A Review of Udemy’s Writing With Flair

Want to improve your writing skills? Check out Udemy's “Writing With Flair”.

2018 is officially here! If you’ve struggled blogging in the past, it's time for a change!

Get your blog off the ground this year, and refine your blogging skillset with the help of Udemy.

Udemy is know as “the Academy of you”. It features a multitude of courses on just about any area of interest – including blogging, vlogging and podcasting. Their philosophy is that anyone, anywhere in the world can improve their self-knowledge on a variety of topics. This means signing up for a Udemy course is an excellent first step in keeping your blogging-related new year's resolutions.

But let’s say you already have a great blog, and aren’t planning on making a blogging-related New Year’s resolution for 2018. Can a Udemy course still be helpful?

The answer is absolutely.

You shouldn’t rule out taking a Udemy course in the near future, especially if you’re the proud owner of a thriving online business. Whether you want to learn how to optimize your ROI or a few effective online marketing tips, Udemy can help you out.

This week on IFB, we're reviewing Udemy's “Writing With Flair: How To Become An Exceptional Writer”.

Shani Raja teaches top journalists how to improve their writing and has written and edited for some of the world's biggest news organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Financial Times and Bloomberg News. Raja also taught advanced writing skills to professionals and edited for global companies.

Raja aims to teach students to improve their work by breaking down three crucial aspects of what makes up good writing: simplicity, clarity and elegance. Students will learn develop important writing skills by analyzing these three different aspects.

IFB's Laura Kell takes a closer look at one of Udemy's most writing course. Check out her in-depth review below.

A Review of Udemy’s “Writing With Flair: How To Become An Exceptional Writer” by Shani Raja ($200)

I've always considered myself a writer, but after graduating university (with a degree in Pre-Law and English Literature) I couldn't be bothered to improve my craft. I never liked the idea of taking an online course for writing, but Shani Raja's “Writing With Flair: How To Become An Exceptional Writer” changed my mind.

This course is a great place to start if you want to learn a few tips and tricks, in order to make your writing more “slick” (as Raja says). There are no assignments or quizzes, just Raja dishing out practical advice on how to improve your writing abilities.

I recommend it to anyone with a busy schedule, as the course can easily be completed in one sitting ((it's three and a half hours in length). It's a bit steep in price, but the good news is Udemy courses tend to go on sale.

Regardless, this is a great course for bloggers that are looking to improve their writing in a short period of time.

Meet The Instructor…

As an instructor, I really liked Shani Raja – and I'm picky about my online course instructors.

Raja is a former editor at The Wall Street Journal, and previous contributor to The Economist, Financial Times and Bloomberg News. He graduated from University of Sussex (International Relations and Affairs), and has experience teaching writing skills to professionals and businesses. Raja also has edited work for companies like Microsoft and IBM. He currently teaches journalism courses to undergraduate students, in addition to having over twenty years of experience working as a journalist and editor.

So, you know he knows his stuff.

Raja's teaching experience really shines through in this course. He doesn't waffle, and does a great job of breaking down the module topics for students. And his voice isn't irritating, like some instructors. He doesn't come across as overly excited, just well-spoken like a university professor.

The one thing I really appreciate about the course is I don't feel like I'm watching a YouTube how-to video. Raja gives “Writing With Flair” a very professional feel, almost on the same level as some online university courses.

A closer look at “Writing With Flair”

Writing With Flair is a very well-structured course packed with examples. It concentrates on the three main aspects of a good writing: Simplicity, Clarity, and Elegance.

The course is made up of 32 video lectures and is broken down into six modules.

• Introduction
• Simplicity
• Clarity
• Elegance
• Conclusion
• Elite Writer’s Checklist

There are no writing assignments, but Raja gives plenty of examples to hammer home his lessons. The video lectures are short (the longest video is 20 minutes in length, but the average time per video is around ten minutes) and to the point. Overall, the course is very easy to follow and students can learn a lot in a short period of time.

Overall…

“Writing With Flair” is a great if you're looking to quickly polish up your writing skills. But the price can be a bit off-putting, as $200 is quite expensive for a Udemy course. That being said, Raja is a great instructor and learning from him is worth every penny.

If you enjoy homework, assignments and exams – or are seeking a course where you can obtain a certification upon completion – “Writing With Flair” isn't for you. However, if you're looking from tips from a professional with real world experience, this is the course for you. Writers of all levels can benefit from this class, so there's no need to worry whether or not you're qualified to learn from Raja.

Overall, “Writing With Flair” has been one of my favourite Udemy courses to date and I highly recommend it to any blogger looking to improve his writing skillset.

Want to enrol in Udemy's “Writing With Flair”? Sign up HERE!

Have you ever signed up for a Udemy course? Did you find it useful? Share you experience in the comments below!