What’s it like to learn with AWC?

Outstanding. Bernadette's expertise and honest feedback was both impressive and well delivered.

I enjoyed the content, the assignments, the teacher's delivery and the network of other enthusiastic Copywriters.

I completed the Creative Writing Stage 1 course and enjoyed that process. I was hesitant about sharing my writing - not knowing what to expect.

Pamela was great! She provided great constructive feedback and was always available to answer any questions.

The best part about the course is all the feedback on our submissions, and not just from the tutor but from the whole class. It's just so valuable!

I am more motivated to continue writing and I can actually see a way forward to completing my book.

For anyone thinking about writing a book, this is the course to do. Even if you know most of the theory, it's also great to just put you in touch with other like-minded writers.

I was surprised at how much I didn't know (or had perhaps forgotten since school). I feel armed with a new collection of tools to refine my dialogue writing - just what I was looking for.

The self-paced design worked really well for me, as did the clearly scaffolded modules. The 'nuts and bolts' approach appealed to me: the don'ts in particular. It was just the right 'bite sized', user friendly length.

The clear delivery and examples are easy to apply. I feel ready to tackle scene writing with greater understanding of the importance of paralanguage. I also tend to overuse adverbs and speech tags in my writing...well, not anymore!

My novel feels a bit overwhelming; I hoped that learning more about plotting and structure would help me to shape it, so I can keep going with my draft.

Kate Forsyth is so friendly, professional and generous in sharing her knowledge and experience. I learned so much from her sessions.

I enjoyed the quality of the information shared, and Kate's excellent presentation slides. The depth of information shared, and Kate's practical examples provided of different plots and narrative structures, have given me greater confidence and ideas on how to improve my draft novel. Very grateful!

These little courses are great value, highly practical and always exciting. The Zoom recording format make it so easy to review the content later, and I always appreciate hearing other people's questions. I was unable to attend the full Zoom sessions due to other commitments, but watching them later was tremendously helpful. I am just watching them again now - for the fourth time - because they were so content rich. Thank you Kate and AWC.

I'd done four other AWC interactive courses and learned so much from each. But EYN was something else. I think it was the weekly Zoom call that elevated it. Having a conversation with Pamela and my classmates every week where we discussed structural issues, plot problems, character arcs, how the publishing industry works - and this is just the tip of the iceberg - was hugely informative and interesting. And then there was the 30 minutes assigned to each of us every four weeks where we got to receive verbal feedback on our own writing and to ask questions of the group. I made several substantial changes to my manuscript based on this invaluable advice. It was also very helpful and interesting to hear my classmates talk about their own work and the different feedback we each gave.

Pamela is an enthusiastic, knowledgeable and generous teacher who dispenses (much-needed) critical analysis and encouragement in just the right measure.

I especially enjoyed the logic and structure of the course's approach to editing. It gave me a solid scaffolding to work with, and broke the giant task of editing my story into manageable chunks. The exercises I did during that process led me to discover some stronger plot points and character development opportunities.

But what became even more enjoyable was getting to know Pamela and my classmates, and watching everyone's stories evolve. It was an incredibly supportive environment, and we are making plans to keep in touch and keep workshopping each other's stories.

It gave me a well-thought out and logical approach to structurally edit my novel (which was sorely needed). It gave me deadlines to meet (also sorely needed). It introduced me to a tribe of like-minded aspiring authors who cheered one another on, and to Pamela Freeman whose insight and guidance was extraordinarily helpful.

Thank you for offering this course! I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned so much from Pamela and my classmates. And writing my second draft was anything but lonely!

Do a course with the AWC and you'll fast track your skills as a writer and probably save yourself several drafts!

Bernadette was so amazing and really knows her stuff. She made the course so enjoyable. She was a great tutor and I enjoyed her feedback.

The course is fun, engaging and you learn a lot. It has made me want to learn more and practice my copywriting skills.

The course looked like a great way to learn how to structure my stories to get the best out of them. As soon as I read the outline, I wanted to do it. And I'm glad I did.

So much information in five (ish) short hours - well ten actually as I have already listened to it twice, and plan several more listenings. Each time I listen I get more out of it. I get more daunted too of course as there is so much to do - but then I change my mind set to "You can do this. Not only that but you need to do it as, if you can see how your story is structured now, it will save you so much time in the end as there will be fewer rewrites. And you'll get the pace right!! You can do this."

I enjoyed the challenges it sets. The huge learning journey that I have just travelled, and continue to travel. The information in the handouts that I can see will be used over and over. The reinforcement of the structure of a novel that I am working on - I seem to be on the right path.

I'm 70. I have been writing all my life, yet I continue to learn, and want to learn.

As I said, it reinforces what I am doing at the moment, but also completes my skill set - which I think is extremely important - and gives me permission to know the rules, and break them if I need to. Which I also think is important.

Michelle is a very knowledgeable and skilled course presenter who likes to share her writing and editing skills with others. I learned more than I expected, such as the hierarchy of adjectives and non-essential clauses.

The workbook with the exercises was very useful and workshopping to assess how much we had learnt from the 2 half days intensive training.

Reinforced editing tips I had picked up through trial and error and also provided new insights.

Editing is essential for everyone who wants to write well. Michelle is skilful at sharing her writing and editing insights and encouraging others to refine their writing skills.

Pamela is an incredibly generous font of knowledge and an astute reader. I enjoyed seeing everyone improve so much.

Of all the courses I've done, this is by far the best, with the most relevant, concise information in the handouts and audio. The calibre of all the participants was wonderful which made working with them informative and a pleasure. And don't ever lose Pamela. She's a gift.

Do it. Writing is hard. Way harder than you think. With AWC you'll get support, you'll learn and you'll be a better writer at the end.

