What’s it like to learn with AWC?
Each year, thousands of students just like you achieve their writing goals through our courses and world-class presenters. Here they share how their new-found skills and confidence enriched their life.
Love the course. A terrific tutor - content and process both wonderful. So much knowledge and experience, taught so well. Thanks so much for your wisdom.
The course was fantastic, especially the letter to the editor assignment - this was a great way to get started and grow enthusiasm. The structure was fantastic, and really encouraged my learning.
The tutor was very positive - Vivienne explained sometimes complex topics clearly and well.
I feel more equipped to write opinion pieces and have a much clearer understanding of the process involved.
I love the fact that I can access all of the material after course completion, and review/revisit at my leisure.
Vivienne was fabulous! I enjoyed her simple straightforward messaging and great templates.
The course has given me some very helpful tips, tools and resources to use when writing and submitting opinion pieces/articles. I really valued the great templates that I will continue to use as guide and resource for the future.
The AWC provides a brilliant array of writing courses, tools and resources geared towards helping students reach their long- and short-term writing goals.
I find myself having strong opinions about various issues. The feelings partying with these opinions needed to be tamed by well-constructed, logical processes before I'd be able to put pen to paper. I'd read lots of Vivienne's work and knew the course would be excellent.
Loved seeing Vivienne's face on screen and the excellent feedback on assignments. It was great to hear feedback on everyone else's assignment's as well. Vivienne is very engaging and supportive but honest in her feedback.
Modules were interesting. Vivienne's use of examples was awesome. Loved the guest speakers/interviews.
This course in particular was excellent. It went beyond the subject matter. At AWC you feel part of a community that cheers you on! The free seminars are wonderful and give you a taste of the course tutors. I feel a sense of belonging and that I can really dare to dream to do this writing thing!
Vivienne is really great; open with her opinions and discussed the topics well.
The course stretched me the most in my understanding, mostly of myself and what do I have/want to have an opinion on. I think it's helped to shape what I do and don't want to write about.
I enjoyed getting professional feedback on my writing. Great honest, constructive and helpful feedback. Gave me confidence that it was possible for me to write and be published.
A great course for anyone who's ever considered writing for publication - gives you everything you need and puts it on you to make it happen.
This is a well thought out and structured course. Vivienne has passed on her knowledge and experience, both successes and failures in an engaging fashion.
Vivienne is an engaging tutor. She has a story to tell of how she became an opinion writer and is passionate about others having that opportunity.
I already was an opinion writer but lacked the knowledge to sharpen my skills.
The AWC is a great place to find your niche as a writer and gain the knowledge and skills to take it further; to the world.
Hard to believe I have come so far in four weeks. I feel equipped to write and submit opinion pieces. The detail of feedback especially on the final piece was superb...so useful.
I was so impressed. Vivienne's sharing of her own learning/experience was so generous. Feedback was exceptional. I valued that she was able to be honest about my not-so-good assignment. That really challenged me to lift my game for the final one when her feedback was very affirming, and straight away I set about editing and improving the piece based on her comments.
I think Vivienne has a beautiful manner. She can be to-the-point but also generous and personal. I am truly grateful to her.
Superbly organised, structured. You will learn if you do the work.
Vivienne is an engaging instructor. She provides structure and examples of effective opinion pieces that are instructive.
I enjoyed developing an "opinion writing voice," learning from others, and becoming more comfortable with my views on a page.
I approach first drafts with less hesitation. I am more confident with my writing and I have a deeper appreciation for the editing process.
Just do it. No need for hesitation. You'll finish the course as a better writer.
Thank you for your dedication to teaching and for making these courses available.
Vivienne was a great tutor, the content was engaging and delivered clearly as was the feedback for the assignments. I felt very comfortable in the sessions and enjoyed them a lot.
The course helped reinforce some confidence in myself and my writing. Opinion writing is not as complex as I originally thought. While it still takes technique and practice, keeping it simple and writing as you would speak is key.
