What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I needed some extra motivation to start putting words to paper. I had taken a couple of other AWC classes (and some others during the pandemic) but was afraid to take the next step. This seemed like a gentle way to get started. I also liked the daily accountability.

I was a bit nervous that writing daily would be cumbersome. I should not have worried!

I just really appreciated how manageable it was. I was a bit overwhelmed about the idea of 10,000 words in 30 days, but by the end of the course, I ended up with 15,000! Still a long way to go but I feel like I've put words on paper and can now take the next appropriate steps (which will definitely include more AWC courses!) to make my dream come into a reality. I don't ever expect to be a full-time novelist but it would be great to have one full piece of creative writing and I feel like that's a very attainable goal now.

I was given a gift voucher for The Australian Writers' Centre and I saw this course and thought it was perfect for the beginner that I am. I love reading and want to start writing but I just didn't know where to start.

I loved this course; Angela was amazing. Her feedback was perfect. She was professional and kind and honest. I valued her feedback very much.

I made an amazing friend through this course. I'm looking at doing another course in the future.

The course was really easy to get through. I was always excited to read my feedback and see what everyone else had posted. It was a great way to see everyone's different opinions on each assignment.

I have learned so much about the structure of the plot and building of characters.

This course was fun, exciting and I learned so much. Everyone was really helpful and supportive and I highly recommend it.

I was blown away by how much information was provided. Going into this course I thought it would just be a sort of breezy introductory course to creative writing but it was jam packed with information and so many helpful exercises and ways of approaching certain parts of writing. I will be able to go back through the course several times, I think, and still find new things in there.

I really loved the way the lectures were structured. As a uni student during COVID, I'm pretty familiar with online lectures and tutorials and this was by far more engaging and informative than the counterparts I've taken at university. It was packed with information but done in such a way that it was never boring to listen to. So many helpful comments.

It gave so much information on how to actually write properly. In high school you never really learn all the core skills and aspects of creative writing so I had just been sort of learning as I go but this course gave so much in-depth information on how to structure your writing, writing descriptions, characters, approaching ideas and your work.

This Bootcamp course has been awesome for me because I know that I can do it and I will keep going no matter how painstakingly slow it is.

I knew I couldn't do it every day but I'm grateful that these courses allow me to do it when I can.

I love that each day was written by someone in a way that was light and cheery (for want of a better description.) Thank you for not making it 'chore-like'. And I love the quotes at the end.

I know now that I can pump out the words and push on.

I regularly listen to the AWC podcast with Val & Al and was inspired to do this course after listening to some feedback from a number of people who had completed the course and had gone on to publish their work.

Zanni was extremely professional and able to get straight to the heart of issues/problems with texts submitted by students, both my own and others. I was constantly aghast at how she so diplomatically found the words to convey her criticisms; and not once did I disagree with anything that she had to say.

I loved the depth of content and the concise, clear delivery. There is a wealth of information in this course and I will be going over it and over it again as I continue to practise my writing.

I now feel legitimately equipped to just 'get on with it.' I have always wanted to write and be published but the fear of failure has been quite a barrier. This course, because it is so comprehensive and the delivery so professional, has provided me with both the tools and the confidence to keep working at it.

Carli is a knowledgeable UX professional with real-world experience to share.

I enjoyed gaining new knowledge in UX writing. Unexpectedly, I also enjoyed doing the course with other like-minded writers who share similar career motivations to my own.

The course renewed my writing confidence. I can explain best practise UX principles to my clients and show them why copy that supports the user journey is vital for the success of their business. I've also gained new knowledge to help me discuss UX/UI decisions with web developers and designers.

AWC's UX writing course provides a solid introduction to the principles that underpin successful UX writing. If you want to improve your understanding of UX writing and gain practical skills in this field, then consider starting your UX education with this course.

Thank you for offering a dedicated course on UX writing. As humans adapt to performing more and more tasks online, it will be UX writers and designers' combined skills that will make our lives better.

Bronwyn gave detailed, encouraging but realistic feedback that was timely and helpful.

I enjoyed having a structured approach to keeping writing, learning how to shape character and story etc in the weekly lessons. Seeing what other people are up to! Realising that there are many approaches, time frames and approaches to novel writing.

I'm looking forward to a brief break before beginning the twelve-month novel writing programme. I'll continue to write in the meantime, with the momentum I've gathered, though!

Great content. A lot of it I already knew, but wonderful to confirm that and get some good examples and have a chat.

Carli was great - very knowledgeable and lovely.

It’s boosted my confidence in the area of UX and made me realise I need to charge more for the research/briefing stage of projects.

I did not expect to gain such valuable insights into the realities of working in this field - for example, I am now more conscious that managing stakeholder relationships is a huge part of the job.

Carli is personable and knowledgeable. Her workshops cover a lot of ground, yet they are engaging and well-paced. I came away feeling happy and confident that I understand UX writing basics and can do well in this field.