Alex was fantastic. She pointed out things I never thought of. I started pitching publications before doing the course and wasn't getting much luck. Her feedback on the assignment really highlighted flaws in the language/inclusions of my pitches and I'm so grateful for that.

I have an idea for a story, but I wasn't sure whether or not it was a middle grade or a chapter book so I did this course to understand the difference & also pick up some new tips.

The modules were the right length, full of great information and easy to watch. Lesley was really engaging.

It left me feeling very comfortable that the idea I am considering is definitely a chapter book and that I'm more than capable of writing it.

I was looking for ways to earn money from my writing that I could schedule in my own time.

The tutor was great, clearly experienced, great sense of humour and very positive and encouraging with her feedback.

I appreciate the bonus handouts and practical guidance on actually getting paid work as a copy writer. It made me feel like I could actually go out and start charging money for my work.

I would say the tutors are all extremely knowledgeable; it's the real deal. And it's important in all avenues of writing to feel supported by a community, and AWC does that.

I'd been thinking about doing this course for some time. A friend had done it and raved about it. Then a particular story idea came up and I thought it was a good time to get on with the course.

My eyes have been opened to the many and varied contributing factors that make great picture books such a multi-layered and deceptively simple art form. The course is incredibly thorough and I know I will return to the audio modules again over this coming year as I continue to develop the stories I have begun. So the course is great value for money too!

Suzanne provides excellent feedback. She has real passion for children's picture books, a wealth of knowledge and excellent attention to detail.

I learnt SO much. I now realize just how basic my understanding of picture books was. Writing a children's picture book is no small task. It requires a ton of patience, determination and time. 'Time is your friend' is a line that will stay with me... If I want to do it properly I need to learn to take my time. - Big lesson for me!

Whatever you want to write about, Australian Writers' Centre will have a course for you and I guarantee it will be not only be top quality but great value.

Well done on delivering yet another fabulous course!

I love Kate. She is very likeable and is well prepared. Kate gives great answers and goes into detail for all of the questions that were posed. Really invaluable information that only an author would know.

All the courses I've done with the Australian Writers' Centre have been great. Affordable and the teachers are fantastic.

Pamela was terrific - very engaging, interested in her students and provided valuable feedback.

I enjoyed the homework exercises & feedback - encouraged us to really think more about our stories and worlds, and make them more real. It really made me think about the world, to make it more real for readers, and really consider the “unique thing” about my story (and ways to expand on this).

Pamela is a terrific tutor, and the course really encourages you to think deeply about your world and how you might bring it to life for your readers. Would absolutely recommend!

Suzanne's approach was gentle but direct, which I found to be extremely helpful. As a beginner writer it can be daunting exposing your work to scrutiny but Suzanne was great in providing creative criticism and insightful suggestions.

Every module had something new and built on previous lessons. I most enjoyed seeing how, by implementing those lessons, my writing/story improved and developed.

This is the first writing course I have enrolled in. It has given me an intro into the industry but mostly I feel like with work and persistence I may have something I can build on.

Go for it! The course content for a beginner is comprehensive, easy to understand and follow. The feedback from the tutor (Suzanne in my case) is constructive and detailed. It's a great launching pad into understanding the world of children's picture book writing.

I really enjoyed the course and looking forward to developing my writing.

Pamela was fun, knowledgeable, and forthcoming with great ideas to help us with our stories.

I enjoyed hearing what the other people were writing and finding like-minded people to workshop ideas with. And believe it or not, the homework. Having to think about my story to find the answers to the homework question - things that I had not thought to ask of my story.

If you want to write, you can't go past the Australian Writers' Centre. There is a course for any aspect of your writing.

I have looked at this course a number of times over the last few years, but doing it online just didn't grab me at all. I needn't have had any trepidation - it was fantastic! And in fact, there is so much information in it (and practise) that I don't know how it would have been all covered so comprehensively in a weekend workshop (let alone be absorbed into my brain!)

Alex was terrific. She responded to all the posted questions thoroughly, and the feedback she provided on the assignments was practical and targeted. She was encouraging and positive, and reinforced what had been covered in that particular week's information module in relation to the work we submitted. She offered good insights and industry examples that were relevant to our work.

It's given me a real, practical insight to the freelancing industry. I now feel I have the tools to sit back and contemplate which direction I want to take, and start putting these new skills into practice. I 'went in' with a broad sense of what I thought I wanted to do ... but now I'm finding I'm re-evaluating ... so watch this space(!)

This was a terrific course and very manageable timewise. I really appreciate the work that has gone into producing it, and especially the feedback from my tutor, Alex Spring. Online was great - no need to hesitate! Many thanks again - it definitely was time (and money) well spent.

The AWC supports writers with practical information at all stages of their careers, and has great short courses to not only whet your writing appetite, but keep you motivated to keep writing and experience success.

I really enjoyed Stephen's feedback to all the writers, and learnt from it. He was also super quick, and even replied to comments made in response. He was kind and built confidence, but gave substantial critical comments as well.

I enjoyed the writing and feedback, and my notes and the documents supplied form an ongoing resource. I have a fairly set writing practice of 4 hours on weekdays, and I enjoyed that this course kept me really engaged and motivated to extend that.

Well done! I've signed up for the next course.

I am now 54 and have not undertaken any creative writing since leaving secondary school. I have, however, spent a bit of time contemplating children's story ideas as I move through life. I don't know why but one morning I decided to seek out a course and I was fortunate to have found this one. I didn't really know how much I didn't know about children's books.

I love that you have access to the materials for a year as I intend to revisit the material a few more times.

I liked that the feedback was constructive and truthful (at least I hope that's the case). All the feedback I found encouraging and emphasized the importance of reviewing your work and reworking it.

I now feel that I have the skills to rework my original ideas and transform them into something more powerful and polished.