A Crash Course in Writing Well

Do you wish there was a shortcut to writing well?

Well, thankfully, there is.

And you’ll find it here in A Crash Course in Writing Well, ex-Wall Street Journal editor Shani Raja’s latest bestselling Udemy course.

The program is designed to put you on the fast track to becoming an all-round better writer—whether you mainly write college essays, business emails, government reports, academic research papers, blog posts, press releases, news articles, website scripts, social-media content or online-marketing copy.

Here, Shani teaches the key principles of good writing using examples from drawn various contexts, with the emphasis on taking you to the top of the learning curve of exceptional writing quickly.

The course is ideal for busy people yearning to improve their writing but who lack the time to sit through long, in-depth programs on writing or editing.

In addition to editing for the Wall Street Journal, Shani’s journalism experience includes writing for The Economist,the FTand Bloomberg News. So far, his courses on writing and editing have attracted more than a million students from more than 200 countries, and he has previously been rated as among the top 10% of most engaging Udemy instructors.

Maximum learning in minimum time

Shani has several bestselling courses on Udemy, including Writing With Flair, Ninja Writing and Editing Mastery, that teach people how to become exceptional writers and editors.

This “crash course” basically consolidates the strategies taught in those other programs to turn you into a standout writer very quickly.

It may help to think of this course as Shani Raja’s “greatest hits,” since it draws together the best stuff from his other programs and puts it conveniently all in one place.

“Content and delivery are amazing.”— ALAN GRAY

“Engaging and persuasive”— SUN H.

“Really impactful”— JAHADA TAMANNA

“Impressive and profound.”— BODE O.

“Excellent.”— ANNE N.

“Perfect.”— MINA LEE

“One of the best lectures I have ever attended.”— KAREN TOVMASYAN

“Engaging diction, clear presentation style, informative prose, with charismatic charm. What’s not to like?”— NASIRAH H.

Some content will be familiar to those who’ve already purchased Shani’s other writing and editing courses. But you’ll also find timely refresher content for 2023, including:

• Fresh examples and exercises to aid comprehension of key concepts

• Insights into both writing and editing processes

• A powerful editing challenge at the end of the course designed to supercharge your writing ability

TEST-DRIVE THE COURSE AT NO RISK WITH UDEMY’S 30-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE.

In record time, Shani shows how writers and editors on leading newspapers perform the magic of turning dreary copy into dazzling prose for millions of readers.

How the course is organised

The program begins by teaching students essential “mindset” principles such as:

• the aspirations, values and habits you need to adopt to become an “elite” writer quickly

• how to train yourself to become articulate and eloquent

• understanding the crucial difference between tone and content in writing

Following that, students of the course are treated to a lightning-fast tour of the “four ingredients” of exceptional writing: simplicity, clarity, elegance and evocativeness, which are essential to writing well and are likely to be familiar to graduates of Writing With Flair.

Here, you will learn how to apply the ingredients of:

• simplicity to make your writing feel lighter and faster

• clarity to make your writing more sharp and focused

• elegance to make your writing flow well

• evocativeness to make your writing more stimulating

Next, Shani teaches students how to edit with flair, sharing powerful perspectives and strategies that are covered at great length in Editing Mastery. Here you will quickly learn the art of editing in turn the “four dimensions” of your writing for maximum impact:

• content

• structure

• style

• presentation

“The way Shani teaches to write an excellent piece of content is the same as how he presents. It’s very easy to digest and to apply what he’s teaching. Thoroughly recommend for any writer!”— KEVIN S T., UDEMY STUDENT

“Shani delivered this crash course clearly and succinctly, sharing the ‘Secret Sauce Framework’ and ‘Deep Editing Framework’ with engaging exercises to follow. I have enjoyed and recommend this course to anyone seeking to improve their communication.”— AIVEE C., UDEMY STUDENT

Combined writing and editing mastery

What is especially unique is this program’s focus on BOTH writing and editing. Thus, it enables students to walk away with ALL the tools needed to lift their copywriting game to the highest level.

