What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I have self-published my first book and wanted to improve my skills for the second one. Also identify any gaps in my knowledge and learn from a published author.

I was hesitant about the time needed to complete it. To my surprise, I really enjoyed it and found the time to go through the modules and tasks every week. They didn't take up too much of my time.

I really enjoyed the live Zoom call with Angela and the rest of the class. It was so useful to get a chance to chat with Angela and get her feedback. She knows her stuff and yet was so approachable and encouraging.

The information was broken down into chunks which were easy to follow and understand.

Some of the stuff covered in it like setting scenes and dialogue etc really got me thinking about how to incorporate these skills in my next book. I also saw clearly where the gaps in my knowledge and skills were. I'm excited to put these skills to good use in my next book and hope it'll be an even bigger success. I'm planning to go through the course many times to pick up any nuggets I may have missed.

The AWC has some of the best courses for writers. Relevant information, great tutors and so flexible.

I loved the sense of camaraderie obtained by week 4; I also loved the inclusion of the reasoning mechanisms of the brain and how writing can induce / influence responses for the writer and reader. It also opened questions that have been very productive in my writing journey that I will be forever grateful for.

I have found a new way of writing I had not considered and it opened me to ideas for my work and validation for my ideas. I wish it wasn't over. It was a fascinating course!

I always recommend AWC as every course I have done has provided really useful honest information.

The information was incredibly helpful and not too detailed or overwhelming. It was nicely paced and structured.

Honestly, the world of publishing seemed too big and scary with no clear start points or directions... it was nice to know which steps to take and in what order before reaching out to publishers.

It was great. It met the expectations I had based on my research on the website. Enjoyed every week learning something new and stretching myself by putting it into practice.

Lovely tutor, good at delivering feedback in a sensitive way and generous with her knowledge.

I was initially worried I couldn't handle the commitment on top of my existing family and work commitments but it wasn't a problem. The audio files meant I could listen and learn on the go while driving, walking or doing tedious tasks.

I want to do so many AWC courses now. I loved learning so much in 5 weeks. It was more meaningful and handled better then creative writing I did at university years ago.

Kate approaches life and her writing from a different perspective. She adds that touch of fairyland, pixieland, elves and all things of another dimension. She is enthusiastic, dedicated and wants other writers to have joy in their work.

I enjoyed the beautiful graphics; the descriptions of other writers and poets and their lives; the way our writing works in the different parts of the brain; and doing the memory and secret writing exercises each week. The course demanded a certain amount of commitment without creating guilt if you couldn't keep up every exercise every day. Kate was encouraging and listened carefully to some of the writers who needed help.

I recommend AWC to EVERY friend and several completed courses with you and went on to write books.

At almost eighty I am taking a more relaxed approach to life and Kate's Dare to Dream was the perfect dash of fairy medicine I needed. Thank you Kate and thank you AWC.

Bernadette is a wonderful lecturer. The time she takes to give us feedback on all our assignments is priceless and she genuinely has a love for what she does which is infectious! The assignments were so useful.

I want to be a copywriter, and not just a copywriter, a GREAT one at that. I feel like it's possible after doing this course.

DO IT! If you love writing just do some AWC courses to be inspired!

I was not expecting the depth of information. The subject matter covered is really impressive.

The tutor was professional and super experienced. I enjoyed Bernadette's tutoring style – conversational, easy to digest the information and her guidance throughout the course was logical.

The course provided me with a lot more confidence to progress my love for writing and not put it off any longer.

If you've ever wanted to improve how you shape and sharpen your content, this is a great course to start with.

I think your course is brilliant and it has opened up an opportunity I would like to pursue. I have never really written anything in my life and I have always wanted to do this. It has only taken me about 20 years to work up the courage to have a go. So thanks.

Have a go. You haven't got the free time, but you will make it and you will have a lot of fun.

I knew a bit going in, but this course took my understanding of romance writing to a whole new level. What I enjoyed most was how vast the romance genre is! You can explore until your creative heart is content.

It made me look at my writing, and what kind of story I want to write, in a new light. I've been confining myself (and my story) to a box and now I feel free to explore in different ways.

I think this course is great for people wanting a greater understanding of the romance genre. DO IT! Your writing will never be the same again.

This is actually one of the best and most relevant courses I've ever completed. Often you leave a writing course feeling a little underwhelmed, but I can't say enough about this course or Bernadette. I've now started listening to her podcast - also really informative and engaging.

I've worked in corporate communications for 20 years but never once considered that I write copy. I'm looking to change pace next year and wanted to learn more specifically about copywriting and gain confidence to back myself - and to be honest, see if I really had been writing copy all that time!

I had no hesitation about enrolling, and was really excited, but I was also nervous about whether my experience in corporate writing was enough. Imposter syndrome is most definitely real!

This course has been brilliant - so practical, informative, and engaging. I'm really glad I found and decided to enrol. I've loved listening to Bernadette's insights, practical tips, brilliant advice and constructive feedback. Thank you, Bernadette. You've given me the boost I needed to get started on my freelance career.

The entire course has been really enjoyable, but I've really loved the tools and resources which have helped support the practical learning. It's all been fantastic. I'm about to enrol in two more AWC short courses!

Margaret was excellent in offering constructive advice and feedback. I feel very encouraged by her comments on my work.

It's just so meaty! I feel like I'll be digesting the info for weeks (months?). It covers far more, and in more detail, than I was expecting.

I'm feeling more encouraged and confident in my writing than ever before. It no longer feels like the road to publication is something only other people can do.

