taking another stab at it later this year.
Writing is one layer of the talent stack that’s probably the easiest to develop and at almost zero cost, other than your time. I started with Scott’s video, added the University of Michigan workshop, and am re-auditing the Coursera Professional Certificate.
If your want to become a better writer, here’s a three-part ‘lesson plan’ you can use:
- The Day you Become a Better Writer (Scott Adams)
- Good with Words Writing Workshop (Michigan Law)
- Good with Words: Writing and Editing Professional Certificate (Coursera)
The Coursera version of Good with Words is a polished version of the 84 video Good with Words YouTube playlist. Also, you can audit the Coursera certificate for free.
I’ll be blogging about the ‘lesson plan’ sequentially, so check back here often, or subscribe to my Sunday Letter. It’s free.
Originally published at https://peteweishaupt.beehiiv.com.
