What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I enjoyed the practical exercises and also the handouts to refer to in future.

The AWC has so many great courses and you learn so much.

The context of each topic was explained well by Valerie.

My knowledge of this subject was good, but I was pleased to learn from each topic.

Do any course that interests you with AWC. They are good value, interesting and relevant for writers.

I had no hesitation in enrolling in this course as this is the fifth or sixth course that I have done from the Fiction Essentials. Every single one of these courses has been really enlightening.

I can see that you can make strong sentences or weak ones. Having a better understanding of commas and their use will have a big impact in my sentence constructions, and understanding past perfect is a huge relief to me.

AWC courses are easy to access and use. The content of each and every course I have completed with you has helped me by honing in on the essentials that I needed to become a better writer. I cannot recommend them enough.

I really enjoyed being able to move through the course at my own pace. It allowed me to sit down with the material only when I had the focus and energy for it. I also loved the video commentary - it gave me extra insight into each topic and made the learning feel more grounded. The exercises with answer keys were incredibly helpful too; they let me see, in real time, what I understood well and where I needed to slow down and revisit things.

The “amazing” moment for me was recognising how much control I actually have over the rhythm and meaning of my writing. Understanding tense more clearly, and seeing how editing choices affect the arc, gave me a sense of confidence I didn't expect. It felt like a door opening.

The course has already clarified several areas I've struggled with, but I feel the true impact will become clear once I begin editing my own writing. That's when I'll really see how much of the learning has taken root.

It's a wonderful platform for revisiting or learning the core skills that make writing clearer and more confident. The self-paced structure makes it easy to fit into real life, no matter how busy you are.

The information given in the handouts and answer sheets was incredibly helpful. This assisted me to consolidate what I had learnt during the modules. I found the constant reference to fiction writing so practical.

I now know to write shorter sentences as this gives the reader clarity.

The courses that the Australian Writers' Centre produce are so practical. At the end of the course, you have a real hands-on knowledge.

I wanted a refresher on grammar and punctuation. I was also particularly interested in punctuation for more complex dialogue. I wasn't sure if I knew most of it already. As it turns out, I learnt a lot!

I found the emphasis on common mistakes in fiction writing particularly useful. The course is delivered in a well-structured and engaging way.

I hadn't noticed that MS Word automatically inverts the apostrophe at the beginning of a contraction. I know this sounds like a trivial 'aha!' moment, but when I went back and checked, I found this mistake in some of my stories. In one of my stories, this mistake was in the opening line...Yeesh!

I think this course is not so much life-changing as time-saving, with perhaps a dash of face-saving too!

Go ahead and enrol! The courses are well structured, practical and inspiring.

I am doing the final edits of my manuscript, but after multiple drafts I wished I had this earlier!

It seemed to address the exact things I was struggling with and made issues that I thought were complex, like tense, very easy to digest. It has made me confident to move through a final copy edit knowing exactly what I am looking for.

These highly focussed courses are perfect because each person struggles with something different and it allows you to get amongst the weeds of what it is you need to understand more.

The way it was structured enabled me to build my knowledge from the basics to the more complex at my own pace.

I now remember the things lost to me through the sands of time.

I have learnt so much that I didn't even know I didn't know. Thank you!

I have been so unsure and full of self-doubt when I write. I finally have the basic understanding. I have needed this so much, even for activities outside of writing. I am not uneducated. In fact I have a bachelor's degree in science, but I have always found the rules of grammar to be so ambiguous. I need a set formula when it comes to grammar, and I think this course has really tried to provide just that. For so long, I have been trying to write this one flashback scene in my story. I just haven't known how to do it, but now I do! Thank you! I REALLY needed this!!

I enjoyed the simplicity of the course, the logical format, and that the lessons can be saved for future reference.

I've already edited my short stories and flash fiction pieces! I can now send them out with confidence that I have the basics right.

Go for it: school was a long time ago! Absolutely nothing to lose.

I needed a refresher on my grammar and punctuation. I understood the basics (that much I knew), but I always felt I was missing the confidence behind my words. This course helped with that. I now have a greater understanding of why we use certain punctuation that we do, which is immensely helpful for someone who wants to pursue writing and/or editing for their career.

The course boosted my confidence to continue writing the draft for my first book. It reaffirmed my choice in past tense - I often worried that it was a mistake and learning that most fiction is written in past tense sets your mind at ease. It was even interesting to learn that writers in present tense could move up and down depending on whether it was a memory or flashback.

If you are struggling with your writing and need a comfortable place to improve your skills, then joining the AWC community would be the place to do it.

Grammar and punctuation have always been the weakest part of my editing skills. I relied on my instincts but didn't know the rules.

Everything in the course was explained simply and clearly. I have awareness of the rules now.

If you never got grammar and punctuation in school, this course will teach you everything you missed.

I didn't realise how many gaps I had in my knowledge of English grammar and punctuation until I did this course! Having gone to school at a time when grammar was not specifically taught, I learnt to write intuitively, without really knowing what it was I was doing grammatically. Now I feel I have the understanding to write with more confidence and have more control over my storytelling.

When I re-read my draft novel, I discovered the many mistakes that I had made without realising it. A course everyone should take as revision.

Definitely do it. You will be amazed about what you have forgotten from school.

Grammar and punctuation are areas I know I fall down in, and this course seemed to be tailor-made to help writers improve quickly.

I now know where commas belong and where to put apostrophes. Both of which I was complete rubbish at previously. The exercises helped to solidify the information being presented.

I've recommended AWC courses at almost every job I've had in the last decade or so.

I believe a good writer should understand proper grammar and punctuation for clarity in any forms of writing. Refresher course for me as a newbie writer.

The bite-sized learning modules are simple to understand. Absolutely love the content and listening to the audio helped sealed into my memory. Having these notes on hand as reference is vitally important. It's like a handy dictionary to flip over and over again.

The difference between how a writer writes and a reader reads are addressed in these modules. I am beginning to transition from a reader to a writer in this course. I have more confidence in novel writing without going through the pitfalls of getting tenses mixed up in the story.

The course gives you a roadmap of understanding the basics of grammar and punctuation, which is a must for every level of writing. Definitely a go-to fast track English lesson for serious writers!

There were some things I felt I could identify and amend quite easily - joyful! It's become a 'safe' building block for me to build on, and has encouraged me to keep going with my learning.

It is helpful how the course draws attention to the common mistakes. 1) you can go, ah ha, I do that and 2) you don't feel it's just you!

AWC courses are easy to follow, have great resources, tips and exercises. You have nothing to lose, only something to gain!

I wanted to write a novel, so I was keen to recap on the essentials of English grammar and punctuation.

I love Valerie's presentation. She is clear and precise, and has a sense of humour. It clarified a few points that I was unsure about. The use of dialogue punctuation; whether to use one or two speech marks.

AWC offers an extensive and varied range of informative courses to help improve any potential writers' ability.

I enjoyed the whole course. I needed to find out more about comma splice sentences and did. Also, learning more about tense means another review of my manuscript.

Another step toward improving my story telling - thank you.

I'm writing my first novel and want to start with a solid understanding of grammar and punctuation requirements early on. I imagine an editor or publisher would be frustrated by those not attending to this part of the art of writing.

This is a very helpful course. I feel more confident now that I have clear resources to depend on. Getting on top of this early will help to avoid having to go over and over my drafts and fix mistakes.

I like the structure and process used by AWC to do the work online and in my own time. It is well worth doing the AWC courses - they are practical, useful, well-structured, and well-delivered. The information provided is contemporary and technically useful.