“Instructor has done a masterful job of outlining how to improve your writing skills, engage with your audience, and write from your heart and soul.”— RICKIE SINGLETON

“This course is excellent to take all your writing to another level.”— LIZ ALLSOP

“Highly recommend this course, especially for administrative positions. In a fast-paced environment like the one we live in, we need to be simple, clear and direct.”— JOHANNA GONZALEZ

“Giving me the tools to better structure my writing for blog posts and helping me begin to wrap my head around a book.”— DOMENIQUE RICE

There are other reasons you may want to enrol in this unique “crash course,” even if you’ve already successfully completed Shani’s other programs:

• Your instructor is older and wiser and has many new ideas to share with you

• It’s a great refresher on the fundamentals of good writing

• The production quality (audio and visual) is topnotch

• The course includes an editing challenge that will superpower your abilities

“Love this course, need more like it.”— ISABELL PICAZO

“It is a pleasure to listen to well-articulated presenter with exceptional experience in high-level writing.”—SOMA VIGNARAJAN

“Would recommend this course for beginners in any field of writing, especially those without any formal college education.”— CHRISTIAN LEE

PRAISE FOR SHANI RAJA’S OTHER UDEMY COURSES:

“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

“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

“If Shani Raja was a baseball player, he hit the ball out of the park. The curriculum, into which he obviously poured years of successful writing and editing know-how, is comprehensive, engaging and experiential…”— JEAN, UDEMY STUDENT

“Better than any course I took in college…”— ANNA TIERNEY, UDEMY STUDENT

“There are twenty courses in my Udemy folder, of which seventeen are in some genre of writing. Eight of those courses are Shani’s, and I’ve learned more from those than from all the others combined…”— SCOTT RALSTON, UDEMY STUDENT

“The caliber of instruction one might receive from a traditional university…”— DAVID NICHOLAS TAYLOR, UDEMY STUDENT

“If you are looking for a writing course that is outstanding look no further…”— MATT SPRENGER, UDEMY STUDENT

“Worth more than the months I slaved over books and other online writing courses…” — CONOR WELLMAN, UDEMY STUDENT

“Stunning course… delivered masterfully…”—PEDRO CARROGGIO ZOIO, UDEMY STUDENT

“Simply amazing class…”— SONIE SANDHU, UDEMY STUDENT

“Blown away by quality of material…”— TRISTAN DONOFRIO, UDEMY STUDENT

“Reveals the secret of exactly how to make your writing stand out in a crowded jungle of information…”— TAFFILIAE, UDEMY STUDENT

“Great look into the mindset of a higher level writer…”— BRAM BARBER, UDEMY STUDENT

“Learned more in a few hours than I did throughout many years of formal education…”— LEE FRAMPTON, UDEMY STUDENT

“I considered myself a decent writer before taking this course…”— MIA TURPEL, UDEMY STUDENT

“As a published author I have taken no less than 10 courses in improving my own writing skills. This is, by far, the best…”— ALICIA ADAMS, UDEMY STUDENT

“Be ready for some enlightening stuff…”—MARTIN TONEVSKI, UDEMY STUDENT

“Helps fine tune your writing and take it to another level…”— NISHANT BHIDE, UDEMY STUDENT

“Best writing course I’ve ever taken. Worth ten times the price…”— HARBANS, UDEMY STUDENT

“Shani knocks it out of the park…” — JOHN MICHAEL BARNETT, UDEMY STUDENT

“Among the most useful I’ve ever had the privilege of taking…”— FRANS DU PLESSIS, UDEMY STUDENT

“Improved my writing in ways that cannot be expressed…” — REMCO BOERMA, UDEMY STUDENT

“Writing stopped being a chore…” — VENKAT DINAVAHI, UDEMY STUDENT

“A breath of fresh air for my writing…”— DARRYL, UDEMY STUDENT

“Delivery and explanations were perfect…”— CHRISTOPHER, UDEMY STUDENT

“Presented with great passion and understanding…”— BRYAN SUHARLY, UDEMY STUDENT

“Will improve your skills even if you only write post-it notes…”— HECTOR RUBIO, UDEMY STUDENT

Rating Distribution

• 1 stars: 0 votes
• 2 stars: 6 votes
• 3 stars: 23 votes
• 4 stars: 77 votes
• 5 stars: 263 votes

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have access to the course materials?

You can view and review the lecture materials indefinitely, like an on-demand channel.

Can I take my courses with me wherever I go?

Definitely! If you have an internet connection, courses on Udemy are available on any device at any time. If you don’t have an internet connection, some instructors also let their students download course lectures. That’s up to the instructor though, so make sure you get on their good side!