Margaret was absolutely lovely. Her feedback was always positive and constructive.

I loved the assignments, actually. The prompts made me think outside of the box and I loved reading what the other students submitted too.

Now I know how to go about my creative writing. Sure, I can just sit and write but now I know how to construct a scene and build and get to know my characters.

The AWC is a great place to learn what you want to know about writing without doing a full-on tertiary degree. You get the right education and support for your work.

Vivienne is a great teacher. Not every expert knows how to share their knowledge, but Vivienne used explicit examples to scaffold our learning.

Although the concept of homework was a shock at first, it was a great opportunity to apply our new learning at each step. Vivienne's feedback was detailed and supportive.

My 'aha' moment was that it's okay to feel passionate about your opinion piece subject matter. I'm far more aware of how to structure an opinion piece.

It was so full of information and it is an amazing feeling that I have learnt enough even at this foundation level to be able to go out and pitch and write stories.

I really feel that at 49 years of age, having worked so many years in education as an administrator, I can finally within five weeks begin the transition to writing and perhaps even doing this full time. I cannot imagine what a change this would be to my life to have a flexible, creative, career where I actually get to think and not just assist someone day in and day out. I feel I can begin turning my dream into reality. I mentioned in the group chat that I envied Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City... now I feel I might be able to be like her. I admired many writers for International Flow magazine and I can see myself now writing like them. Thank you.

Within 5 weeks, you could learn and develop the skill to actually change your life and live your dream.

How I write my dialogue has improved greatly which was the goal, but there were a couple of tidbits in the course that have really helped: know your characters, don't be embarrassed by making a dialogue scene 'more' and finally just keep writing without worrying about redrafting until the first draft is complete.

Dialogue isn't all about speaking, but everything that goes around it. I now have tools to play with when writing dialogue.

I found Suzanne gave incredibly useful feedback in a manner which allowed me to improve my writing and move forward in my quest to become a published picture book author. My knowledge of many aspects of children's picture book writing has increased beyond measure.

If you would like to increase your knowledge on the skills needed to become a children's picture book writer, then this is the course for you!

Bernadette was encouraging and a wealth of knowledge. Somehow, she answered my questions before I even asked them.

I have applied my newly found knowledge directly to my emerging business.

I was impressed by the structure of the course and the range of materials, authors referenced and links provided. Valerie Khoo's instructions were practical and realistic about the multimedia world children and YA are living in today. Hearing what publishers are looking for was invaluable.

Bernadette is an excellent presenter. She has a very warm, encouraging presence, and she is a master of giving constructive feedback without any judgement. She's clearly very knowledgeable and very generous with this knowledge. I'd look to do a course with her again.

I found the online platform very well explained and very easy to navigate. The content was very well laid out and well presented. I liked the mix of pre-recorded and live feedback - the latter is definitely what makes the course worthwhile.

I was very impressed with the content and how much we got through in a short time.

Vivienne was generous on all fronts, on Zoom, in the content, sharing herself, and in her feedback and comments. Very organized, handled the time well. We were in good and capable hands.

Vivienne's ability to present, inform and encourage was amazing. Just superb.

Learning things completely new to me was refreshing. Meeting and learning from others in the group was also enjoyable - so many lovely personalities with so many passions.

I was doing the Copywriting Essentials course and enjoying it, so figured if I was serious about moving into this industry I needed to gain business knowledge as well.

Bernadette is an outstanding teacher - she is generous with her industry knowledge and cuts through to the nuts and bolts of what you really need to know. Suits my practical nature.

Lots of practical, useful advice to get started and build a business, and wonderful advice on mindset. I think I'll have that presentation on replay quite a bit over the next few months.

I would say it's excellent value for money and you are learning from people who have successful, real-world experience in the field.

I got a lot out of this course. I tried out a lot of the new techniques (e.g. I wrote one scene in 6 different voices) and used the templates to help me figure out more about my characters and structure my work. I also valued the feedback I got and was surprised what I learned when commenting on others' work.

I like that Pamela chats with us in the comments section, and for my synopsis I very much appreciated the feedback on my work. I'm looking forward to further comments tomorrow.

I enjoyed reading other people's stories and meeting like-minded people.

If you're stuck creatively and want some direction, go here.

I learnt so much and I'm excited to grow my current short stories into novels. I'm glad I did this course. Now to continue my writing... thank you.

I loved the Writing Picture Books course, and I wanted to learn more about writing for children and young adults to see where I fit and what ages I'd like to write for. This course was an excellent introduction to writing for these age groups.

Stephen has a quiet manner and definitely knows what he is talking about. Stephen's commentary on everyone's work was instructive and encouraging, and it made learning from mistakes a positive experience. Overall, I found Stephen to be an excellent tutor and I would definitely enrol in a course, knowing he was the tutor.

I enjoyed the challenge of writing scenarios for each assignment. I didn't have a draft manuscript or any ideas coming in, but I'm leaving with an idea for a YA novel that I'm currently working on.

If you love writing and are interested in learning your craft, I highly recommend the AWC. My writing is improving and I'm growing more confident as a writer.

The tutor's feedback was incredibly helpful! She was sensitive but was also very constructive. Lessons that have completely changed my outlook on writing for children's picture books. It was comprehensive and answered all the questions I've been searching for in one place.

This course will give you a thorough understanding of the children's picture book world. You'll touch on everything from writing and editing to research and submitting. The information is relevant and a great resource to look back on in the future.

Suzanne rocks!

I liked the online lessons as well as the assignments and exercises (I guess that's all of it really!)

