[gmku]

Most papers and magazines won't even hire you as a fact-checker, let alone as a writer, if you don't have some kind of college education behind you, preferably in journalism. The best way to find that "way with words" is to study writing/journalism in college, read a hell of a lot, practice writing a hell of a lot, and learn as much as you can about newspapers and magazines. You can be successful without it, but you have to have an extraordinary mastery of writing to do so--most writers, even the best ones, haven't been able to do that without going to school. Plus, getting a strong liberal arts education will give you a base of knowledge that will make you a smarter writer with more insight and depth in your writing.