What’s it like to learn with AWC?

Angela's feedback was great. I found her to be very supportive and someone I wanted to learn from. She was very approachable and professional. I am really happy that we had someone so accomplished as an author for our tutor. The feedback was very helpful. She opened my eyes up to ideas I had not thought of.

If you want to study creative writing, this is the place to go. It has given me the confidence to have a really good go at writing a novel.

I've been following Natasha Lester since 2015 when I came on her creative writing course. I know that she has a proven method for researching and writing historical fiction so was interested to see how she used Scrivener to do this.

It was easy to follow and covered some of the hidden functions of Scrivener.

It's made me want to get back to writing a novel again, as I have spent the last two years writing short stories. By putting everything into Scrivener, it's much easier to see the novel as a whole thing, with pictures, research and characters in one place. It's nice to move away from Word, which I've always struggled with. I even use Excel for outlining, I hate Word that much. I'm even using Scrivener for my short stories.

I have been writing for years but never had the confidence to show it to anyone. I thought before I take my writing out into the world, I should get back to basics and see if my writing was good enough to share with others.

I enjoyed getting the chance to talk to other writers. I've been trying to find writing groups and beta readers for a little while now and am feeling a bit isolated here in Brisbane.

Angela was lovely. She knows her stuff and offers constructive criticism. I was so glad to meet and talk with a fellow Brisbane writer.

I've learnt that so many other people are at the same stage of their writing life as me. That whatever path I choose for my writing, there are people who can help me along the way. I am not the only person who doubts their creative abilities.

Take an AWC course, and join the writing community. As a writer, you or your writing won't be the same again.

I have always wanted to pursue my interest in children's picture story books but didn't know where to get started. So after some googling, I was amazed to find this course - it was exactly what I was looking for!

My only hesitations were:
- time - would I find enough time each week to complete the course? I had to prioritise time, which over 5 weeks was manageable
- cost - initially it seemed like a lot of money as I wasn't entirely sure of the quality of the course, but now that I have completed it, I feel like I have gotten my money's worth.

I was so impressed with how each module built upon the one before it. Looking back, I can see I have learnt so much and really hope I can apply these skills. This course has given me the confidence to take writing seriously and pursue this interest of mine.

I really enjoyed listening to the modules and I absolutely love the handouts; they are invaluable (alongside the copious notes I took for myself).

I found Cathie gave constructive feedback to everyone. I enjoyed the weekly assignments; I think it was good to put things into practice straight away.

I now have the confidence and skills to have a go at writing my own book, with the hope of one day being a published author. As a teacher, I feel like I will never look at a picture story book in the same way! It has also given me ideas on how to teach writing to my students as well.

I would like to say thank you to all involved in creating this course. It has been put together well and it was everything I was hoping it would be, and more! I hope to one day be contacting you to let you know I am a published author!

I liked the easy format and being able to download scaffolds for future use. An easy-to-understand format, breakdown of different types of content writing.

It helped clarify some areas for me as I write a lot of "how to" articles.

I enjoyed relating the examples and exercises to my own pieces of writing and recognising where I need to make changes.

It's a comprehensive course and provides excellent examples and writing exercises. I now write everything in scenes no matter what genre.

As an accomplished musician but beginning writer, I needed to explore the structural elements of creative writing.

I found the common links between musical structure and writing structure fascinating. It has given me the skills to identify structural patterns in my writing.

This course is well presented, informative and provides masterful insights into structuring your writing.

It's obvious that a LOT of effort has been expended in compiling this course. Very professional. The tutor provided good feedback. Very nice person.

I enjoyed listening to the lessons at my own pace.

You cannot fail to learn from this course. Well done to all at AWC!

I purchased Scrivener some time ago and while I've been able to use it for small projects, I wanted a better understanding of how it ticked.

Natasha is a great presenter and her videos were easy to follow along with. Thank you.

I think the strongest material in this course relates to how the different parts of Scrivener function together. I now appreciate how powerful this tool will be. I also appreciated learning how to bookmark research items within sections/chapters etc. Very handy!

I'll be a more confident Scrivener user moving forward.

The resource material and the defamation section were great. I now have more knowledge and confidence to head into historical fiction.

Historical Fiction is a good thorough course covering things you may not know you need to know!

Angela has a wealth of knowledge and was very generous sharing it with us. Not only did she give a tremendous amount of feedback, keeping it positive and helpful, she also shared experiences with us via Zoom. She is a wonderful, honest and inspiring tutor. She is also a brilliant writer but didn't have any ego issues at all, as most genuinely talented people I have come across in life tend to be.

I enjoyed sharing feedback with my peers, both the receiving and giving. Sometimes this also led to small discussions which were also helpful.

It reinforced my self-belief which had become very wobbly after dealing with chronic fatigue for so long. While I was working part-time I never had energy left over for writing. Prior to that I could do both, but I was out of practice.

If you're half-thinking about doing a course, stop dithering. Do it! You get more value than you could possibly believe regardless of your current skill set.

I enjoyed looking at the different types of structure and how they work for different stories. I particularly appreciated the Bonus Module on series.

I now feel like I actually understand how to structure a novel and this course has given me the tools to be able to troubleshoot if I find myself going off track.

If you want to write a novel and aren't sure where to start, this is the place to go!

I understand much more about pitfalls and things to avoid when writing scenes. In addition, I have a better appreciation of how to use conflict in a story to increase narrative tension.

It is definitely worthwhile investing time and money to do some of the basic "Fiction Essentials" courses.

It was really well structured and informative:) The tutor was efficient. Honest feedback. Professional. Her feedback from week one was a turning point in my understanding of the topic.

It's given me a real appreciation for language and how it can inspire, motivate, and create change.

It's very informative. I would have no idea about anything publishing-related without doing this course.

The perfect step-by-step guide to publishing your novel on Kindle. The course content was delivered in a clear and concise format that was easy to digest and included lots of helpful hints and tips along the way. I couldn't have asked for more and feel as though I have the tools I need to get started.

Now that I can see how uncomplicated the process is, I truly feel that this is something I can do!

I have wanted to write for a long time, but not ready to write creative fiction yet. I have a great deal of business experience, so creative non-fiction suits me at this stage.

The structure is very helpful. I now have the vision for my next book and the direction I want to go in.

The courses are world-class, focused on exactly what you need to know, without any fluff. Extremely practical for the real world.

I wanted to bring my characters alive on the page and singing in my readers' minds.

I enjoyed the detail about how characters are researched and created. The idea of getting a better understanding of your primary and secondary characters. I'm a pantser so I make it up along the way.

If you want to understand and master the ins and outs of character needs and desires, do this course!

I enjoyed the practical content and knowing my work was being reviewed by someone from the industry. The tutor provided fantastic feedback and was so responsive.

I feel confident now I have a craft worth practicing.

AWC courses are well structured and so well informed they are well worth the money even if it's just for you to do as a hobby.

Something was wrong with previous stories I have written and ultimately I decided it was the structure (and after completing this course, I realised it definitely was my structure!).

The course was very well set out. Handouts were helpful. The audio was well paced and informative. Realised I previously had veeeeery little structure.

I encourage anyone who is struggling with their story and wondering why 'it isn't quite right' to go ahead and do a course.