It's a wonderful gift to give yourself, to make the time to write with others, and to learn from those who know the way.

Thank you for a very enjoyable course.

I can very honestly say this is the best short course I've taken. I've wanted to write opinion pieces for some time, and Vivienne's content, delivery, practical advice and feedback have given me the confidence to move forward.

Vivienne is an amazing tutor and an asset to AWC. Vivienne is highly engaging, very honest and very candid in sharing her experiences as an opinion writer. I appreciated the feedback she provided; it was incredibly detailed, valuable and confidence building. I also thought the content she developed and delivered was very practical and easy to apply.

I enjoyed the exposure to students with very different backgrounds, writing styles, experiences and opinions - it highlighted that anyone can be an opinion writer, on just about anything. You just need to be passionate about your opinion and able to write and present it well.

Vivienne's practical advice, templates, detailed feedback and encouragement have given me the confidence to write and submit an opinion piece.

Thanks for a great course! I will be keeping an eye out for more short courses in future :)

I thought it was a great course! I enjoyed it a lot and have recommended it to friends. It's given me a kickstart to introduce writing as an everyday practice, or at least a few times weekly.

It's a great opportunity to explore writing creatively in an unpressured environment. You have weekly assignments which you get feedback on, which is wonderful, and the tutors are really good! I recommend the course to anyone thinking about dabbling in creative writing.

I am a trainer and often find myself very critical of other trainers, but I was very impressed with Vivienne's content and delivery. She made the course informative and engaging. Her feedback was thoughtful and valuable and was such that I could easily incorporate it into my writing.

I had never considered writing publicly before doing the course and am now considering submitting the piece I wrote to Eureka Street.

Two of my friends were doing the course and highly recommended it. I just love to write and find hurdles in getting through the editing and keeping inspired.

The tutor was great and the feedback really intricate and helpful. I do like how our characters and writing are taken seriously. I enjoyed the reading of others' work and the interaction and receiving feedback on my own work from tutor and peers.

I have novels in drawers (files on my computer) that are only first draft and now I feel excited to be able to revisit them with more knowledge around structure and character development and plotting. I don't have a problem with getting the words down; it's all in the editing. I feel more confident now to tackle that.

The course helped change my perspective about me being a never published writer - it has given me hope!

Bernadette is extremely knowledgeable and that shines through in her speech. I believe that she's an authority on this subject and would be inclined to get additional mentoring from her. Her feedback on my assignments has really emboldened me to get started.

The AWC has experienced instructors, valuable content and great opportunities to network.

Thank you AWC and Bernadette!

The course gives a great outline for starting your story. It gives you the confidence, not to be scared, to be yourself and write whatever you like and don't be afraid of what appears on the page.

It's made me hungry to start writing.

I was lucky to be a part of a group that formed an excellent community. The tutor was brilliant, insightful and delivered feedback in a gentle but thought-provoking way that made you improve not only the current piece but any future works.

I'm more confident and sure of my future path for my writing. Chasing perfection isn't possible, but what you do learn is to be confident about your own work and to stop searching for somebody to tell you that you're a good writer, instead I realised it for myself. I'm happy and confident in my work, I know I'm a writer, I'm proud of my work, and I no longer need anybody else to validate me.

I have written several books for my nieces and really wanted to develop that skill. I have completed a course here previously and always find the content easy to follow, clear and the price reasonable. I like the community it creates within the course group. Everyone is here for the same reason and all the feedback received from Suzanne and fellow classmates is constructive and supportive.

Suzanne was practical in her feedback. I feel that the advice given was constructive, supportive, clear and she didn't coddle us. There's nothing worse than being told your story is amazing, when all you want is feedback. Families are biased so it's useful having a tutor.

I enjoyed the freedom to write what you wanted and write different stories each week or work on the same one. There was no pressure to write a certain topic. Also, as always, reading everyone else's work and watching the skill of your fellow classmates improve is an added bonus.

I'm used to writing short stories where you have to be quite a bit more descriptive so it was really interesting and fun to learn the balance between author/illustrator.

The courses provided by AWC are fun, informative and have a wonderful sense of community. If you have ever thought about writing or are looking to sharpen your skills then this is the place for you.

Thanks - and see you for the next course.

I just loved how it was short, sharp and highly focused.

Vivienne was exceptional. She guided us to the knowledge we needed and, at the same time, made us feel as professional equals.

I enjoyed the deadline driven nature of the learning.

I'm going to send off my opinion piece next week. It has been the best confidence booster because it focused on doing things, not thinking things.

I did the freelance writing course in 2014 but for various reasons I have never pitched or been published. This short course was an excellent refresher and confidence booster to follow that course. Loved it.

You get the knowledge and the encouragement you need to make your writing into a real and satisfying part of your life. Do it!

Stephen gave me constructive feedback. I can definitely work with this to improve my writing skills.

I enjoyed the connection with others doing the course and the fact we had a shared goal in mind.

I now look at the world in a different way and look forward to writing every day.

A great way of developing your writing skills on your own terms.

The course makes you want to give it a go. I liked that. I have started writing a story/draft now.

For a beginner, it was great. Thank you. The course has been interesting, fun and has had a positive effect on my 'doubt devil' :-)

I was slightly nervous about whether I'd meet the deadlines, as they're very tight and the workload is high. But that's also what attracted me - I wanted to really knuckle down, and the group accountability helped ensure I achieved my goals.

Bernadette was lovely. Obviously very knowledgeable, but also extremely kind, sensitive and encouraging with her feedback.

