What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I have had an idea for a story and, while I made a start on it a few years ago, I haven't got very far with it since then. I decided that I was going to have a serious go at it this year, so I thought I should begin with this beginner's course.

Petronella did a great job each week in summarising the material and giving us our feedback. She was both positive and honest, which was encouraging and helpful. I liked that she seemed to enjoy many aspects of the scenes we wrote. As students, that was also very encouraging.

I thought that the content was just what I needed at this early stage of taking writing more seriously. With the notes I took and the handouts I have stored in my folders, I have plans for the next 3-6 months to play around with all my story elements. In that way, the course has been extremely good value for money. I also enjoyed the flexibility of the course, combined with the discipline of having to put an assignment in each week.

I feel that the course has empowered me to take the next steps in my writing journey. I believe that I've been given the foundations of storytelling to work with over the next 3-6 months.

Well done AWC. Thanks Petronella.

The discussions with participants, who came from every age level and lifestyle, was extremely helpful and interesting.

The tutor was exceptional. Jude not only shared her immense knowledge and information, she managed, so well, all of the varied personalities present.

The course has given me knowledge that I needed to be able to proceed in a positive way.

This is an excellent way to go; you have nothing to lose, but everything to gain.

The course exceeded expectations largely due to the practical experience and professional skill that Jude Rossell as the presenter brought to the course. She made everyone feel at ease and provided positive and helpful feedback. The group of attendees were delightful and a pleasure to meet. The venue was great with enough amenity to support the classroom experience. The many children's picture books that Jude brought along and read to us to demonstrate various aspects of the process, structure and style of writing a children's picture book were not only helpful in developing understanding but absolutely delightful to hear and be the 'child' in the moment. I thoroughly enjoyed the two days and can't wait to refine my story and see where it takes me. Big thanks to Jude.

The course has given me a sense of confidence that I do have something to say that might be of interest to small children. This makes me feel more encouraged about trying to write a story for small children. Having spent the two days learning about structure and style and the various approaches to these has given me useful frameworks that will support my writing practice.

I am still smiling and can't wait to get back to the pages...

Give it a go, you will be surprised.

I had several story ideas that had been building in my head and somewhat on paper for years, and to have the tuition and feedback to be able to craft layers into those stories is so exciting. Cathie has such a wealth of experience and background of knowledge of the industry and her feedback was always clear and so productive.

I enjoyed the opportunity to read each other's stories and see their ideas build and evolve throughout the course. And of course applying myself to the course content and listening to valuable feedback in order to build on my own writing skills. So excited for myself and the other participants for what may lie ahead.

I've been reading picture books to young children since I was a child myself, and selecting books for Play School for over 20 years, so I felt pretty confident in understanding what makes a really good picture book from a reader's perspective. Thinking through the complexity of the layers and probing deeper into the rhythm of the language has been such a bonus. And of course, learning more about the role of the illustrator and how the publishing industry works, plus the involvement of all the other stakeholders, has been so informative.

The time flexibility is great and allows you to fit the modules in around your other work. I've learnt so much - beyond my expectations!

I enjoyed Petronella's style of feedback. She was very honest and helpful and it really soothed my worries about feeling inadequate.

It's motivated me and encouraged me to focus.

Enjoy it, give it a go and let it motivate you.

Great feedback, very constructive criticism - I believe the feedback given by the online tutor is what makes this course stand out from all others. Learning is so much more intense when we can see our stories grow and blossom, and I have definitely experienced that with this course!

I enjoyed the possibility to revisit the video classes at any time. Handouts were also very helpful. The community within the course is very supportive, and makes a world of difference to be in a supportive learning environment :)

Definitely the place to start for someone new to picture book writing!

I'm an illustrator and have always had a love for learning and picture books. I think they're a brilliant vehicle to address complex and difficult subjects while providing tools for learning how to cope, inspire curious thinking and encourage a deeper understanding of our emotions. To understand the manuscript on the writer's side will ultimately help me to make better decisions when illustrating for others. I also would like to tackle both roles for stories I'd love to tell.

