Writing With Flair: How To Become An Exceptional Writer

WELCOME TO THE BESTSELLING WRITING COURSE ON UDEMY, WITH MORE THAN 100,000 STUDENTS, MANY THOUSANDS OF 5-STAR REVIEWS, AND NEWLY UPDATED CONTENT AND RESOURCES.

The program is taught by Shani Raja, a former Wall Street Journal editor whose courses have attracted close to half a million students on this platform alone and have been featured in both Time magazine and Business Insider .

Shani has trained journalists at The Wall Street Journa l and written for other top news outfits too, including The Economist , FT , Dow Jones and Bloomberg News . He was also rated among the top 10% of most engaging Udemy instructors.

In this newly extended version of his flagship program, Shani reveals to non-journalists the "superpower" tactics of the world’s best editors. Learning their secrets will help you stand out in almost any field of writing.

“Cuts through everything to the heart of excellent writing... the best course of its type that I’ve seen…” — MICHELLE BULLAS, UDEMY STUDENT

“Mr. Raja brings crystal clear enlightenment and a power to writing that many, who have not discovered his teaching, are unaware they can achieve…” — CS. LAWRENCE, UDEMY STUDENT

“Taught me in a few hours writing principles that would have taken me years to learn on my own…” — SEBASTIAN, UDEMY STUDENT

“The most complete writing course I have taken. I’m really blowing away the competition at work…” — EDE OMOKHUDU, UDEMY STUDENT

“Learned more from Shani about the art of writing than I ever did at school... was hooked right until the end…” — NIC JONES, UDEMY STUDENT

“Improved my technique exponentially…” — NESTOR ARMSTRONG, UDEMY STUDENT

“Unravels the problems many of us face when writing…” — STEPHEN, UDEMY STUDENT

“Saw a noticeable difference in the length of time visitors stayed on my blog…” — PREM KUMAR, UDEMY STUDENT

“Carries the weight and authority of experience…” — SEAN COOK, UDEMY STUDENT

“Simple, clear, elegant and evocative…” — CLIFTON ZHUO, UDEMY STUDENT

“His experience as a writer as well as a teacher shines through…” — NAINA MERETE HOLSVE, UDEMY STUDENT

“Writing is no longer uncertain, confusing and ambiguous for me…” — RUDYARD VON, UDEMY STUDENT

“Can see why this instructor’s course is a bestseller…” — ANNEGRET HERGERT, UDEMY STUDENT

“Phenomenal course…” — DAN BALLMER, UDEMY STUDENT

“Tremendous value…” — ELLIOT FINK, UDEMY STUDENT

“Groundbreaking…” — MAXIM VOROSHILOV, UDEMY STUDENT

“Wow…” — DANIEL BACALLAO, UDEMY STUDENT

Just Imagine being able to write with the style and flair of journalists on top newspapers, who are skilled at producing punchy and potent articles for millions of readers every day.

What could having such a rare talent do for your career, your business, or your dreams of becoming a successful author or blogger?

In this program, Shani introduces you to a range of exquisite writing tricks and tactics that most people outside the journalism profession are ignorant of, but which can make the difference between copy that is dull and flat, and prose that is lively and captivating.

In this acclaimed, 7-hour intensive writing training, Shani reveals how such accomplished editors do their magic. Fortunately, it boils down to mastering just four basic ingredients: simplicity , clarity , elegance and evocativeness .

Shani shows how a proper understanding of this "secret sauce" is all you need to become exceptional in virtually any field of writing.

A complete writing system

In this program, you won't get the usual “writing tips” you can find all over the internet and in other similar online programs. The four ingredients form the basis of a complete writing system designed to drive you to the summit of slick writing — very fast.

The training may turn you into a confident author of blogs, books and business writing in as little as a few weeks. At the very least, you will understand how to infuse power and beauty into the soul of your writing to make it stand out dramatically.

Whatever your writing ability now, you'll find yourself quickly transformed into an artistic composer of prose, whose copy sparkles with a rare sort of quality few people will understand, let alone be capable of emulating.

The “secret sauce” of flair

In the course, you will learn how to optimise each of the four ingredients so that, just like the world's finest editors, you can turn humdrum writing into something extraordinary every time. As a result, your copy will always be punchy , sharp , graceful and stimulating — the hallmarks of pretty much all exceptional prose.

In the SIMPLICITY section, you'll discover how to…

• Write in plain, upbeat language

• Steer clear of official words that weigh your writing down

• Shun redundant words that make your sentences move slowly

• Discard filler and hedging language that produce "hot air"

• Avoid needlessly complex sentences that bog readers down

• Stop yourself rambling and repeating yourself unnecessarily

• Eliminate pointless distractions that obstruct comprehension

• Clear away "sentence clutter" that can throw readers off

In the CLARITY section, how to...

• Recognise “fuzzy” and out-of-focus ideas that blur your message

• Prevent readers from getting confused or ever going blank

• Steer clear of imprecise jargon

• Make clear distinctions between contrasting ideas

• Avoid randomly mixing up time elements (past, present, future)

• Eradicate ambiguity and double-meanings

• Place "modifying" words carefully

• Avoid tangled and "curly" writing that may baffle readers

• Use potentially confusing words like "this" and "that" more carefully

In the ELEGANCE section, how to...

• Maintain an elegant consistency throughout your writing

• Keep sentences neat and parallel

• Craft graceful, flowing narratives

• Create delightful sentence rhythms

• Avoid inelegant "word echoes"

• Smoothly transition between ideas

• Construct "pretty" paragraphs

• Present your copy ultra-professionally

And in the EVOCATIVENESS section, how to...

• Avoid soul-killing clichés

• Add variety to sentence structures

• Bring a fresh scent to your prose

• Avoid the boring passive voice

• Stop tiresomely "reversing" into sentences

• Make your writing more dramatic

• Create spectacular imagery

• Master the tone of your writing

• Give life and character to your copy

"A compass for those who set out bravely to explore the distant shores that only stories ever spoke of. To the North, Shani will guide you to the austere mountains; simplicity. To the East, Shani will guide you to the crystal forests; clarity. To the South, Shani will guide you to the golden palace; elegance. To the West, Shani will guide you to the hidden alchemists; evocativeness. Do not rush. Shani has charted a course that you may journey for many years to come. Congratulations, you have stumbled upon one of Earth's rare skeleton keys. Don't overlook this auspicious opportunity..." — JULIEN MCLAREN, UDEMY STUDENT

Welcome to the world of “elite” writing

Good writing isn’t just another nice-to-have skill. It’s one of the most important ones you need for conveying a professional image at work, landing a high-profile job, and getting your online content noticed.

But while plenty of people can write, few can do so with style and flair of top journalists, who are familiar with heaps of fancy tricks and tactics that lift their writing above the ordinary.

After taking this course, you’ll be able to do the same.

Imagine having the power to leave readers spellbound by your writing, the same as one might feel after reading a gripping story in a newspaper like The Economist .

In this course, Shani teaches you how to craft such impossibly beautiful prose by ...