We formed a really tight writer's group, which will now extend beyond the course. This has been the greatest and most unexpected outcome for me. The opportunity to give and receive feedback on entire manuscripts was also incredible, and not something that is easy to find elsewhere.

Every bit of writing you do gets you closer to finishing a draft. It can be hard to see the finishing line at times when you're working on something so big, but chipping away, bit by bit, really does get the job done.

Aside from having access to an experienced industry professional, you will also have access to 15 beta readers. That alone is worth the price of admission!

Thank you so much to the AWC, and to Bernadette in particular. I thoroughly enjoyed this course. While I'm sad it's over, I'm heartened by the fact that our writing group will continue. I hope to be able to come back someday soon and tell you my book made it to print!

The course appealed to me because of its content. I loved the idea of producing 5000-word excerpts and getting feedback from participants. Having such an experienced tutor was an extra bonus. Not many courses offer that luxury.

I was nervous about enrolling and unsure what I was getting myself into, whilst working full time. I was happily surprised to find a very supportive network of people I could trust sharing my work with.

I learnt so much from everyone. We had such a diverse group and reading everyone's excerpts and getting feedback from them was such a bonus. It really surprised me and has taken me to another level with my writing, even though I know I have a long way to go.

I loved Bernadette. She is so honest and gently guides you in the right direction with your writing. I felt very lucky and privileged to have her as a tutor.

I enjoyed the group interactions, reading everyone's excerpts, getting feedback. Also having deadlines to meet. I know that we were very lucky to get such a super group of people, and am certain that we will remain in contact with each other now the course has ended.

The course gave me inspiration to keep writing and made me aware of how much I love to write. When Bernadette told us at our first Zoom meeting that, from now on, we should consider ourselves as authors, that really spurred me on.

I am so pleased I enrolled in this course and will definitely think about doing more courses with AWC. It has been a great experience.

Like the Nike slogan says: Just Do It. You will learn from the best.

Bernadette is the perfect tutor - so knowledgeable, kind, wise, thoughtful, insightful.

The continuing course deadlines meant that by the end of the course, I finished the second draft of my novel, my main aim, and I now have a clear way forward to finish the third draft.

Not only did we have the benefit of the feedback of an expert, but it is hard to quantify the benefit gained from reviewing the work of classmates. That was for me the best way to learn how to identify faults in my own writing, and the skills I learned will remain with me.

All the writers enrolled in the course have now formed an enthusiastic writing group, based on the same AWC guidelines for friendly discourse.

My aha moment was the first time I saw a fault in a class mate's writing that I had failed to see in my own. The act of reviewing others' work allowed me to see my own more clearly and I have retained that ability beyond the course.

The AWC is a professional, well-organised, reliable organisation with tutors who have proven skills in writing and publishing. Their courses are thoughtfully constructed to give participants the best outcome for their own writing.

My tutor was really helpful and kind. She gave detailed feedback on how to improve my assignment writing and so on.

I can express my point clearly in my stories and writing. Also, my writing speaks out to the reader better than before.

It was an amazing and useful experience and I learned a lot from it.

I would like to thank Miss Allison for her teaching and the AWC team for this amazing learning experience.

This course took my writing to the next level. I learned a lot from the course content, but I learned even more from the others in my group. I was with an extraordinary group of writers who all gave incredibly generous and valuable critical feedback on my writing. The tutor, Bernadette Foley, was a delight to have as a tutor - wonderfully encouraging and highly perceptive.

I enjoyed the interaction with the others in the group, especially the feedback and encouragement we gave each other.

I realised that my writing has the best chance of developing and improving through exchange with other writers, and that it's better to share work in progress rather than waiting for everything to be perfect. I also learned that the writing community is a very generous one.

I loved this course. Incredible people in my group and a wonderful tutor. AWC courses are an excellent way to take your writing to the next level.

Bernadette was extremely helpful in providing constructive and thoughtful feedback. I enjoyed the wealth of knowledge and templates that was made available to us.

My writing and my informed thinking regarding my writing is well developed thanks to this course. A great resource for business owners or anyone working with creative elements.

Bernadette was great - knowledgeable and clearly an expert in the field. She provided actionable advice and easy-to-use formulas. This has given me confidence to pursue copywriting as an additional income stream.

AWC offers quality courses that can jumpstart your writing career. Practical assignments, fast-moving content and great tips.

I have a deeper understanding of the area and feel confident to pursue jobs now.

Thank you, Bernadette!

A friend suggested this course. I've wanted to start writing for about 30 years.

Stephen was very thoughtful and insightful. Great suggestions for improvement of my work.

I'm feeling more confident in starting my story. It keeps me awake at night with ideas.

I've been thinking of changing career for quite some time, and certain circumstances occurred to give me the push I needed. I'd see the Copywriting course mentioned in emails and was impressed with Bernadette's background.

I feel like I've had 6-12 months' worth of learning condensed into 5 weeks. The course content is very wide and deep, with all the right pointers if wanting to learn more detail (such as SEO). I thoroughly enjoyed the course and am really excited to make this new career move happen.

Bernadette is an outstanding tutor - she is very open and generous with the material provided and the knowledge she shared. I really appreciated all of the practical, real-world tips she dished out throughout all of the modules. Her feedback has also been invaluable.

The assignments each week were also really fun - not too overwhelming, and really helpful to understand the process of copywriting.

I feel so much more confident about making money from writing - this will be life changing for me as I want to give up my 'day-job' and make a full-time career from this.

There is a formula and process you can follow to create great copy. This makes me happy because I'm quite an analytical person.

