What’s it like to learn with AWC?

Thank you so much for the stimulus materials that you put into this course. I feel that I am a different person, more creative and confident of my identity as a writer.

In the transition to my new identity as a retired teacher, I have tried different activities. While I go to a U3A writing group, I have not felt confident in the development of my writing skills. This course has taught me that it is okay to be creative for the rest of my life.

Do the course; it is so stimulating and stretching. It opens your mind to other worlds and confirms that you can make a valuable contribution to the world of words.

The course was great fun and has challenged the way I think about writing. It covered a lot of ground and yet made the thing approachable and, more importantly, POSSIBLE!

The course is based in solid practical advice from people skilled in the craft. The exercises are meaningful and useful. And its bloody good fun!

Thank you.

Suzanne was great at giving constructive feedback. It was always clear what she was expecting of your writing.

I enjoyed the assessments and listening to the lessons in my own time.

I think now I would really like to put more time into my writing, and try to formalise it rather than it just be a hobby.

I would say it is an excellent course if you are wanting to develop your writing skills and learn more about the industry.

I've always loved creative writing and wanted to start taking it seriously. The course was so much fun and was lots of help!

Pamela was very friendly and gave great feedback that I'm using to improve my writing as a whole.

The best part had to be the characterisation section where we went through the PDF worksheet for our characters and really worked on fleshing them out - I learned a lot from there.

It has helped me to structure my writing better and give life to my words on the page. I have been taught how to flesh out ideas and build them into narration, dialogue and more. The course has also inspired me to write more often and now I can clearly see the positive difference it is making in the quality of writing I produce.

I would say it's a great tool to use for improving your writing and also a great and friendly community of writers and courses of all types.

Thanks for the great experience!

The tutor was amazing. I particularly liked the audio feedback.

I enjoyed the hands-on writing and the expectation for us to write stories for several of our assignments.

A wonderful, practical course with a talented teacher.

I'd always been interested in writing children's books, but the motivation to complete the Writing Picture Books course serendipitously appeared at the start of this year. Being a former journalist and currently a freelance copywriter, I was approached by a local school that works with children who have Autism to write a picture book on their behalf. The book will be used to help neurotypical children better understand Autism and sold for fundraising purposes.

Suzanne's feedback was well-considered, tactfully delivered and I found her to be highly knowledgeable on the course subjects. As an aside, her tone of voice was delightful to listen to, which I'm sure isn't a prerequisite to being a tutor, but appreciated all the same!

I really enjoyed the assignments! If I didn't have any other responsibilities, I'd have spent many more hours a week on each of them, just editing and playing. The requirement to 'find the best word here', and 'shorten this sentence there', etc, was so much fun! (Though I'm guessing only a fellow writer would understand this comment :-))

I'm in the process of pitching a memoir/self-help novel about pregnancy. The manuscript took me 7 years to finish (including 5 beta readers, 2 assessments, 3 medical checks, all the legal permissions, copy and line editing), and while I can't see myself writing another novel I definitely want to continue writing creatively (i.e. not just for the corporate world as with copywriting).

Now that I understand what's involved in writing a children's picture book and how much I enjoyed the process, I can see myself with a potentially ready-made 'audience' for my future picture books, given I'm planning to publish a book for a bunch of pregnant women! (I think it will be about timing the publications correctly and keeping in touch with my readers.)

It would be a dream come true for me to publish a children's picture book, and this will happen with my book about Autism, but I'd love to continue writing children's picture books for myself and hopefully get a traditional publishing deal.

My 'aha' moment was when I understood great picture books are about subtlety...I had heard the saying 'show don't tell' many times before, but this course gave me a far better understanding of the phrase than I had previously.

This is a fantastic course to do if you're interested in learning how to write a children's picture book.

Thank you!

Cathie was brilliant. She has helped and is helping me create the book I've always wanted.

I enjoyed the feedback and growing from that. And watching my fellow writers grow.

Cathie Tasker is phenomenal.

On New Year’s Day, I was wasting time on Twitter when I came across a tweet from AWC that offered a discounted price on the Reinvent Yourself course. I decided to give it a try, and absolutely loved it. So, I read up on the courses offered by the AWC, and enrolled in Creative Writing Stage 1.

The course material was a revelation, and our tutor was fabulous. I was so impressed. Angela was excellent. She is clearly an accomplished author, and her feedback was always insightful and helpful.

I felt accepted, and not in the least intimidated. And the lectures were fun!

I am so motivated to keep writing. This is such an alien feeling to me as by the time I left my last job, I used to joke to colleagues that I hated writing, and that I never wanted to do it again. The course has reminded me how fulfilling, and how much fun, writing can be!

Reading Handout 1.1. opened my eyes to the amazing potential there is as a creative writer. It sounds silly, but I realised that no one else dictates the edges of the people and worlds I create - just me. There is so much freedom in that.

If you want to experience the freedom creative writing offers you, but haven't got a clear idea about where to start or how to go about it, I strongly recommend you enrol in one of the AWC courses. You'll be supported and encouraged at every stage, and you will be provided with some excellent materials.

I just wanted to say thank you. It has been a real joy to access a new week's worth of materials every Monday.

I was looking for informed advice on what to consider when tossing up whether to take a dive into the world of writing and editing. Valerie explained the different types of writing in a way a novice like me could easily digest. This has made it easier for me to consider which avenue I wish to explore.

From this course, I've narrowed down what interests me. Though this may change over time, the course explained that giving something a go, only to find out it isn't what you want, is not a waste of time.

The course format suited me perfectly. I could read/listen whenever I made time.

I'll be exploring the areas of writing that appeal to me to see which one really floats my boat.

