What’s it like to learn with AWC?

Pamela had incredible knowledge and insight, and openness to sharing that knowledge and insight; I soaked up everything I could.

I enjoyed meeting the other writers, and discussing writing and books all weekend.

I feel much more confident to keep going with my novel and also to tackle the next draft and make it better.

The AWC is such a great resource for writers of any level and interest, and a wonderful and supportive community.

I'm writing my first novel and want to start with a solid understanding of grammar and punctuation requirements early on. I imagine an editor or publisher would be frustrated by those not attending to this part of the art of writing.

This is a very helpful course. I feel more confident now that I have clear resources to depend on. Getting on top of this early will help to avoid having to go over and over my drafts and fix mistakes.

I like the structure and process used by AWC to do the work online and in my own time. It is well worth doing the AWC courses - they are practical, useful, well-structured, and well-delivered. The information provided is contemporary and technically useful.

Carli was great. She had great real-life scenarios that were invaluable to hear about.

As I have previously completed Copywriting and SEO Copywriting, this was the perfect way to round out my skill set to create a better user experience and hopefully increase customers.

This course is the perfect way to learn a new skill set to create a better user experience on a website.

The tutor was great! Very interesting and engaging and had great examples to share.

The course was well-structured, interesting and very relevant. Great to learn about best practice so I can use in my everyday work life.

This course is like caffeine to the creative process. It stimulates the creative process. The course material and Bernadette's (the tutor) feedback and the workshopping stimulates and aids creativity.

Bernadette is great. She is considerate and sensitive but also delivers the medicine required to make you better. I felt she had a genuine interest in helping me. I wish I could keep her :) A teacher is one who encourages and challenges - yep, Bernadette is great.

I enjoyed all the course material; it was well-presented and very helpful. Workshopping is brilliant and very valuable and helpful. I would have to say though most enjoyable was tutor feedback from Bernadette; you can't go past expert guidance!

I want to keep writing! My goal is to get as much of my first draft done so I can then enrol in the Write Your Novel course. Then it will be onto the editing course and so on. I will not stop until I have a polished manuscript to present to a publisher! Even then I will keep writing!

Thank you AWC for the learning opportunity. Thank you Bernadette for sharing your wisdom, expertise and guidance.

If you want to write then the AWC will help you begin and to go on and on and on :)

I was looking to add a new service to my Graphic Design/Print business; copywriting seemed to be the perfect add-on. I found this course through Google, and thought “What the heck!”

Loved the course and Mark was great. The weekly assessments challenged me, but it was worth it as real life reflects the quick turnaround times I deal with on a daily basis. I learned that there is more to marketing than just putting words on a page or in an EDM. It's an actual art and science.

Just do it! It's worth the time and effort.

Valerie's delivery of the material was very enjoyable and easy to listen to.

I feel like I now know what to expect when it comes to writing my book because I know how to create a structure and what the different stages of editing are. Realising that structure drives forward the narrative; structure is the mechanism for momentum.

Pamela is clearly highly qualified to not only teach the craft of writing but also to advise and critique on the pieces of writing presented to her. She has a wide-ranging knowledge of published works which gives weight to her recommendations. Her feedback was always well considered and she made sure to point out what was good while gently suggesting improvements.

The class size was perfect and, surprisingly, a good demographic mix.

This course will give you the necessary foundations to ensure all the time and energy and angst you are putting into writing your story will result in a well-rounded and thought out novel.

I enjoyed learning strategies for freelance writing. I thought it was wonderful how we could connect with other freelance writers through the interviewing process. The tutor Alex gave constructive criticisms and reeled me in so I wasn't procrastinating.

I now believe I can pitch myself to a magazine, although I am frightened, and accept their response, write the feature or move on to another pitch.

Don't hesitate if you are looking at a course with the Australian Writers' Centre as their courses set you up to do what you have always wanted to do: write. They show you how to believe in yourself. You come out knowing you were meant to be a writer.

Thank you for giving me the confidence to go forward. I will take every word from this course and put it into practice.

Like David, I love working with quotes. I am writing a second book, and articles, in non-fiction and all skills to help with the process, the writing etc, is a boon. Thank you David.

I enjoyed that it was self-paced, but also the content and presenter's style, as well as the aha moments when I felt validated that my current process (and thoughts about the processes) is a bit similar to David Leser's, a more experienced writer, but also learning more from his experience and expertise. Every tutor or mentor adds more to our skillset. Also, some of his personal tips, eg. the floor framework approach - yes, I love that!

As I worked through the modules, I wrote notes in the column as pertinent to my current writing for a book and articles, which has similar processes but also different...so as well as giving skills to write a profile article, it helped me to think more about profiling real-life characters in my current work...these people do inhabit my life as I work with them, and David's comments encourage me to let them sink in more.

Nicole was so friendly and encouraging to our entire group, which made me (and others) a lot more comfortable asking questions and feedback.

The workshopping was the best! Although scared, I was able to share my work and gain feedback, and hearing everyone else's work was so great! I loved being able to hear everyone's ideas.

I've always wanted (and have been writing), but this has helped me to believe in those dreams. This was the best creative writing experience I've ever had! Thank you once again for giving me more motivation to pursue my writing dreams!