AWC courses are full of practical knowledge you can start applying straight away. You are learning from highly skilled instructors who are out there walking the walk - their practical advice is like having a personal mentor guide you.

Thanks so much and hopefully you see me out there as a real, bone-fide copywriter very soon!

Bernadette seemed very well experienced and capable at transferring her experience to myself and the other students. Her feedback was clear and supportive.

I enjoyed learning the "tricks". These tips and templates of copywriting have made me more efficient and confident in writing copy quickly.

I have completed previous AWC courses with Pamela Freeman and Patti Miller and found both very useful. I am currently completing a novel so I tried this!

I got useful tips during the course and feel that my writing has improved in key ways so that’s been great. The videos and materials provided were excellent. Stephen provides concise, useful feedback in a gentle and constructive way.

After writing and reading for decades, I finally 'get' POV (thanks, Stephen!)

I have always enjoyed writing, both fiction and non-fiction, and would like to earn some money doing something I enjoy (for a change)!

There is a lot more to copywriting than I imagined, but I now believe that it is something I can learn how to do.

Bernadette is obviously a very experienced and talented writer and teacher. I really enjoyed listening to the lectures - everything was very clear and was also entertaining! I enjoyed doing the assignments. Within the given parameters, there was plenty of scope for creativity.

The whole course was interesting, practical and enjoyable. I almost believe that I can do this!

The courses I have done were high quality, well organised and easy to access.

Bernadette is an extremely knowledgeable and valuable guide to all things copywriting. She gave many helpful tips and advice on topics related to what she was teaching us, which were obviously intended to help us in our copywriting journey.

I enjoyed the practical tips and tricks that make SEO copywriting relatable and implementable into real-life. It has helped me find meaning and excitement in my everyday job writing blogs etc for my work.

Just do it. Somehow, in only a few weeks, AWC can turn you from a hesitant beginner to a master wordsmith with all the tips and tricks of the trade.

Love, love, love what you guys do.

I was interested in learning more about freelance writing, what it entails and whether or not this is something I can do myself based on my writing skills and current knowledge.

I thought the online tutor was good. I really liked how quick the feedback for assignments was and being able to listen to the feedback through the video presentation.

I enjoyed connecting with my interview buddy. I now have a beautiful friend and loved the process of interviewing them and writing about it.

The variety of exercises and the depth of content that was shared was more than I thought I would learn from this course and I love that I had a chance to be educated and informed on so many different aspects to freelance writing.

Go for it! They're amazing courses with the exact info you need!

I just want to say thank you. I'm grateful for the time and energy that was put into this course and that I was able to be taught by an industry leader.

Angela gave great feedback on each submission and generously shared her knowledge and experience of the industry throughout the course. It's reignited my commitment to the novel I'm working on. It's also changed the way I look at my writing as well as any other printed material. Thanks to Angela and her highlighters of doom! :P

AWC provide great courses. I've done two online and the time commitment was very do-able. The tutors are knowledgeable and supportive and the format encourages a nurturing environment for participants. What's more, the modules are available for a full year so you can revisit them to keep you on track if you want to finish what you started - which I do!

Thanks very much!

I wanted to learn more and refine my skills after completing the introductory Writing Picture Books course

I found the self-paced nature of this course over the 12-month period very beneficial as I worked on my story draft after each module. I think this helped to cement what I learned and progressively improved my writing.

I found the resources and references very useful and will continue to refer to them in future. I also found the exercises supportive of my learning. Examining existing books referred to in the modules has expanded my understanding of picture book writing and presentation in general.

I find I really enjoy writing. Refining one story has taught me so much that I can contemplate taking it further.

This course gives you plenty of time to work at your own pace, and if you do the exercises and take good notes as you go, you will learn so much.

I have three grandchildren between the ages of 6-10 and am interested in what books are available for this age group. I am particularly interested in books available for children whose reading requires they are set in this chronological age group but whose reading age is at the lower end as the oldest one is having problems.

I wish I had have had a teacher of Lesley's calibre when I was a child. Not to mention her books! I have always loved reading and would have loved so many of the books available today. Apart from the classics, which I loved, I can't think of any in this age group with such energy, fun and gentle lessons.

I believe the course fulfils the expectations established in all modules. I look forward to going through all the modules again over the remaining months it is available.

Lesley's approach and commitment to the course as a teacher and writer were consistent, sincere and thorough. She set a high standard and maintained it.

I have completed a number of courses at AWC and the standard is high. Each course has helped to improve or brush up my writing skills. I hardly need to say, 'keep up the great work,' as it is obviously part of your ethos.

I had some ideas for children's picture books and wanted to learn about the genre to guide/improve my writing and also to learn about making submissions.

I had 2 working drafts by the end of it that hadn't been conceived of at all before the course began, which was great.

Zanni gave terrific feedback - very supportive but also usefully specific in terms of ideas for further work and improvement.

It was fun seeing other participants' ideas and watching these develop.

The course was lots of fun and kick started me to get started on a couple of ideas that I will continue working on.

Thanks to Zanni and the other participants!

I really enjoyed the systematic approach and the level of relevant detail. I liked that I could do it in my own time and at my own pace.

Highly recommended.

I had my very first opinion piece published on ABC Everyday one week after the end of the course!

Even though I have done the freelance writing courses and knew much of the background I still learned so much.

Vivienne was fantastic. She shared her years of experience and knowledge so openly and was welcoming of questions. The way she explained things was concise and relatable. Her feedback was constructive and encouraging.

