Do you struggle to find the time and motivation to write regularly or perhaps maintain a consistent writing habit?
For those of us who are passionate about writing, the idea of crafting words into stories that transport readers and agitate emotions is both captivating and challenging. It’s a skill that has the potential to inspire, entertain, and captivate. But turning this passion into a daily writing routine can be a challenging task.
That’s where “The Writer’s Toolkit: 6 Steps to a Successful Writing Habit” by Simon Van Booy on Skillshare comes in. This course is designed to guide you in developing a sustainable writing practice while stimulating your creativity.
In this review, we’ll explore whether this course is truly worth the investment for those of us aspiring to establish a writing routine and unlock our creative potential. Together, we’ll take a closer look at its content and highlight its strengths.
Let’s get started on this literary adventure and discover how “The Writer’s Toolkit” can assist you in building a successful writing habit.
Table of Contents
What is "The Writer's Toolkit: 6 Steps to a Successful Writing Habit"?
“The Writer’s Toolkit: 6 Steps to a Successful Writing Habit” is a short yet useful online course led by novelist Simon Van Booy. With just 40 minutes of content divided into 9 concise lessons, this course offers essential advice for writers.
Simon Van Booy’s engaging classes make creating a writing habit easy and enjoyable. The course’s primary goal is to provide participants with the foundational knowledge and tools needed to develop and maintain a consistent and successful writing habit. It covers key topics like optimizing your writing space, establishing a daily routine, and using inspiration effectively to fuel your creativity.
Who is Simon Van Booy?
Simon Van Booy is a successful, award-winning author. He has published 12 fiction books and three philosophy anthologies that have earned him a best-seller author status.
His writing has appeared in publications such as the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, NPR, and the BBC. Internationally, his books have been optioned for film and translated into numerous languages.
He lives in New York, and outside his job as an author, he is also a dedicated book editor and a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).
Who is this course's target audience?
This course is targeted to aspiring writers, but its lessons on establishing a consistent writing routine and improving your schedule to write better and faster make it a valuable resource for writers of all backgrounds and expertise.
Course highlights
The course consists of the following lessons:
- Introduction: Simon Van Booy introduces himself, emphasizing the importance of authentic writing and personal connections to art.
- The 6 Steps for Writing Success: Van Booy presents six fundamental steps for writing success, taken from his experience and that of other writers.
- Step 1: Make Your Own Space: This lesson stresses the significance of having a dedicated and distraction-free writing space.
- Step 2: Find Your Medium: Van Booy discusses the importance of choosing the right writing medium that aligns with your creative process. He encourages writers to follow their personal preferences.
- Step 3: Read Inspiring Works: This lesson highlights the value of reading books that inspire you and how they can influence your writing style and creativity.
- Step 4: Set Your Conditions: Van Booy delves into the importance of creating the right environment and conditions for productive writing, including physical, mental, and emotional preparation.
- Step 5: Stick to a Routine: Van Booy stresses the need for establishing a writing routine, adhering to a schedule, and creating a dedicated and distraction-free writing environment.
- Step 6: Sketch to Stay Inspired: This lesson explores sketching and copying as creative exercises for writers to discover their unique style and improve their writing skills.
- Wrapping Up: The final lesson discusses embracing chaos in the writing process and having faith in the journey. It reinforces the idea that writing is an act of faith and perseverance.
What I liked about the course
1. Writing for the sake of authenticity rather than solely aiming for publication.
Simon highlights that the goal is to express oneself genuinely, regardless of whether a book gets published, and I love that perspective. It shows the importance of self-expression regardless of publishing outcomes.
2. The instructor's passion for writing is contagious.
Simon’s genuine enthusiasm for writing inspires you to write and express yourself wholeheartedly. His passion creates an engaging and motivating learning environment.
3. The author's relaxed and casual teaching style.
Van Booy is clearly comfortable in front of the camera, and his relaxed style makes the class warm and inviting, making it feel like a friendly conversation.
4. The idea of not being afraid to copy as a means of learning is encouraging.
Simon’s advice to embrace the process of copying and learning from established writers to develop a unique writing style is a valuable creative exercise, and a helpful strategy for aspiring writers.
5. Reinforcing the importance of taking your writing seriously.
Simon discusses how taking your writing seriously sets the tone for how others perceive your work.
What I didn't like about the course
- While not a dislike per se, it’s worth considering that the class is relatively short. Personally, I didn’t have an issue with this because the course effectively explains all the concepts clearly and in an engaging manner. However, some learners might find the shortness of the class to be a drawback.
- One area that could be improved is the inclusion of practical exercises and additional resources. The course follows a lecture-style format, which may not serve all learning preferences. Some students could benefit from additional practical exercises and resources to make the course more dynamic.
How much does the course cost?
Courses on Skillshare can not be bought individually – they can only be accessed by signing up for a Skillshare membership. The good news? Skillshare offers e-student.org learners a full month free trial if you use our link (if not using our link, there is normally only a 7-day free trial). As virtually all Skillshare courses will take you less than a month to complete, you can in effect take this or any other Skillshare course for free – or any number of courses that you can finish in a month.
Once your free trial is over, the cost of Skillshare is $165 per year, which averages out to $13.75 per month. This gives you full access to all 34,000+ Skillshare courses. But if you're not happy to continue, you can easily cancel any time before your free trial ends – just go to your payment settings in your account.
If you have no need for a free trial, you can instead get %30 discount on your first year by using this special link instead. With this link, your first year will be just $115.50, averaging out to $9.63 per month. Note that this offer is only valid for new accounts, so it can't be combined with the 30-day free trial.
Conclusion – Is the course worth it?
Are you still pondering whether “The Writer’s Toolkit: 6 Steps to a Successful Writing Habit” by Simon Van Booy on Skillshare is the right choice for you? Let’s see.
First, this course offers useful advice for crafting a writing routine that works for you. It doesn’t overwhelm you with unnecessary details; instead, it gives you essential tools to start your writing habit. Van Booy reminds us that writing isn’t just about getting published – it’s about expressing yourself genuinely.
I’m particularly excited about putting the course lessons into practice. The author’s recommendations, from reading inspiring works to maintaining a dedicated writing routine, are practical and inspiring. Plus, I now have a great reading list filled with recommended books to explore.
What sets this course apart is its focus on maintaining a routine to improve creativity and inspiration. Techniques like sketching and capturing inspiring moments with a camera add a special touch. I’ve found that keeping a sketch notebook and using a notes app on my phone have significantly boosted my creativity and writing.
In conclusion, “The Writer’s Toolkit” is a worthwhile investment, especially if you’re looking to start or reignite your writing journey.
So grab your pen, open your laptop, and start writing!