If you even have just a slight interest in creative writing, just enrol!

I have an idea for a book but no writing experience and wanted to learn the foundations, getting some real time feedback.

Pamela was fantastic. The feedback, encouragement and general insights she shares and provides each student is individual to them and their style. I found it to be really positive and constructive. You also learn a lot from hearing the feedback provided to others which I hadn't been expecting.

It pushes you, but not out of your comfort zone; it's a safe environment and as a beginner I learnt a lot.

I was a tad anxious signing up to the Food Writing course as I am a vegan and was unsure if my lifestyle choices would cause a barrier, exclusion or disdain amongst a group of foodies. From the first week that fear lifted there was no judgement, only inclusion and great engagement. Carli is a powerhouse of knowledge; clear, jovial and succinct. Highly recommend.

Something different! I love food and initially thought I would be interested in reviewing but have come away interested in so much more!

Carli is fantastic. Helpful, generous, interesting and engaging.

I enjoyed hearing real life examples of pitches and stories; love hearing real examples of what to do and what not to do. Excellent lesson on how to pitch. Also have learnt a lot about the different ways someone can be a food writer (review, recipe writing, features, online, print etc).

A great introduction to food writing. You'll finish each week feeling inspired and probably hungry!

The course is slick and professional from start to finish. I had no problems with billing, or logging in, and the high sound quality of the audio meant the delivery was distraction-free.

I was worried we would spend most of the time learning the basics of storytelling, rather than the specifics of the picture book form. Those concerns quickly vanished as the course got moving. I feel much more confident understanding what works and why.

Suzanne has a lovely voice. Her soothing tone helped deliver firm and fair advice. I really admire the way she provides feedback. The consistency in her manner made it feel that there were no favourites or outliers, which helped when receiving criticism and praise alike.

Reading the work of fellow writers, seeing their approaches, and listening to their feedback provided far more value than focusing only on my own work. It felt like we were all on the journey together.

I have been writing stories across many age groups and genres for years. My biggest challenge was getting out of my own way. Other than creating stories for my kids, and those of close friends, I shelved draft after draft to collect digital dust despite much encouragement to approach a publisher. I allowed imposter syndrome to label my efforts as merely a hobby, when what I really wanted was to become a published author. This course showed me that I was no better or worse than anyone else, and the secret ingredients are basically continuous learning, critical feedback, and revision.

I have joined my local chapter of Toastmasters, and after a 5-year hiatus from social media, I have started working on developing an author platform.

Thanks, Suzanne, and everyone at AWC for creating these programs 😊

If you harbour any desire to write, AWC has the industry experience to help. Whether you have a vague idea, or a whole series in mind, their professional staff can guide you on your way. So, what are you waiting for? Just do it already!

Looking forward to continuing this journey with you 😊

Pamela was very helpful, kind and encouraging. Her suggestions for improvements for group members' pieces of writing were valuable, and she was always positive in her comments, while also demonstrating areas for improvement.

Valerie's recorded modules were very helpful and gave me some 'a-ha!' moments. The advice was practical and do-able, down-to-earth and honest. I particularly found Module 5 helpful with its practical advice on how to finish a novel, format it for submission, and look for a publisher. It is really good to know that many drafts are required before a novel is fully 'cooked'! I also enjoyed connecting with the other group members and learning from their work - a big component of the course.

Completing the course and receiving the feedback from both tutor and classmates has made me believe that I can complete a novel. The course has made me more aware of the amount of work involved and the need to really focus on getting my first draft finished and then up to the standard that does it justice before seeking a publisher. The course has given me a starting point for my novel which I can build on in coming months.

Thanks - I really enjoyed the course and will attend further courses at the AWC while I continue to improve my writing and work on a novel :)

The AWC will help you transform your writing dreams into reality, one practical step at a time, no matter what type of writer you want to be!

I really loved Valerie's audios, and also really looked forward to Pamela's review of everyone's assignments.

I felt I have learned a great deal from Pamela and I gained a lot from hearing her comments on all assignments.

I feel motivated to work on a novel I've had in my mind for some time, and realise I can make the time to do it. I feel so daunted by the idea that it may take years to complete.

Thank you very much. Most definitely worthwhile.

The tutor was excellent. She really knew her stuff and was very kind in her explanations.

The positive feedback really made me feel like I can do this. Learning more about the components also helped me realise what makes a good story so I can see what to do now.

Definitely worth it.

Pamela was great with feedback and seeing what she said about others' work helped me understand even more.

I feel excited to start rewriting.

This course is full of information to improve your writing and will provide so much to use later on.

I had done a course through AWC before and I have an interest in creative writing, so I treated myself. I have the beginnings of a novel kicking around in my head and I wanted to gain the basic skills to make a start.

Pamela was kind, concise and thorough. A fabulous tutor.

If I hadn't done this course and just started writing my book, I would have broken almost every rule we learnt about!

DO IT. And do it early, before you write too many words. If I had already started, I would have had to rewrite/discard LOTS of words.

I'll be back for more once I get to 20,000 words. See you soon.