I most enjoyed Carli's warmth and her fascinating stories from the frontline :-)

I am pivoting from academia at the age of 54. After completing the UX Writing course, I am now confident that I will be able to excel as a Content Designer. I realised that my role will be to advocate for users in organisations that are not yet user-centred. So I'll get to exercise and further develop my soft skills.

Thank you to Carli and everyone at AWC! Check them out! I had a great learning experience - well worth the investment.

I had completed the Creative Writing Stage 1 and Fiction Essentials: Characters, so thought it was a terrific follow up to this. Also I've been working overseas for the last 13 years and wanted to make sure, now I'm back in Australia, that I'm writing in British / Australian English, not American, which I had to do overseas.

I enjoyed that I could take the quiz, check where I went wrong and retake it if I wanted to. I found this further consolidated my knowledge.

I actually knew more than I had thought. Although I definitely plan to continue creative writing, I'm currently engaging in University study again after a number of years away. As I've had to write educational information in American English over the last 13 years, I was worried I couldn't remember the correct Australian / British punctuation and grammar rules. It was a fabulous refresher course. Thank you! Now I have the confidence to continue creative writing and studying. A win, win!

My school cancelled English Literature class, and I really love writing. This led me to search for online writing courses and instantly found this one. I was impressed by what it provided and I was ready to give it a shot!

Pamela was great! She gave me really good feedback and advice and I think it was really great that I was able to get actual feedback on my own work that I had produced.

Personally, my favourite part of the course was the audio activity in module 8 that walked me through the 'describing a setting' process step by step.

It has taught me so much about writing that I didn't know before. I have learnt so many things that I am positive will make my writing much better than it was prior to this course.

The way to structure a story! Inciting incident, turning points, climax, resolution! I enjoyed it so much!!

Knowing that my completed 145K word novel needed some structure, some editing, and some refinement, I sought to know how to say everything well and with fewer words to make it publishable. I can take criticism and want to know how to improve, and want to do everything I can before giving it out to beta readers. The price was affordable, and the self-pacing made it do-able, as the tutored course I would have chosen was fully booked, and not suited to my work hours.

Whether or not I would have read the same or similar content elsewhere made me wonder if it would be money well-spent, but it was definitely well-spent, and I have advised my writers group friends to take AWC courses on. Sometimes hearing words spoken by a teacher opens ideas differently to just reading them.

I also wondered if I'd be up to the task, but knowing I had a year and was very motivated made me realise it was do-able.

I'm very grateful for the voice of Valerie, as she's easy to listen to and speaks well. Tuning in to her tutorials puts me in a 'work' mindset, and when I listened to a podcast recently, I could feel myself tune in to her words. I'm looking forward to hearing more of her in the next course.

I'm so grateful, as well, for the multitude of topics to choose from on the website, and can't wait to do other courses. I've already chosen the next one, and am saving up for a possible third.

I'm very grateful for the 12 months access, and also to be able to download content. It's so helpful to be able to refer back!

Most enjoyable is hearing the things I haven't heard, read, or learned before, and of course that's not always something that can be pinpointed. It won't stand out because everyone hears something different. I enjoyed the simplicity, the handouts, the humour, and the sensibility of it. It's actually very practical, and very plainly put. Doing the handouts and filling in the worksheets is very telling, and also a very enjoyable process. I love the review process and the editing insight.

The course has been refining things I knew about but didn't know how to apply. I've been writing for almost twenty years, but have been reminded that 'just write' is still the best way to get it done, and that there are not always single 'right' formulas, and that arriving at a solid endpoint can happen in different ways depending on technique. The main thing is being encouraged! I liked the focused learning. You guys have put a lot of time in, and it feels very complete. It's worth doing this course.

Don't think about. Just do it. Get online and choose a course TODAY. Suck up your pride or fear or worry, and go for the jugular. Choose the course that you feel fits your weakest link, and TAKE IT. You won't regret it. After all, everything helps, right? You will grow, and love the process.

I needed more in-depth advice about the beginnings of creative writing. Although I studied creative writing at uni, and have done numerous masterclasses since, I wanted more structured assistance in character development, and POV, tenses, etc.

The audio lessons were fantastic. I like the way they were broken into roughly 30-minute chunks, so that we could stop if we needed to focus on something else. The tasks were brilliant. Everything was just so good.

Pamela Cook was fantastic. Her feedback was spot on and it was given in a clear and supportive manner.

I write every day already. And I've written my manuscript and I'm currently working on Draft 5, so this course will help in small ways to tighten and improve this current draft.

Thank you so much for you wonderful course options. I'll definitely be back for more.

Just sign up, you won't regret it!

I've listened to the podcast and loved it and heard the testimonials for this course. Also I liked how short it was (although once it started I didn't want it to end).

I was worried I would not have time to complete the assignments but it was very manageable.

I got so much out of this course. LOVE! I feel so excited to keep writing. All of the practical tools and knowledge this course gives was exactly what I was hoping for.

I love the tutor. OBBSESSED! Is that too creepy? I thought she gave such great constructive feedback and really broke everything down clearly. She was a wealth of knowledge and definitely the highlight of this course for me.