I did research other courses on the market, but found this to be a better fit for what I was looking for. The bonus content for illustrators was a big draw for me, in addition to the background and experience of the tutors for the Australian market.

Cathie has been wonderful. She has been direct in her feedback and comments to my assignments to help guide and support my learning and I've found this to be invaluable. Cathie's insights have been incredibly helpful and I feel more equipped to pursue submissions to publishers.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed the writing the most. I know that's odd to say given this is a writers' course, but I thought I'd struggle much more than I felt I have. I think that's due to the delivery of the course and feedback from Cathie and my peers.

I'm focusing on developing one of the stories visually in a focused picture book drawing class next term. I wasn't sure I'd have a manuscript polished enough to be able to jump right in, but I've been able to pull a story together that's been buzzing away for some time, so I'm very grateful and optimistic for the future.

The Australian Writers' Centre has been invaluable to my learning as an aspiring children's book author and illustrator. The content in the Writing Picture Books course was informative, easy to understand and flexible so I can learn around my other commitments. I have a new appreciation for the format and, as an illustrator, the bonus content has clarified the working process in the event I'm working with other authors. I have found the content and tutor engagement so invaluable. I'm looking at enrolling in other courses to continue my learning with AWC in future.

Perfect location, good pace to the course and everything made sense.

Judith (Jude) was exceptional. She engaged with all participants and made everyone feel part of the learning. Her experience, guidance and attitude all sparked the group members. Sincere gratitude to Jude.

Clarified my thinking, gave me confidence and impetus to get a PB published. See, I even know the slang now! (Thanks Jude)

Register now. Don't wait.

I wanted some guidance on writing a novel as I had never attempted a long piece of writing before. I thought some help on structure would be good.

Cathie was great. She gave very considered feedback and tips on what to look out for and how to improve.

This course forced me to make decisions that I had been putting off - just little things like my character's name and the plot! I now feel much more confident that I will finish the novel I'm writing. I'm not totally sure what the final plot will look like but I'm a lot closer now than before.

The AWC is very professional, very collegial, very much worth doing a course with.

Bernadette is wonderful. A great teacher and full of knowledge and experience. I really loved how the principles unpacked in this course can be applied to other small businesses.

This course isn't so much about writing, but is coaching on how to build a business - this is a foundational skill.

Highly recommend - you will learn practical and useful knowledge and skills from experienced tutors - they know what they're talking about!

I have a lot of stories in my head but needed more technical information. I'm an avid romance reader and really wanted to try my hand at adding to the ever-growing romance community.

I enjoyed the fun, relatable and relaxed course audios. They kept me wanting to listen and never tire of the study I'm doing. The links and references were also a great help in expanding on what I am learning.

It really helped me plan and organise the stories I am trying to write. I went over stories I'd already written and adapted them with the structures mentioned in the book and I found I loved my stories more using the techniques I'd learnt.

It was invaluable to have a professional of Cathie Tasker's calibre on hand through this process. Terrifying, but invaluable. Cathie is friendly and approachable.

Over the 10 weeks, a real dynamic and connection was made between the class members. I hadn't really expected that. Being in a like-minded, respectful space.

For me, every module contained an ‘aha' moment. Now, it's my aim to fully understand, and apply these. Apart from the obvious educational angle of the writing craft, the process has ignited a passion greater than I was aware was there.

AWC offers an incredible resource of industry talent, combined with solid educational content, professional courses and access to so much more.

Thank you for the inspiration. Now, I only hope I have the ability to turn a dream into a reality.

Well-presented course, logical sequence and covered everything I could need to get started.

I enjoyed learning the process from A-Z, and understanding where I may or may not have the capabilities to manage the entire process.

I realised that I could self-publish through KDP and I don't need a degree to manage it. I can do this.

I really appreciated that there was no ambiguity throughout the course. I knew exactly what to expect from the course and what my responsibilities were throughout.

