IMAGE: Cody Weaver /unsplash

It takes 40 days to break a habit; 90 days to create a new habit; 120 days to master a habit. –Yogi Bhajan

The Writer’s Oasis: 120 Days of Creating is an intentional journey that supports you to develop and master the habit of a consistent daily writing practice.

this course is about the sacred act of showing up each day: showing up for yourself & showing up for your writing, as you work on one writing project over four months.

with care and intention, we commit to just 30 minutes each day for 120 days. simple, slow, gentle and consistent.
🌱 by Day 40, we clear the habit of not showing up /putting our writing last
🌿 by Day 90, we create a new habit and a new neural pathway that says: “I write daily” and “I keep my commitments to myself.”
🌳 by Day 120, we deepen that neural pathway and master the habit, so it is effortless to maintain.

my hope and intention is that by the end of the journey, every single writer who completes the process is able to maintain a daily writing practice with ease, no matter what may be happening in their lives.

we work with, and move as, water

the ease of water
the gentle persistence of water
the softness of water
the fierceness of water
the surrender of water
the commitment of water to being itself

IMAGE: Mateus Guimaraes /unsplash

The Writer’s Oasis is the place within each of us, where our writing lives. through learning how to rest into this place, and write from here, our writing practice becomes a source of nourishment that can feed all areas and aspects of our lives. I offer a practice that marries the yin & yang of writing: soul & craft; being & doing; body/heart & mind.

in this online course, you receive creative prompts, exercises, and meditations to connect with your Writer's Oasis. you learn how to write from there, in harmony with your logical/technical/critical mind. you also work with and through your body, in simple & gentle ways.

this process is for people writing in any format or genre: journalists, poets, playwrights, screenwriters, authors, non-fiction writers, memoirists, bloggers, researchers, academic writers, those writing Masters or Phd theses, or anyone exploring writing for the first time.

the course guides you through a process to focus deeply on one writing project for four months. it offers practical skills for developing your craft in your specific genre, and, an embodied way of writing that supports you to listen to and trust: your body, your intuition and your own writing mind.

IMAGE: Alexander Schimmeck /unsplash

how the course works

the course is delivered via a 30-min audio class each day.

at 6am, SAST | 4am UTC, you receive an email that shares the focus for that day's class and a link to the audio class on the online course platform. you are welcome to do the class at any time that suits you.

when you press play, I guide you through the day's activity, as if I was right there in the room with you: there are pauses for when you need to write, or do something specific.

this online format allows to fit writing time into your day, around your schedule and various life & work commitments.

there are also three live sessions, via Zoom, each month
🖌 2 x 60-minute sessions , where I will share a short creative prompt or exercise and the remainder of the time is for you to write.
📖 1 x 90-minute session by a guest facilitator. all the guest facilitators are renowned published authors, and experienced creative writing teachers, mentors & coaches.

the intention of the live sessions is to create a supportive writing community: a certain kind of magic happens when a group of people gather to write. the collective energy allows a deeper focus and surrender to the words and process of writing.

there is also a Telegram group for ongoing support from me, and, where we will encourage and support each other through the process.

jan 2027 guest facilitators

Tara Jackson

is a five-time author, creativity and book-writing guide, and founder of Global Soul Press, an embodied partnership publishing home for visionary writers and creatives. She supports writers to bring meaningful ideas into form through a blend of creativity, intuition, embodiment and practical book development. Her work explores what becomes possible when we approach writing as more than a technical process: as a way of listening, discovering, expressing and becoming.

WORKSHOP: January 26th

—Writing in Colour

Tara will share her embodied approach to writing that uses colour as a creative framework for moving through the different stages and states of the writing process. The process is designed to help writers find their own voice, trust their creative intelligence, and create work that is ready to be shared with the world.

Tara on IG

Global Soul Press of IG

Bongani Kona

is a writer, editor and lecturer in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of the Western Cape. His writing has appeared in a variety of places including the New York Times, Chimurenga, The Interpreters: South Africa’s New Nonfiction and BBC Radio. Kona is the editor of Our Ghosts Were Once People: Stories on Death and Dying and co-producer of 'Time, Paper, Bone', a 57-minute radio documentary made for BBC Radio 4's Archive on 4.

WORKSHOP: February 23rd

–exploring the craft of the personal essay

"Every work of literature”, Vivian Gornick writes, “has both a situation and a story. The situation is the context or circumstance, sometimes the plot; the story is the emotional experience that preoccupies the writer: the insight, the wisdom, the thing one has come to say.” Drawing on Vivian Gornick’s The Situation and the Story and examples of the form by writers from South Africa and elsewhere, this workshop, will be a guided exploration in the craft of the personal essay.