The practicality and straight to the point approach. It didn't waffle on and it wasn't airy fairy. I loved that it focussed on trying to get as much information about the picture book process into the 5 weeks as possible.

It's given me the writing bug and now I'm obsessed; I just want to keep writing.

Amazing loved it!! 10/10

I'd always leaned more towards being a big reader and editor rather than a writer myself. This year, though, I wanted to try something different. I've written short stories and the starts of so many novels over the years, so when I received an email from AWC with this course listed I thought, why not?

Pamela's feedback and the comments from other students were fabulous and really helped me develop my work over the course. Pamela was super helpful and understanding and her feedback was wonderful. It was constructive but she also pointed out parts of our stories that she loved.

I enjoyed writing in different ways and reading other's work.

The course has helped me discover my writing style and develop more ideas in my head that I now can't wait to put on the page. It's a great way to develop your skills and keep your creative mind active.

I've been receiving the AWC weekly email for a couple of years now and been reading about this course. Now was a good time for me to dive in and see what it was like.

The assessments were the most valuable part of the course as Cat's suggestions were especially eye-opening for me.

Cat was very perceptive and appeared to give everyone solid counsel as well as good encouragement.

I enjoyed Valerie's podcasts. I learnt many new things that are particular to feature writing which I appreciated.

Well done, Valerie and Cat. And thank you!

If you're wanting to be a freelance writer then do this course!

I enjoy writing and was looking for a way to improve my style of writing and also learn skills that can help make my writing better. I was a bit nervous that I wouldn't be able to complete all of the assignments.

The tutor seemed very nice, and it seemed like she knew what she was doing, and enjoyed doing it as well.

I found it fun to listen to the lessons and learn tricks and advice for writing. It helped me to increase my writing skills and learn more about characters and writing in general.

It's a good way to strengthen writing skills and learn how to improve techniques and style. It's a fun and engaging program and it has helped with my confidence in writing and storytelling. Thank you for giving me this experience.

It was fabulous, and exactly what I needed to learn. Spot on! I felt I had my money's worth by the end of week two :)

Zanni was really great. Her feedback was thorough and insightful. I found her personality warm and friendly, and felt she genuinely cared about helping us with improving our work. She encouraged me tremendously.

The length of this intensive 5-week course was perfect. Long enough to cover a lot of ground, but short enough for me to be able to put other areas of my life temporarily on hold, and really throw myself into it. I worked from 5am-7am each morning on the modules, and completed the assignments each weekend. Sometimes spending 12hrs on Sundays for the longer ones (but loving the process).

Having a weekly assignment deadline was fabulous...they really helped me stay on track, and put the course first in my priorities! Then eagerly waiting to hear Zanni's reviews which were always informative, motivating and spot on.

Firstly it has given me a huge confidence boost. I've written stories on and off for many years, but have not done anything about them as I knew I had much to learn. What I was taught in the course has changed the way I approach my writing, and filled in the gaps I knew were there (without knowing what they were). This new knowledge has turned a key for me, and unlocked a flood of writing!

Secondly, I'm now mentally ready to pursue writing in a serious way. I plan to keep learning and improving with the goal of one day being published as an author. Eventually writing the books I illustrate.

Thank you to Zanni Louise, Valerie Khoo and Cathie Tasker for presenting this excellent course. I intend to follow up with the Writing Picture Books Masterclass and Writing Chapter Books.

This was an exceptionally good course with a very good group of writers. I enjoyed it. Thank you for all the office staff help too. I think the fact I had already completed Short Story Essentials helped me. I have done many of your courses through the years and they are informative and stimulating. But this was the best. Perhaps I will try one more with an unfinished novel waiting in the drawer for final draft. Thank you to you all.

Feedback from Cathie was excellent, encouraging and very informative. She gives such a lot of extra graphs and info sheets. I have downloaded them for future reference. Sometimes it takes a while to absorb all the information and it is good to have this feedback and also the module downloads to do at a later date. I can't praise Cathie enough; she is an excellent tutor. Thank you, Cathie.

I enjoyed the interaction with the other students - they are now good friends - reading their work and seeing how each one progressed. I wish it went longer as it seems as if we could have had a month more to work on the editing and publishing side of things. It would be interesting to know how they get on later so this is a reason to join the Facebook page.

I finished this memoir. It was tough work and emotional to go back and find what I needed to keep, what I needed to add, what needed to be left out. I'm glad it wasn't completed beforehand.

What I had considered just an urge that wouldn't go away, and that kept insisting I needed to write it, had benefit for others. The students loved the story and this was encouragement. Cathie too has said she loves it. One of the men said he couldn't put it down. High praise from a man, I feel.

I am grateful for all the service and help given through the office as well as tutor and audios and written handouts. I have a sense of having achieved something worthwhile. I had three copies printed and bound at Office Works to give to beta readers outside of AWC students and feel proud to have something of worth for them to read, prior to a final print run.

My grammar and punctuation were better than I thought, but I learned some things I didn't know as well. It's been very helpful and an educational experience for me. It has made me aware of my weaknesses and strengths. Now I know what I need to work on:)