I particularly enjoyed the structure of the modules and got a lot out of the assignments. I finished the course a more confident writer and ready to put myself out there.

The AWC is the only place for short-term writing courses. Thanks again AWC!

I found the course to be extremely practical. The tutor was very informative and constructive. I enjoyed the way the content was delivered.

I've remembered how much enjoyment I get from writing.

It's an extremely practical writing course, excellent understandable content and so much fun.

I felt Bernadette was very engaging and knowledgeable. I couldn't believe how much information was jam packed into each module.

I felt like all my questions were answered, despite not having asked them. Bernadette covered everything I could possibly have wanted to know and more!

I liked that it was a mixture of theory and workshopping. A previous course I did was just workshopping which I felt didn't cover what I really needed. And the theory modules were wonderful. Very practical and also very encouraging. I liked that they addressed exactly the type of fears I have about my writing.

It's really encouraged me to believe that I can and will finish my novel and that it will be worth reading.

I found the course really helped with my writing. The flexibility of doing it online and at a time that suits you is great.

It was a great overview and gave me lots of food for thought. Doing the course helped me crystallise my idea for a creative non-fiction book, which in turn made the course seem more relevant.

I thought this course was pitched at just the right level for someone contemplating CNF and it was very comprehensive. It seemed to anticipate and answer all my questions.

The course was able to address most hesitations I have had about attempting to write a CNF book. I appreciated the excerpts from published CNF used as examples. (I will probably go and read a number of those books now).

It has encouraged me to pursue my idea for a CNF story and I have subsequently signed up for Novel Writing Essentials.

AWC courses are good value for money and the range of courses available is comprehensive. The online self-paced courses are good for self-motivated people with busy lifestyles.

I've been wanting to write fiction for years, but have always got caught up on the 'how to', so the 8 weeks of content and the accountability of getting 20,000 words done in two months were the major draw cards for me.

I was worried that my perfectionism would kick in and I'd get caught up on making my submissions "perfect", before missing my deadline and giving up. (I've done that before!) But the structure of the course and the invitation to share imperfectly really did allow me to move forward in "good enough" mode, which was a massive relief!

Angela did a great job. Her feedback was practical and actionable, and she was happy to share resources that she thought would help, in addition to the coursework. I found reading her feedback on other students' work super helpful as well.

I enjoyed the writing habit that I established, and the lessons themselves. I've discovered that I like to learn and work in a particular way, so the coursework combined with uncovering my own process were my highlights.

It's given me the regular creative writing habit I've wanted for years, and the confidence to just let my first draft be a mess. I've written nearly 70,000 words since we started the course, and the momentum feels fantastic. I've also got a much stronger idea of structure, plot and character development to carry into the rest of the book, as well as the (many, many) subsequent drafts to come.

Consistency is key. Getting up and writing my 1000 words a day is literally the only way my book will get written. Recognising that sometimes those words will be terrible, and it ultimately doesn't matter, has been really liberating.

If you're looking for a nudge (or a friendly push) to get your writing underway, then do it. Every course I've taken with AWC has given me some kind of important discovery about my own work and I've now got an almost completed manuscript to show for it.

The communication from AWC has been excellent, and the coursework has been brilliant and I'm so grateful to everyone who works at AWC. Thanks!

The course content opened my mind to see things through children's eyes, and how to use appropriate words. There are so many valuable lessons. Curiously, the importance of the 'three-act structure' makes so much sense, and this structure is explored thoroughly in this course.

Zanni is very insightful and came fully prepared with plenty of feedback that showed me where I tend to stray away from the three-act structure.

Other students' feedback and comments were really beneficial. Quite a buzz. Best course! It really showed me the core structural basics that are transferable across all formats and genres.

The courses are high standard and the self-paced aspect works perfectly. Wish I'd have studied this sooner.

Vivienne was fantastic. She's an excellent communicator, ran the sessions well and provided useful feedback.

I liked the Zoom aspect - it was good to have interaction with Vivienne and the other participants.

The courses at AWC are informative, practical and have commercial applications if that's what you're after.

I was starting a new job and needed some tips on copywriting - something I had done organically throughout my career but, with no formal training, I felt I needed some guidance.

Bernadette was fabulous - humorous, clear and concise, with great genuine feedback.

The course gave me confidence to start a new role and introduce myself as a writer. It helped with the imposter syndrome.

The AWC has lots of varied courses to suit any type of writing. The tutors are professionals working in the industry and have plenty of good tips.

I've done a few of Bernadette's courses and I feel very comfortable with her content and delivery. Bernadette is a professional communicator - it shows in her clear, fluid and seamless delivery. I learn a lot just from hearing her present.

I now know where to find SEO when the need arises - and it helps me to think in a particular way. Thanks once again.

Great, practical, useable information. I've used the reference sheets and they're a resource I'll use for years to come.

Bernadette is great. Feedback is clear and positive, and suggested improvements are always clearly articulated.

Easy to follow, and great flexibility. I'm introverted, so the learn in your own time factor helps a lot. It's given me the tools and confidence to add SEO writing (and greater knowledge on SEO overall) to my consulting services.

Don't hesitate. Great courses, great tutors, and great flexibility.

So much encouragement. My goodness! I wasn't expecting that. I wasn't expecting to come out of it with any more confidence in my ability to write fiction that real people would actually want to read -- but it seems I did.

Margaret was great. Thoughtful and responsive. I always like it when a tutor actually specifies what they like about something they like. It's odd how you can feel a bit starved for feedback, sometimes, when you're reasonably good at something.

