What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I had previously completed the first Writing Picture Books course and was frankly astounded by the breadth and thoroughness of the support that was provided. There was no question that I also wanted to undertake the Writing Picture Books Masterclass.

Being such a novice, I found every module amazing and crammed with new information and insights. I expected to learn a great deal about how to write a children's picture book by undertaking this course but AWC has also taught me how to engage with the publication process.

Your tell-all approach is greatly appreciated. I feel you have provided me with everything I need to know to kick-start my career in writing. This is very reassuring for someone who is just starting out.

Superbly presented and structured. Very professional course.

I really loved the content, the overall tone, and the fact that the assignments did not feel burdensome. The course has provided me with a great foundation to start to put together a story I've had in my head for more than twenty years. And it is the process that is fun for me so it felt great to start to put my arms around even starting. I will definitely be using the course resources in the future - as well as likely enrol in another course.

The tutor provided great feedback. Spot on. Really helpful insights. The feedback, the audio course, the exercises and the assignments were well aligned and Nicole really helped bring it all together as things were apparent in our writing assignments.

Loved it all...the audio portion and assignments in both content and length and the great feedback. Really great experience and will be back for more from AWC.

I feel like I now have a small but solid foundation from which I can start and build. I love the process and my life situation is changing in a good way which will allow more time for writing. That is huge and something I have had as a goal for a long time. Thank you AWC!!

Perfect course as a foundation for creative writing with outstanding faculty and resources.

My background is that I was an English teacher in high schools. I now teach a bridging course for students to get to university. I expected quite a lot of repetition of the English curriculum. Thankfully, this wasn't the case! It went well beyond that to aspects of writing I'd sensed but previously couldn't "put my finger on."

Nicole was fantastic. She knows the craft of writing inside out. She provided us with both technical and intuitive information. I loved her honesty. When I sensed a sentence had worked well, she inevitably identified it and told me why. Similarly, when I struggled with a sentence but didn't know how to fix it, she knew which sentence it was and explained what to do. For this reason, as well, it was great to see others' writing. We learnt that we had to put aside our egos in order to improve.

I can present to kids but am not comfortable with presenting to large groups. I am also not great at technology and presenting in today's world requires some proficiency and comfort around using technology. This course looked like everything I needed to learn and the BONUS it was being presented by the awesome and totally inspirational Nat Amoore. I absolutely loved every minute of this course.

After completing this course I now have in the back of my mind how I am going to promote stories as I write them. If you do it together, then you will have an idea of your audience and how the book will work when you present it to kids. I have stopped putting as much effort into a couple of my manuscripts because, after completing this course, I feel they won't transfer as well into an exciting school presentation for a group of students.

If you are thinking of it, then DO IT! All the courses I have done with the Australian Writers' Centre have been amazing. I have learnt so much and knowledge = power and confidence in your craft.

Thank you Nat and the behind-the-scenes team at the Australian Writers Centre for putting together these awesome courses!

Cathie's feedback gave me pause to think and was always helpful.

I didn't think I was going to learn as much as I did. A few suggested changes to my writing made my novel fresh and more modern. I feel I've learnt the skills to streamline my writing but also give it some depth.

Cathie was very knowledgeable about the industry and gave insightful and valuable feedback.

I'm continually going back to the handouts and modules, particularly the ones on structure and voice. These have really helped me not only sort out my story but sort out my overwhelmed brain.

I enjoyed messing around with POV and tense to get the voice right. I didn't realise how intimately entwined they are and how great it feels to get it right.

Thanks everyone at AWC. This course helped me get stuck in, just get it done and I found my people along the way :) It's not just about doing a course and completing modules, it's so great to be supported and feel like there's a whole community behind you.

The level of detail is brilliant. You've saved me around 6 months of blundering about not knowing what to expect from the publishing world.

I enjoyed the practical details and hints, legal definitions and reasonable expectations. I feel more ready to take the step towards approaching a publisher.

The feedback was clear and constructive and much appreciated as it helped me to see where I was going wrong. I enjoyed the clear instructions on how to approach an editor and make a pitch, plus reading other students' pitches and intended destinations.

I've gone back over the itineraries for the out-of-the-way/less usual places I have travelled to, re-accessed the posts I made at the time and started working on the sorts of angles for each that might appeal to an editor, with a view to pitching some of the destinations as possible travel stories.

The course covers the basics of travel writing concisely and clearly, with relevant and timely feedback. A five-week course is do-able for someone combining work with study and will get them quickly to a point where they can start pitching ideas and writing.

I found Bernadette's presentation style relatable and easily understood. Avoided jargon, and when used it was explained clearly. I was impressed by how thorough the course content was for a short course.

I appreciated Mark's feedback style. I feel he struck a great balance between using an encouraging/motivating tone, whilst still offering up valuable constructive critiques when needed.

I enjoyed being able to observe the progress I (and others) had made week by week, being able to clearly implement new skills taught in each module.

Great course content, presented in an articulate and easily understood manner. Fantastic online support from tutors.

I have done other courses with AWC so I knew the content and delivery would be informative and professional. Junior fiction is where my love for reading and writing really blossomed as a child and, inspired by feedback from previous course graduates, I decided it's time to return to the novel I began writing over 15 years ago.

Carla is a very approachable and knowledgeable tutor. She delivered the feedback in a friendly and encouraging way, and provided many valuable insights across all the assignments. She was prompt in posting the video feedback each week and quick to reply to questions in the course chat. Really enjoyed her delivery (and reading her book too).

I most enjoyed the assignments and feedback. Each assignment was an opportunity to stretch myself creatively, and hone old and new skills. Having them due each week worked really well in encouraging consistency and also building some momentum as the course progressed. The feedback was a valuable way to learn and I enjoyed listening to comments about my classmates' work as much as my own.

Thank you to everyone who works to put your courses together, from the content creation to providing the chat rooms and assignment feedback. I appreciate the valuable information you offer, and the safe, respectful and positive learning spaces you provide.

Every course I've done with AWC has been insightful and professionally delivered. The tutors are industry professionals who are friendly, approachable and offer constructive feedback in a positive and encouraging way. You get value for money every time and you won't regret it!

I love AWC and I love crime fiction and true crime. I am writing a murder mystery and I wanted some solid skills and activities and advice. This course exceeded my expectations because of all the links and exercises and extra material that rounded out the course experience.

Since this course runs from beginning to end of a murder, it has helped me to think about what aspects of the murder I would want to focus on writing. Then, within that aspect, how to create full sensory descriptions.

The crime scene module was a big one. Looking at the logs, autopsy reports, and other materials made me realize just how thorough the crime scene investigation is.

This is a course that takes you from premeditation to prison, providing you with details, materials from true crime and fiction, writing exercises, and ways to think about and approach your own writing. Plus, you can access the materials on your own time frame, re-listen to sections, and take your time with the course for the year you have it.

The course is great. It's easy to follow and the audio is in bite sized chunks so you can get through it without having to commit to hours at a time.

The tutor was amazing. Alex provided fantastic feedback on the assignments I did do and I learnt a great deal from the feedback she gave others as well.

It's made me a better writer in general, especially in my workplace. I now think of things and review before I hit send.

Highly recommend, the courses are great and very practical.

My online tutor was knowledgeable and provided constructive feedback. I enjoyed learning interesting writing techniques that I had never thought of before and writing something I could be proud of for the assignments.

I connect with writing in my everyday life more than I used to by thinking up ideas through general interactions, what I read in the news, the faces I see etc... things I had never really thought of incorporating into any stories before.

The AWC is very professional, their online learning hub is easy to navigate, the course content is professional and thorough, feedback on assignments is provided quickly, and studying with them is an overall enjoyable experience. It made me eager to use the techniques I acquired to work on my writing skills.

Valerie was great, and it was awesome to have someone with her experience guiding us. The feedback was always useful.

I loved the actual writing. It was so good being creative, as that is sometimes lacking in my work. I also really enjoyed the overall learning experience and reading the work of other participants. The course is super practical, and I'm ready to pitch.

AWC courses are excellent, practical and highly useful. They are led by experienced professional writers, who openly share their knowledge and experience.

The tutor was engaged, passionate and insightful.

I enjoyed learning not only from the classes and tutor but from the writing of my fellow classmates.

It has inspired me to work on the development of an idea for a novel!

A fun, insightful and very well organised course. Highly recommended!

I have been wanting to get back into writing for a long time, but realised I needed a little bit of guidance to get going. I felt the course overview suited my needs and the course was accessible, being online.

I truly appreciated Pamela's guidance throughout the course. She was encouraging and supportive. Her knowledge and feedback was excellent - constructive, comprehensive, positive and easy to follow. Pamela had such a friendly and genuine vibe about her, I really felt she was willing us all to succeed. I was always hanging out for the Monday feedback videos because her insights were so constructive and encouraging. Thanks, Pamela!

Prior to signing up to a bunch of AWC courses I had always dreamt of being a writer, but never really knew where to begin or how to progress an idea. Now I'm feeling much more motivated and encouraged to get back into writing and, if I'm honest, it's probably the first time that I've actually believed being a writer could be a serious possibility for me.

The biggest 'aha!' moment for me was probably figuring out how important it is to know how your characters speak. Getting voices right is a key ingredient for creating believable characters and good dialogue.

Sign up! The course content is inspiring and packed full of valuable information, and the tutor feedback and guidance is positive, constructive and supportive. If you've always wanted to be a writer but never knew where to begin, this is the place to start.

This course is a great introduction to writing a story from beginning to final draft. There is a lot of learning and some fun assignments. The time commitment is only a few hours a week but the learnings will stay with you well beyond those few hours. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Just...thank you. This course has helped me find my (new) purpose.

I enjoyed meeting new people; their feedback was so helpful. I did not realize there was so much to think of when writing and this course has help me get started and now I am 64,000 words in.

It has given me confidence and the feeling that "yes, I can do this."

If you want to write a novel, AWC courses will get you started and provide encouragement and constructive feedback.

The tutor was knowledgeable and helpful. Interesting technique to have all assignment feedback shared for all to hear and learn from. Good idea!

It was a serious course, but I really got into it and enjoyed the challenge!

I learned so much that I now look forward to documenting my future travels and I no longer fear the thought (even) of submitting a pitch to a travel publication. I do not fear rejection, but never knew the first thing about how to go about trying to get anything published! It's confidence I did not have before.

It was a great learning experience and I loved it!

I've been struggling to write for years between work, and I knew I was very green, a total beginner, so I searched the net for courses that would teach me the basics. This course had everything I was looking for, a tutor and other beginners who could give me feedback, and at the same time I would learn all of the terminology that goes with writing.

I loved the weekly assignments and having the other students to do everything along with.

Doing this course has made me realise I've got a lot of work do, but it's a positive, because I know the direction I now need to go in. I was writing aimlessly, which was fun but I wasn't getting anywhere with it. I've now been taught the basics to realise where I need help and what I can work on.