Cindy was a highly professional, friendly and approachable online tutor. She promptly provided feedback each week and I found her feedback to be friendly and encouraging but also very clear in what was needed to improve. I really appreciated both the positive and constructive feedback as I knew nothing of the freelance world before enrolling and learnt a lot from the feedback.

I found the whole course to be enjoyable. Every week, I really looked forward to the next module. I loved the recordings and that I could rewind again and again if something wasn't clear to me at first. I liked that if I had follow-up questions, I could pose these to the tutor. I enjoyed getting to know the other members from the course and hearing the feedback each week.

This is the course for anyone who wishes to be a freelance writer or refine their article writing skills. It takes the big, wide world of the media and breaks it down into practical and easily digestible parts so that everyone has a clear understanding of what knowledge, skills and actions are required to step into freelance writing.

After completing the course, my plan is to have a red hot crack at the freelance writing industry and see if I have got what it takes.

Thank you for the great opportunity to be a part of this course. It was fabulous and I look forward to completing more courses in the future.

Carla was a wonderful tutor, full of enthusiasm for everyone's story ideas and always giving positive, constructive, and encouraging feedback. Carla really encouraged me to continue on with an idea I was able to develop in the course and, as a result, that story idea is now my current writing project. Thanks, Carla, for your guidance throughout the course!

I always looked forward to the Monday feedback sessions because I found them so encouraging, positive, and constructive. I was always left feeling motivated to continue working on the story idea in my head.

Sign up! These courses are a great way to get you started with your writing, give you direction and encouragement and, best of all, truly make you believe that being a writer is a real possibility.

Nat was great. Her comments were succinct and to the point. Her advice allowed me to understand where I had gone wrong in the basics and how my writing could improve. I believe I am on my way to becoming a better writer due to Nat's support and guidance.

The assignments really made me think outside the box and I loved learning how to show, not tell in my stories. I looked forward to hearing of the little things that I had missed that detracted from, or improved what I had written.

The ability to chat with others in the group was good too. Overall I enjoyed it all but the assignments, the feedback on them, and the group chat were tops.

Not only has the course broadened my knowledge of writing but it is such a confidence booster as well. There was no way I would have considered entering a competition like Furious Fiction beforehand. Now I find I am looking forward to the next one and actively searching for other similar competitions.

I wish I had found the course earlier. Go for it; you will never know what you don't know until you do the course.

The "fireside chat" approach was very good and the course notes provided will form an excellent reference. David Leser knows his stuff, and was very accommodating to his tutorial group.

I chose this course because I thought it was a good place to start. And I was right; it's far exceeded my expectations! Honestly, I just loved EVERY minute of this course! So so soooooo good!! Thank you.

Nat has been amazing! She's clearly a master at her craft and was so helpful throughout. Thank you so much, Nat.

I think each module had 'aha' moments for me. I took so many notes, wrote more than I have in a long time. I think it's opened my eyes and expanded my horizons as to what might be possible.

I have loved ALL of it. The chat, the lessons, the format, the assignments, the feedback, so many learning opportunities. LOVED the course! Thank you.

I'd say DO IT!! Just do it!! The course is brilliant.

I had begun my novel in the Novel Writing Essentials Course and wanted to finish it. I thought this program would be the best option and chose the six-month course because I wanted to get the first draft written as quickly as possible.

I enjoyed the interaction and feedback to and from my fellow students. It was fantastic. Great group. The tutor comments were very helpful.

AWC offers outstanding courses. I've done several now and they are all amazing. You learn so much and they are worth every penny!

I liked Bernadette - her feedback was useful and I think I have a good grounding now for going forward with copywriting.

I enjoyed the assignments and being able to flex some different writing skills and muscles, and finding out I can apply this to things like my book reviews, which I think I am going to try for some of the posts I am due to write.

Just do it - do any course that takes your fancy. AWC courses will all help with all forms of writing and I think, having done a few, I have learnt so much that I can use interchangeably; it's made me a confident writer.