The course content is high standard and the delivery and engagement made it easy to learn.
I was going into a genre that I knew nothing about. But I really enjoyed the way the content and Vivienne's delivery opened a new door. I have translated 3 books from two languages. But translations are not the same as writing in your own voice. I felt that this course may help me with that. I wasn't disappointed.
I feel like I want to engage in the broader community discourse and hopefully contribute positively.
Vivienne was brilliant - very encouraging and positive and she was extremely generous with her time, providing excellent and timely feedback for our written work. The course notes were also very helpful indeed.
I actually enjoyed writing the assignments and receiving feedback on how to improve them. And it was liberating to hear that anyone could have a publishable opinion, it wasn't just for experts. Thank you, Vivienne!
I now feel my opinion is not something of which to be ashamed. It might, with some polishing and more experience, even be publishable!
I have a strong tendency to write and not publish (all those manuscripts in my computer files...) but Vivienne had me submitting within hours of finishing the first lecture. This was really important for me.
Vivienne is a highly-skilled writer but she is an excellent teacher. So much valuable information was provided in addition to her insider tips and tricks. Because writing opinion pieces is so new to me, I will go through my notes as well as access the course info while it is still available. At first, I thought I wouldn't be able to write opinion pieces because I had only looked at two newspapers and didn't like the politics. But there are so many publications whose content is in my area of expertise and interest.
I enjoyed the other attendees' questions, the examples and how-tos, the practical ideas for each of the tasks required for submitting opinions. The feedback on the attendees' submissions were an excellent learning opportunity.
I loved Vivienne's joy in her work. I benefited from her support and encouragement - and of course her comments on my work. She was honest, giving, supportive, positive, wide-ranging and gave us lots of options.
I enjoyed the feedback not only from Vivienne but all the course participants. Seeing their work was great.
The content and delivery were great. The feedback given was of high quality and akin to having a personal editor - terrific.
A well-developed and comprehensive course. I now have more confidence to submit my idea.
I've read a lot of opinion pieces in newspapers and always thought it was for experts, so I was interested to see how this format could be utilised by other people, especially as a way of also building credibility in a field.
Vivienne had a wonderful 'teacherly' energy, which fit this format of training well. I thought she was very generous with her time and using her experience to help others.
I have completed many courses at AWC. While I haven't pursued one single writing format from those that I have learned at AWC as a career, all of the varied skills I've learned have helped me succeed in my current role as a curriculum and content writer and now curriculum manager who mentors other curriculum writers - plus it has helped me to become very clear about my future goals as a writer outside of the training industry. This has all come about because of the support of the AWC facilitators and the community who, through the sharing of their own experiences and skills, help every student realise that we have what it takes to own the title of 'writer'.
The course content was great. I liked that it had substance, a real 'how-to' of opinion writing.
Vivienne was fantastic. She was generous with sharing her experience, and very engaging. The fact that Vivienne is a published opinion writer provided great credibility and gave weight to the course content.
The atmosphere in the group was really good. The discussion was engaging. I enjoyed it.
It has made me feel that it would be possible for me to write an opinion piece and be published.
Vivienne is a great teacher. Not every expert knows how to share their knowledge, but Vivienne used explicit examples to scaffold our learning.
Although the concept of homework was a shock at first, it was a great opportunity to apply our new learning at each step. Vivienne's feedback was detailed and supportive.
My 'aha' moment was that it's okay to feel passionate about your opinion piece subject matter. I'm far more aware of how to structure an opinion piece.
Vivienne's ability to present, inform and encourage was amazing. Just superb.
Learning things completely new to me was refreshing. Meeting and learning from others in the group was also enjoyable - so many lovely personalities with so many passions.
I was very impressed with the content and how much we got through in a short time.
Vivienne was generous on all fronts, on Zoom, in the content, sharing herself, and in her feedback and comments. Very organized, handled the time well. We were in good and capable hands.