I'm already recommending AWC :-) The flexibility, range and presentation of courses is appealing to all levels of experience.

Cathie was awesome. Always constructive and supportive.

There were many aha moments. In particular, I found the handouts very helpful, especially the descriptions of filter and filler words, tense, show not tell and concrete words. I stuck them on my wall and referred to them often.

You are the only one who can write your novel, but if you want to write it better enrol in the Write Your Novel course. The advice and support of your tutor and other aspiring writers is invaluable.

The insights gained from feedback and workshopping has taken my work to another level, and was an excellent way of learning to identify some things I missed, and what to watch out for in the future; what worked and what didn't.

I learnt a lot of additional titbits - introducing characters in a way that readers will remember them, developing anchors for them.

Obtaining the courage to develop my own writing style, although I am a newbie, and not one based on any perceived standards or expectations.

The program of learning, writing, feedback and workshopping is spot on. Never underestimate the immense value of workshopping and feedback. This form of obtaining beta readers is far superior to tapping into your own networks in many ways.

I wanted a basic level course where I didn't feel like I had to produce any works - I just wanted to listen and absorb before I committed to an interactive course. I actually didn't know what to expect but I loved it.

I enjoyed the true-life stories of how people became writers. So inspiring! So many people who believed they couldn't write suddenly found that they actually could. Perhaps I can too. I learnt to believe in myself.

It inspired me to enrol in the Creative Writing Stage 1 course. I've been thinking about it for 12 months but kept putting it on the back burner. I've done it and start in a few days!!!!!!

Even if you're not ready to do a course, listen to the podcasts - they will give you the inspiration to look further into the Australian Writers' Centre and what they have to offer.

Stephen gave excellent feedback, including oral and written which broadened it out. He gave considered comments and often did extra research in an area if he needed to (e.g. historical facts). He was always very encouraging but not afraid to say something major if needed. If he was held up with his feedback, he made it known that was the case.

I've learnt a number of things which will improve my writing, such as fleshing out characters more, for example. The feedback from all participants was invaluable, enjoyable and a positive experience. I respect their opinions because I know that their own writing is of a high standard, so the feedback is well-grounded.

It's a great organisation, which caters particularly to Australian writers but not excluding others. The course was of a high standard, and they add extra interest by having webinars/zoom sessions, fun competitions and extra blogs/emails to help keep your motivation up.

Learning all the tips, hints and so on of how to bring a character's POV to life was a lot more involved than I had imagined and I loved getting into the nitty gritty of how to do it properly.

One thing that has stuck with me is the comment which came up several times about how there is no real right or wrong way, but what is right for you and the book you are writing in regards to first person, third person limited or omniscient.

Just do it. It really will pay off in the long run. No matter how much you think you know, if you want to do well you will make the effort to learn more.

The structure is well designed for learning and the feedback is relevant to the stage of writing. Very informative and supported.

The tutor was very straight forward, good and constructive feedback with suggestions.

I enjoyed reading other stories as well as feedback.

It provided structure and encouragement to hit the target, without too much pressure. Tailored for the needs of writers who need the scaffolding to build their stories.

Practical, useful and engaging. Get going.

I'm a teacher for dyslexic children. The early chapter book is where these kids are desperate to reach. My stories have to appeal to a wide age range of beginning readers.

It's not until you take a course such as this that you realise how little you know about a winning book structure.

I always thought I was a good writer and could dash off a couple of PBs to feed my ego and show off to any grandkids. I now know what I didn't before. Writing for kids is not an easy task but I find it engrossing, a challenge that I have dived deeply into. It all started with Lesley's course. I may never be published but it has been the most rewarding hobby, or should I say vocation.

Just do it. Stop wallowing about in your own pond. Get up and breathe in the amazing advice from experts.

Thank you Lesley. Thank you AWC.

I wanted to learn the basics of creative writing but I needed a course I could do in my own time from home. This course was perfect for that. It was very informative and straight to the point. The information recordings were great and I really learnt a lot in this five weeks.

This course has helped improve my writing immensely in such a short time. It has also given me the confidence to continue writing and doubt myself a little less. This course also helped me to decide on one of my book ideas and commit to just finishing it!

I would highly recommend the AWC to anyone who wants to improve on their writing skills. Whether you want to become a published author or just write for your own pleasure you will learn invaluable lessons through these courses.

Thank you for creating a straightforward, easy to understand course. I really thoroughly enjoyed it and I will certainly be signing up for more in the near future.

I loved Bernadette's teaching style which is practical but provides you great strategic advice and is very insightful. Her feedback was constructive and precise. She said exactly what worked ("this is gold because...") and what needs more work ("interesting...")

I'm more confident with my writing. This course was challenging at times but it never felt like I can't do it or felt dull!

It's an all-inclusive copywriting course that is well worth the money. I'll enrol on the SEO course next.

I'm looking to develop my writing skills. I've only ever done reflective journaling and I don't know any of the basics of creative writing.

I think the tutor provided me with very useful feedback, even when I cringed extra hard. But I guess that's what you need when you're wanting to develop a skill - someone to show you the way and ask you to think about how to do things better.

I enjoyed the lessons - very informative and easy to listen to.

I've realised how much I need to really learn, but I'm excited to review what I've learned with this course and am keen to take a few others.

I wanted to start writing again but knew I needed some help and structure. It's been great fun; a bit nerve racking but so worth it.

The tutor was pretty straight talking, which I appreciated. There was no point in mincing words. I learnt loads from her and feel in a much better position to continue the book I have been trying to write for years.

I feel more confident but I also realise I still have loads to learn, but the modules have given me enough to go on with the writing I want to do. My husband said I seem happier.

If you think you want to start writing, this intro course will help you try it out through dipping your toes into core concepts.