Bongani on LinkedIN

Nolwazi Nene

is a literary editor, curator, and content creator. She is driven by a deep interest in international Black literature, sound, and exploring freedom through creative expression and imagination. Nolwazi holds a Bachelor of Social Science in Spanish and Politics from the University of Cape Town and has been freelancing as a copywriter and editor since 2018. She was the co-curator of the 2023 Time of the Writer Festival in Durban, South Africa, and most recently, she co-curated the 2026 Open Book Festival in Cape Town.

WORKSHOP: March 23rd

—the craft and joy of editing

Nolwazi will share skills, thinking, practical advice and exercises around how the process of craft editing your writing.

Nolwazi on LinkedIN

Nolwazi on IG

Radical Whispers ASMR

to be confirmed

we are in the process of confirming our guest facilitator for the April workshop. we will update these details as soon as they are available

WORKSHOP: April 20th

price

At the Vlei –the full package

the cost of this course is R 3,600/month OR R1,800/month over 8 months.
you receive:

🌱 a daily exercise/creative practice/writing prompt for 120 days to develop and grow a consistent daily writing practice
🌿 2 x 60-min facilitated co-writing sessions each month
🪴1 x 90-min writing session by a guest facilitator each month
🌳 ongoing support from me via a dedicated Telegram group

you receive lifetime access to the course, including the recordings of the live sessions. this means you can repeat it on your own, at anytime.

payments are made monthly, in advance, by the 27th of each month {26th for international payments]. i.e.: payment for February is due by January 27th [26th}.

SPECIAL RATE FOR ALUMNI

writers who have completed the FULL course (At the Vlei or Under the Waterfall) receive a special alumni rate if they decide to repeat.

At the Vlei: R 2,200 per month or R1,100 per month over 8 months

*this rate only applies to the full course tier: At the Vlei
there are no alumni rates for Along the River or Under the Waterfall.

Along the River –the lite option

if you feel drawn to the course, but are unable to make the financial commitment and time commitment of the full package, I have created a "lite" version that allows you to make the full 120-day journey, at a reduced rate.

for R880 per month or R440 per month over 8 months, you receive:

🌱 a daily exercise/creative practice/writing prompt for 120 days to develop and grow a consistent daily writing practice
🌳 ongoing support from me via a dedicated Telegram group
🦋 two live-calls:
an opening circle on Saturday January 2, 5pm–6pm SAST | 3pm–4pm UTC
a closing circle on Friday April 30, 6pm–7pm SAST | 5pm–6pm UTC
*NB: these call times are different to At the Vlei, because the groups work independently of each other

Under the Waterfall –the writing intensive

alternatively, if you are wanting more focused individual support, alongside your 120-day process, I have created an option which offers this.

for R 4,800 per month, or R2,400 per month over 8 months, you receive:

🌱 a daily exercise/creative practice/writing prompt for 120 days to develop and grow a consistent daily writing practice
🌿 2 x 60-min sessions each month
🪴1 x 90-min guest session each month
🌳 ongoing support from me via a Telegram group (dedicated to writers only in this tier)

and 💫 1 x 60 min 1:1 mentoring session with me every month. this includes support to work through any emotional blocks or fears and/or feedback on your work as and when needed.

to help you decide which journey is right for you, here is how the three options compare:

Along the River

[THE LITE TOUCH]

🌱 a daily exercise/creative practice/writing prompt, for 120 days, to develop and grow a consistent daily writing practice

🌳 ongoing support from me via a Telegram group (dedicated to writers only in this tier)

R 880 per month
or R440/month over 8 months

IMAGE: Sander Dechering/unsplash

At the Vlei

[THE FULL COURSE]

🌱 a daily exercise /creative practice/writing prompt, for 120 days, to develop and grow a consistent daily writing practice

🌿 2 x 60-min facilitate writing sessions each month

🪴1 x 90-min session by a guest faciliator, who is a renowned published author & experienced writing teacher, each month

🌳 ongoing support from me via a Telegram group (dedicated to writers only in this tier)

R 3,600 per month

OR R 1,800 per month over 8

IMAGE: Valentin Salja/unsplash

Under the Waterfall

[THE WRITING INTENSIVE]

🌱 a daily exercise /creative practice/writing prompt, for 120 days, to develop and grow a consistent daily writing practice

🌿 2 x 60-min facilitate writing sessions each month

🪴1 x 90-min session by a guest faciliator, who is a renowned published author & experienced writing teacher, each month

🌳 ongoing support from me via a Telegram group (dedicated to writers only in this tier)

💫 1 x 60 min 1:1 mentoring session with me every month. includes support to clear blocks or fears and/or feedback on your work as needed.

