These are testimonials from participants of the first two cohorts of The Art of Clear Writing, held in April and May 2020.
MAY COHORT
Aditi Mittal
The Art Of Clear writing is definitely THE best writing class I have taken. The discussions on Whatsapp, the exercises, all have been hugely useful to my craft, as well as practise of being a writer. Mr. Varma is not only a far-reaching thinker, but is also patient and kind as a teacher. I would not recommend this class to anyone because I don’t want them becoming clear writers and learning the cool things that Mr. Varma taught us — there’s enough competition as it is.
Arun Rajappa
The Art of Clear Writing was fantastic, and worth the time. I’ve learnt a lot, become part of a community of other writers & formed a habit of writing daily, writing ~15,000 words and 50+ pages of prose and poetry in this time, more than I ever have accomplished.
Prem Panicker
Getting published kills writers — because that is when they get to thinking they are “writers”, the finished product. Every day from there on, we pick up bad habits, tics and tricks, all of which weigh down our writing in ways we don’t even see. Thanks to this workshop, I got back in touch with the basics — the bedrock of all good writing. And I learned to recognise the bad habits I had picked up along the way, and to make a start at erasing them. Thank you for this, truly.
Naren Srinivasan
I am someone who writes based on intuition. This course taught me to go beyond that and understand the craft of writing. I loved the session on the sound of language which gave me a new perspective on language. The course was well structured with a blend of principles to guide writing, tactics to cut out mistakes and exercises to help you develop the right habits. Amit’s clarity and meticulousness made the ideas expressed in the course easy to grasp. I would recommend this course for anyone who is looking to improve their writing.
Abhimanyu Maheshwari
The most value I have derived out of 2 hrs x 5 Saturdays of my life.
Santosh Kaloji
I follow Amit Varma’s ‘The Seen and the Unseen’ podcast. I don’t write much, but I registered for his course ‘The Art of Clear Writing’ and I am happy with my decision. Amit’s webinars are fun, the course is well-structured and he explains the concepts in a simple way. He is quick to respond to questions, provides feedback and shares tons of resources throughout the course. This is a great course for anyone who wants to get better at writing.
Nikhil Harikrishnan
Amit’s course on clear writing is excellent. The four webinars have tips that are easy to implement and practical.
They also have insights which require deeper thought.
The WhatsApp group has good resources, and Amit is active and responsive to all queries on it.
The e-mail group is useful to share your writing pieces with peers from your cohort.
Thank you Amit, for fostering a community of writing enthusiasts.
I recommend this course!
Sanket Mishra
Through his course, The Art of Clear Writing, Amit will make you question many things. Whether I should use *that* adverb? Does this sound musical? Is short sweet? What the hell is an iamb?
Some of the answers will be straightforward. Others, with his help, would be a delight to think over. Which would set you on the path of being a writer.
Take a punt. You won’t regret it.
Vinayakam Murugan
I loved the course. Opens your eyes to many small nuances which are overlooked. The interaction is not restricted to the course timings but extends way beyond, resulting in wholesome learning.
Sapan Oza
This course is totally worth the time and money.
I have been following Amit’s writing and podcast regularly and this course has the same level of depth and fundamentals. The efforts invested by Amit are evident in the webinars, the background readings, the exercises and the free flowing conversations on the WhatsApp group.
A special mention for the WhatsApp conversations and Amit’s inputs – they are the add ons which can be a course on their own.
Go for it. You will come out of the course with sharper skills and an enriching experience.
Ameya Joshi
The perfect initiation course for the amateur dabbler who strives to be more regular or turn professional. Will guide you on both how to build your capability and develop intent.
Intriguing exercises and enough resources, links & reading suggestions to keep you engaged for a very long time.
APRIL COHORT
Chintan Patel
A must-do for anyone who writes or aspires to write. This class is a perfect mix of theory, tips, and tools to hone the craft of writing. Amit’s content is both easily accessible and extremely insightful – offering something to writers of all experience levels.
