Write of Passage Review: Why I Paid for the Lifetime Edition
Another reader question about Write of Passage (WoP). Here's a brief review of the pros and cons of the course, edited for clarity.
If you want to read about my experience with WoP, check out my previous post.
Congratulations on the new job Roxine!
Now I want two things from you..
1 is for me (mostly): a thoughtful review of the pros and cons of David Perell's Write of Passage. Including some reflection on your choice to go for a life-time purchase.
-- DC
Yup, I've got some thoughts on the pros and cons of Write of Passage. I might write a longer email sometime, but here’s a review off the top of my head:
A short message before we dive in: If you’re a fan of David’s, you’ll probably enjoy my weekly newsletter. Subscribe below to get more posts on web3, creativity, and the creator economy, or check out previous editions to “try before you buy”.
Pros
The focus of the course is on publishing ideas in your unique way (not about becoming a full-time blogger or writing fiction like any other writing course)
I LOVED the lessons on how to pull pay attention to impactful ideas that writing becomes easy
Lots of novel ways to generate new ideas and how to write faster
Community is top-notch (expensive course = quality people)
Cons
If you're not in North America or are in Asia, it's hard to make the evening EST live sessions (they're working on it though)
Overwhelming for a newbie (3 live sessions every week for 5 weeks, a weekly writing group, Crossfit for Writing on Saturdays, 4-5 assignments)
You have to put yourself out there in the course forum, in WoP Twitter, and in breakout groups. For better or for worse, the WoP crew put a lot of the onus on the student (which isn't a con for me, but it could be for people who expect to be spoonfed)
Why I Paid Extra
I paid $4,000 CAD for the lifetime edition. I see this as tuition for a lifetime writing school. I can take my time because I can retake the course in the next cohort. I can also dip in and out of each cohort, depending on what I want to learn that month.
The price also tends to increase every cohort, so this saves me from paying more, with new WoP live cohorts being run twice a year. If I want to do the course again.
To echo my tweet above, my tuition also buys me entrance to a built-in social circle of smart, likeminded people. And even more new friends to meet at every cohort.
My Recommendations
If the steadily increasing prices aren’t an issue you, I recommend that you…
Take Tiago Forte's Building a Second Brain beforehand. It's a note-taking and personal knowledge management course that pairs extremely well with the idea-generation you will do in WoP.
Set up your website, start writing, and send 2-3 weekly newsletters before signing up for the course. This way you go into the course to learn things you can't learn on your own. Particularly important if you don't intend to retake the course or don't have the budget for the lifetime edition.
For a brief checklist to know if you’re ready to plunk down the cash for the course, check out my post entitled, "How to Prepare for Write of Passage: My Experience with David Perell’s Writing Course"
Finally, if you’re curious, here are the posts I published during my first cohort of Write of Passage: