What’s it like to learn with AWC?

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.

Having access to Cathie's experience and knowledge was highly valuable. The feedback from Cathie was concise, honing in on what could make the story better. She was also very encouraging.

I enjoyed playing around with story ideas for the assignments. I initially planned to work solely on my original idea but I ended up with two other story ideas that I'd like to explore further.

It's given me the know-how and confidence that perhaps I could make this a career, at least part time. I realised that being a children's author is actually my dream job!

I really appreciated the very hands-on practical side of what to do to become a feature writer, industry insights and tips of how to structure feature articles.

I appreciated the tutor's honest and direct feedback. Seeing her article in SMH recently was also a boost.

I feel I know what to do but now I just need to be brave enough to get out there and to also have confidence in my writing ability.

Thank you for the generosity of knowledge and dedication to quality work.

I thought Carla was an excellent tutor and communicator, with a lovely, warm personality which came through in her assignment feedback videos. She was always encouraging, and her comments and suggestions were insightful and helpful.

I enjoyed being part of a writing group, which I've never done before. It was great to read the stories others were writing - so many different ways of approaching the assignments. Would love to read some of the finished work.

It's worth doing one of AWC's courses - go for it!

I loved learning with Cathie and learning from her feedback with other students also. It provided a clearer insight into industry standard. I love how commercial all the AWC courses are - the insight provided is invaluable and a large part of what keeps bringing me back time and again.

I loved understanding where I was (or was not) getting properly into a child's mind or imagination - this has helped me see further within my daughters imaginary play and provided more story ideas for the future.

I always tell people every course is amazing. The insight, the depth AWC tutors go into, the industry relevant experience - all adds up to enjoyable and fascinating learning - even if it's just for fun / interest sake.

I found the instructor's critiques to be very helpful. Petronella knows her writing well and the feedback helped improve my writing. It was also good to read the other students' work as well as their feedback.

I enjoyed the creative writing process. I found that I enjoy writing and now I am thinking about doing another course with AWC. I've also re-discovered the joy of reading fiction! In fact I am replacing my podcast listening with fiction while driving in the car.

The course was very thorough with clear relevant slides. and Linda has a very upbeat and pleasant voice to listen to.

The course was terrific for me. I now have the confidence that I can do this. Thank you.

I was really impressed with the structure, assignments and feedback. I also liked the collaborative nature of the activities and the feedback the participants gave each other.

Carla was really helpful and her comments on each writer's assignments were also useful in a general sense, for all of us.

Good courses, practical, supportive tutors.

Love Carla's feedback and the assignments were not too taxing or laborious. Carla's method of feedback was really helpful. I took notes as she talked and learned way more than I thought I would. A++!

I enjoyed learning fresh ideas and developing my writing for a younger audience, which I'd never done before.

I'd say it's worth it, not too difficult and absolutely makes a difference!

Thank you! So much. Really rewarding.

Cathie is great! She is knowledgeable and quite helpful on all fronts. I appreciated her feedback. She also responded quickly to questions and comments.

The course gave me structure and tools to actually write.

Thanks for all you are doing for all of us aspiring writers in the world.

The tutor was great. Feedback was spot on. A lot of people have beta read my work to date and she's the only one to pinpoint what I couldn't see myself.

The course was educational, easy to follow and self-paced. I'm in a far better place with my writing than I was just 5 short weeks ago. Thank you, Petronella.

The tutor was very kind, approachable and friendly, wonderful at breaking down the content and gave valuable feedback.

I enjoyed getting to try out some writing exercises and push myself to write scenarios I have never thought of before. I actually enjoyed everything about the course.

The course gave me great tools and skills to help improve my writing. I would highly recommend it. I have already to family and some close friends also interested in writing. I would describe it as in-depth learning content and an open environment that is very welcoming and wholesome.

This is a wonderful course for a refresher on writing skills or starter for anyone interested in beginning their writing career. Thank you for the opportunity to get back into something I love.

Carla Fitzgerald was an excellent tutor. She gave excellent feedback. Very constructive.

I enjoyed everything! The audio, the notes, the assignments were well-thought out. Interacting with Carla and the attendees.

Thanks so much! I'll let you know when my book/s are published. :)

I have done other AWC courses and knew I would receive just what I needed to get a head start in freelancing and moving my career in this direction.

The video feedback was a first and it was just as helpful as the written feedback from other courses.

I was always going to do freelance work but I am much more confident in the next steps and making a start that avoids rookie mistakes and poor habits.

The pitching audio 5.1 was a great guide to the next step for me after the course, as I have several articles on the boil.

Just do it, do it, do it. You never look back, even if, like I did, you squeeze your submission at 11pm on Sunday it is worth it.

A very thorough and wonderfully practical introduction to creative writing.

The tutor was warm and encouraging. All feedback was constructive and helpful. Petronella seemed to genuinely enjoy reading what we'd come up with.

I was worried about the assignments, being so out of practice, but they were a real self-confidence booster for me: the prompts were such that instead of having to worry about what I'm going to write about, all I had to do was write and focus on applying all the learnings of the module.

It has given me the confidence and tools to explore creative writing further. I still don't quite know what I'm going to write and whether I ever want to be published, but this is such a great start.

Creative writing is a craft and there is a whole toolkit you can apply to every stage of writing. This really appeals to my rather methodical mind, which I have always feared to be the antithesis of a creative mind. I realised that once given a prompt and the tools to use on it, the story just came to me from somewhere... amazing!

The AWC teaches and shares professional advice in a practical and nurturing way. More than that, it embraces you into a writing community.

Thank you to Petronella and everyone behind the scenes who put this course together!