Ravneet Bawa
Amit’s Art of Clear Writing is the first structured course on writing that I have taken. While we all use writing to a fair degree in personal and professional correspondence, we struggle with being understood. And that gap, for me, lies in the understanding of where clarity in thought and writing comes from. Amit breaks down the common problems with both the craft and the approach – with several examples that make the point. The course is well paced, engaging and illuminating with practical implications on your everyday writing.
Anees Rao
Amit’s course was very well planned. As an amateur writer, it met all my requirements: understanding how beautiful prose is created, the importance of sound in writing, and how to evaluate a variety of types of writing. Amit is fairly generous with his time, answering all questions at the end of each session and being available on email later on as well. This is a great course for budding writers, and it doesn’t matter what kind of stuff you want to write!
Adhishree
Enjoyed spending Saturday afternoons pouring over adverbs, adjectives, sentence construction and so much more! Amit did a great job of sharing his deep expertise in writing and left me with plenty to think about post every class. This course has definitely given me new energy to get back to the writing table and get cracking!
Suman Srivastava
My wife was sceptical when I signed up for the course. “You already write well, so what is the need?” Well, I needed Amit to take me out of my bubble and get me to realise how much I don’t know. Now I watch out for adverbs as if they were Corona viruses. Thanks a lot, Amit.
Yamini Girey
There is no dearth of good writing advice around us. Amit has distilled the useful information and coupled it with his years of writing experience. The result is a fun, well structured and paced course with a killer slide deck. The writing anecdotes and exercises dispersed through the course are fun as well.
Gautam Mani
I am not a writer and didn’t want to be one. I follow Amit via his podcast – The Seen and the Unseen. During the COVID-19 lockdown – I felt a huge need to try something new – explore something different. The weekend sessions of The Art of Clear Writing were like a breath of fresh air :). Amit is an established columnist and has some brilliant exercises during each session to get those creative juices flowing. I highly recommend the course – I think it has big benefits for newbies and experienced writers as well.
Aaradhana Dalmia
The Art of Clear Writing with Amit Varma is the injection I needed as a dormant writer to literally get up and write. Amit gently steers you towards clear, coherent speaking and writing and by the time you reach the last webinar, you are truly inspired to just write.
Prabal Muttoo
Master podcaster Amit Varma’s webinars on writing, just like his podcasts, are not a monologue; sessions are interactive and engaging. The course may not turn you into Salman Rushdie or Philip Roth overnight but that’s not the claim either. The carefully curated content on the art of clear writing makes the webinars even more interesting. One of the things that will stay with me forever is the point where he mentioned – “Reading a book is the greatest commitment”. Worth the buck!
Sudhir Sarnobat
My reading has given me a sense of what good writing is about but i could never get myself to write a single blog post or a piece of fiction. This course got me out of that comfort zone & made me write that first piece.
The structure of the course was lyrical & the content engaging. Seeing great presentation quality was a pleasant surprise. The exercises helped stretch the mind & pushed me to pen those 300-400 words multiple times. I loved the last session which gave so many tips on how to be a better writer. Only regret is why such course was not there when i was younger. All the best Amit for all your future courses!
Dipti Kotian
In addition to all that you see in the testimonials before mine, the course is a great way to get your creative juices flowing and overcome writer’s block. The webinars are inspiring with exercises that compel you to pull your finger out and just write!
Mayurdhar
Good structure, engaging and clear facilitation. This is like a coach getting you ready and interested to practice every day on your own.
Ravi Nistala
The Art of clear writing by Amit Varma helps would-be writers appreciate how ordinary writing can be turned into great writing. It’s a great course in the craft and process of writing. Highly recommended.
Aalok Das
The first webinar itself opened my eyes to all the things I’d been doing wrong for so long. It cut through the clutter (cobwebs rather) in my head, that had built up over years of consuming convoluted content. I definitely see myself emerging as a far more effective writer & communicator once I’m able to incorporate all that Amit has taught us.
Amita Lalwani
This programme offers a new lens to assess and improve your writing. It helped me see specific issues that plague my writing. I would recommend it to all those who wish to write better and think more critically about the process of writing.
J Ramanand
Lucid, no-BS approach to writing from a professional.