I most enjoyed doing the assignments. I found it really interesting reading other people's work as well. The similarities and contrasts in how people attacked the assignments was fascinating.

I now have some objective evidence that other people might enjoy what I write. I think I really needed that before I could seriously start working on something.

This is a great foundation course: short, sharp, practical. It doesn't eat your life. It's a great start for the hesitant and those who lack confidence. Highly suitable for the shy. Thank you.

Vivienne was amazing, methodical and articulate in the way she explained details about opinion writing and her extensive knowledge on opinion writing. She was very approachable and has a lovely manner and voice conducive to learning.

It has encouraged me to take the next step and write a piece for my Facebook page. Now I just need to focus on a time to start.

If you are interested in learning to write in a safe and supportive environment that isn't going to overwhelm with time, go to the AWC's website and choose from their many different courses. I'm sure you will find something that will interest you.

Keep up the good work team. I will be completing more courses - hoping you can continue to have them online.

Wonderful delivery. Bernadette was clear, concise, inspiring, and pleasant to listen to. Her feedback was extremely helpful and detailed.

I enjoyed the homework as it provided that practical application that I am craving to implement in my business.

Go for it! Gobble up their courses! They are great!

I enjoyed this course. The way Tim presented it was entertaining and humorous. It was so easy to watch his personality shining through the videos. He gave us the knowledge in a light-hearted, humorous fashion. Thank you.

Take that step and enrol in an Australian Writers' Centre course. I have done quite a few to give me more knowledge with my writing. See where this journey takes you. Although you may find, like I did, that it takes you in a different direction. After doing Writing Chapter Books for 6-9 year olds and Laugh Out Loud, I have now found my writers voice. To write funny stories for children. Thank you AWC.

Kate is such a generous teacher, sharing her vast knowledge and understanding in such beautiful and fun ways. I will treasure this experience always.

I now have loads of tools that I'm already putting to use in planning my next novel. I have a deeper understanding of story structure in a concrete way that I can put into use immediately.

I really enjoyed all the practical advice and the format of the course. I can't believe so much useful ground was covered in not much time.

I really enjoyed interviewing a classmate. I also really enjoyed researching the publications. I loved how the modules were delivered by audio but also had useful handouts.

I am more aware of transitions and I feel more motivated to continue. I like to believe that it's possible as you say :)

The course gives useful, practical advice about how to become a freelance writer. I really enjoyed the course and feel motivated to give it a try.

I am really impressed and very happy I took the plunge.

Mark was very friendly, approachable, and eager to share his insights. From the get-go I realised that he knows the industry inside and out. He offered us a range of practical tips, from both sides of the client and the experienced copywriter. I enjoyed listening to his constructive and encouraging advice, especially about my writing style and the persuasive art of marketing through the written word.

I really enjoyed the fact that the instructors and creators of the course distilled the essentials of copywriting and delivered these into sizeable, easy to digest online content. They did not throw volumes of information and content on each module. The well-planned modules (audio, PowerPoint, and handouts) catered to and fit around my busy schedule. I could listen to the audio whilst going for a walk, and then review the presentation afterwards. In particular, I love the practical, concise assignment activities. I love how Mark gave the feedback on each of our work, whilst allowing us to listen to his feedback on other people's work - just like in a face to face classroom environment.

Overall, this amazing course has given me confidence to seriously pursue copywriting as a side career. I cannot wait to learn more (SEO, UX and starting my own copywriting business).

I highly recommend AWC's copywriting course to everybody. I learned that the essential elements of copywriting are not just handy for marketing. In fact, these are very crucial in persuasive written content, ensuring that your words can drive engagement, action, as well as creating impact.

Thank you very much Mark and Bernadette, and I am looking forward to the Copywriting Bootcamp and taking more copywriting courses at AWC. Thanks to you, I feel more confident in creating my copywriting portfolio, and hopefully build a writing career.

I was inspired by the title. It's exactly what I'm searching for...to recreate myself as a writer.

Valerie was an excellent presenter. Presentation was professional, pace was good - not too onerous in terms of expectations.

I was introduced to the idea of freelance writing which for some reason never really inspired me before, but it is exactly what I'm after in terms of the life I'm trying to create for myself, I just couldn't see the pathway before. Now I understand there is a path for me and I just need to learn the more technical aspects of writing, so I will be definitely enrolling in more courses to explore.

I realised that I can use my previous experiences and passions (corporate, culture, sports, wellbeing, neurodiversity advocacy and parenting) to help me to recreate myself as a freelance writer.

Very easy to access online (for us in the regions), first class material, makes me feel excited to be back in Australia again and like a new start is actually possible for me now. I feel less stuck and more empowered, after massive changes brought about by the pandemic.

The opinion writing course was fabulous. So much was covered over the three lessons and it was structured well. The assignments were challenging but not too overwhelming. I feel confident to tackle the world of opinion writing.

Vivienne was truly wonderful. She was warm and friendly, full of knowledge and shared her personal experiences with us. She was open to all questions and made me feel confident in the fact she knew what she was teaching. She is very personable and shared her wealth of experience and enthusiasm for opinion writing.

It's given me the confidence to put myself back out there. And have since scored my first opinion piece commission!

The AWC is the ONLY place for short writing courses. Keep the courses coming. (I'm an AWC junkie)

I had completed the How to Write for Children and Young Adults course as I was curious about writing. I've always wanted to write a novel, just didn't know how to go about it. During that course I discovered that I really enjoy the writing process and gained some insight on how to go about it. I came up with a rough idea for my novel and then enrolled in this course to continue and learn more.