R 4,800 per month
or R 2,400/month over 8 months

IMAGE: Dwinanda Nurhanif Mujito /unsplash

INTENTIONAL COMMITMENT:

The Writer's Oasis is designed as an intentional 120-day journey to support you to connect deeply with your Writer's Oasis and from that place, create a daily writing practice that you can sustain on your own, after the course ends. each day builds on the work done before.

because of this, it is important to ensure that you can dedicate 30 minutes per day, to this process, for the full four months. it is also important that you can attend all (or most) of the live sessions.

most importantly, you need to create space in your life for these 120 days, to truly show up for, and commit to, your writing practice.

a word from previous participants

The Writer's Oasis is the perfect place to (re)discover the creative within oneself, alongside a supportive community. It instills consistency, encourages creativity and unlocks confidence in a way no other writing course has done for me. I signed up seeking avenues for exploration that would complement my work as a journalist (which is rigorous and relentless) and the freedom created in the Writer's Oasis allowed me to go to places I was too scared to enter before. I especially appreciated how embodied the experience felt as we learnt to write through the body and I left with more ideas than I thought I had in me, including a renewed interest in pursuing a doctoral project in fiction.Toni is a gifted facilitator, who is nurturing and innovative. She created a space that was safe and challenging in equal measure. I'll be joining again and again.

Firdose Moonda [Jan–Apr, 2026]

Journalist & Author

Late 2025, I sat with the daughter I am responsible for stewardship and a family friend. Our conversation about arts, radio, society and creativity evolved into the book I had written and Toni’s writing course. My interest was piqued as I was trying to figure out how to manage the transition I was about to embark on. There were going to be a few variables; city, culture, work, culture, energy, etc. Thus the idea of having a common thread brought a sense of peace and stability. In transition, we need stability as we adjust to all the moving parts. 120 days read like a challenge. It was, no doubt, a real one. It was also the discipline required in times of uncertainty to remind the mind that it is possible to go through it with peace and agility. The daily prompts challenged my mind to search and to write by hand. What I continue to cherish is the intellectual intimacy of the group. To be accepted for what your hands have carried through with the daily prompts is a step into the future being writing individually and collectively. One unexpected outcome of the 120 days is the fact that my hands have formed a new, old habit, of handwriting. That ability to do it patiently and at a human pace is rewarding. Sometimes, we start a process with one expectation, managing a transition… we end up with a manuscript, a new collection submitted to an editor and another project which has been in the making for 25+ years… Toni’s writing course awakens and I am still awake from a good dream. If you are sitting on the fence of your creativity, take a writing hand and embrace the miracle of being you!

Carl Manlan [Jan–Apr, 2026]

Innovator, Catalyst for Inclusive Economic Transformation

As a writer, I’m somewhat undisciplined – and maybe even ill-disciplined. My busy, creative mind has unfinished projects in the air, in a drawer, on my laptop and floating around on a neglected social media account. To stick with the analogy of the oasis... as a writer, I drink widely. Never sticking to a single watering hole. What The Writer’s Oasis: 120 Days of Creating did for me was create a sense of safety in my work. It created a space I didn’t feel I had to run from to work on something else. It created the confidence in me to see something through to more than a few paragraphs or early planning stages. And it created the discipline I needed to look at my writing as a craft, something that I had to work on if I took it seriously. The way Toni has developed this programme is so intuitive and uncomplicated that most of the time you don’t feel that you’re part of a “course”. It’s something that I’d much rather have you experience than try to explain it to you. Because the words I have won’t do it justice. Give yourself permission to drink at the Oasis. I highly recommend it.

Chantel Erfort Manuel [Jan–Apr, 2026]

Editor, Writer, Lecturer & Yoga Teacher

How we spend our days, is of course, how we spend our lives. –Annie Dilliard

I am excited to support you to create a daily writing practice that is nourishing, joy-filled and embodied. one that can become a healthy foundation for all the other areas of your life. to join me, choose your course package below, and I'll see you at the water.

Along the River

[THE LITE TOUCH]

120-day email course, & ongoing support from me, via a dedicated Telegram group, at R 880 per month or R440 /month over 8 months

IMAGE: Sander Dechering/unsplash

At the Vlei

[THE FULL COURSE]

full course including 3 live sessions, (one
by a guest faciliator), and ongoing support from me via a dedicated
Telegram group, at
R 3,600 per month or R1,800/month over 8 months

IMAGE: Valentin Salja/unsplash

Under the Waterfall

[THE WRITING INTENSIVE]

full course, including live sessions and a monthly 60-min 1:1 mentoring session with me, with support for clearing blocks & fears, and feedback on your writing as and when needed, at R 4,800 per month or R2,400 /month over 8 months

IMAGE: Dwinanda Nurhanif Mujito /unsplash