Angela was great - insightful and helpful feedback, which I will put into place in my subsequent drafts.

A great course that got me inspired to actually write a novel.

I have lots of opinions to share and wanted to learn the specifics of writing opinion pieces.

The presenter is a lovely, clever, friendly woman who made it easy for us to participate.

I now have a much better idea what an opinion piece is and how to construct it.

AWC courses are worth the money. Keep up the good work:)

It is user-friendly and you get to meet plenty of people who love language as much as you. The tutors know their stuff and the classes develop into a small, protective community of their own.

Great job guys :)

I really wanted to access a distilled essence of short story composition and this course absolutely delivered.

I enjoyed the handouts, the explanations and the reading lists. I'm reading some incredible short stories now making me realise how much I've got to learn!

I now have a dot point list of essential criteria on my wall where I write in which I measure what I've written against it.

If you want your writing to improve, enrol in one of the courses and soak it in.

Alex provided useful feedback at every step of the way.

I really enjoyed learning the art of transitions, and the opportunity to interview my classmate and to write a profile about her. I also found the handouts and examples of good and bad writing really useful.

I think it provides a really good foundation for someone wanting to pursue freelance writing. It has given me the confidence and skills to develop ideas into feature articles, and pitch them to prospective publications.

These short courses are a great opportunity to dip your toe into a subject you've been curious about. The timeframe is manageable and the cost isn't too prohibitive, so why not embrace the chance to learn something new.

I really enjoyed learning more about the process of writing and reading everyone else's work!

Angela was great, I found her feedback to be helpful and I looked forward to what she had to say each week.

I enjoyed the actual writing part. I haven't written consistently, ever, and I found myself drafting and re-drafting my assessments each week which improved my writing, but also became more enjoyable the more I did it.

I signed up for Novel Writing Essentials during the last week because I have an idea and I want to run with it as far as I can. The idea that I might actually write a novel is really exciting.

I really enjoyed the course. If you do the work and interact with the other participants you will get a lot out of it.

Writing fiction is a relatively new pursuit for me and I know I need guidance so this course was an ideal entry point. I recently finished a PhD so waited until I had the time and headspace to be able to tackle the exercises and story writing before starting.

I enjoyed the variety of sample stories and exercises, but my favourite part was watching my story develop from the structure I'd mapped out.

I come from a journalism background and this course has made me appreciate the value of just writing instead of editing as I go and giving myself the time to edit and redraft to make sure my story is polished, rather than going with the first draft and one round of edits.

The Short Story Essentials online course is structured so you can work at your own pace, with everything you need to plan, structure, write and edit a short story.

I loved trying a new writing style on for size. Thanks.

Vivienne is an engaging and motivating facilitator. The supporting docs and slide decks were well thought through and presented.

I had never understood what OpEd was in a newspaper and who wrote them or how easy it is. This knowledge will be an easier first step for me to get my writing out there. The hardest part is gaining confidence and getting an understanding of how the industry works.

AWC offers professionally-crafted courses in all types of writing disciplines, designed and taught by industry leaders and accessible to everyone.

I've thoroughly enjoyed all the courses I've ever done with AWC (6,7?), the material and the people I've met.

Margaret is lovely. She was very encouraging throughout and timely in marking submissions. I felt that she gave feedback constructively, offering praise where it was due, picking up writing errors - large or small - and providing suggestions for improvement. She seemed genuinely interested in what everyone had to write.

I enjoyed the flexibility of accessing course material at any time and the assessment tasks. I liked how the assessments were of a manageable length and scaffolded my learning week by week; they didn't feel overwhelming or onerous.

This course has basically ignited the hope that I could be a published author someday... like it's not completely outside the realms of possibility! I hadn't written a story since I was 10 years old. Since then, I had limited myself, thinking writing was just a pipe dream. Now I have a good deal more confidence in myself - I know that I will still need to work hard - but since completing this course, I feel that writing a novel is actually achievable now.

My major learning point came when writing was described as a 'craft'. For years, I have been trying to find a creative outlet - learning an instrument, silversmithing, woodworking - you name it. The idea of crafting, having a craft, is really important to me. I never considered writing to be that... but it is! I've realised that writing is like weaving with words, it can be rhythmic like music, you can mould it like sculpture... it seems so obvious now!

GO FOR IT. If you want a course that gets straight to the point, that gives you the tools and inspiration to start writing without hesitation, this is the one.

Thank you for putting this course together. It has been an absolute pleasure being a part of it!

Vivienne is professional and a good online tutor. I enjoyed the work and feedback, also the content of slides. It gave me some tools and the confidence to write an opinion piece.

The course is for all levels and capabilities as long as you enjoy writing. I have already recommended it.

Thanks Vivienne.

Lesley was a pleasure to listen to. She clearly presented information and tips that were really helpful.

The opportunity to send a small assignment and receive positive feedback from Lesley has given me the confidence to write a chapter book for 6-9 year olds. Thank you, Lesley. The next AWC course I am doing is Laugh out Loud with Tim Harris.

To anyone wondering - there's no set time. You can have 12 months to do the course. AWC sending the course outline, before you decide to go ahead, is very useful. Give it a go and delve into the writing world.

Vivienne is knowledgeable, kind and interesting to listen to. She has a way of encouraging ideas and discussion within boundaries so that participants didn't get too derailed.

This is my third course with the AWC and I've enjoyed each one. It is very professional and personable. They communicate well and the tutors are knowledgeable, experienced and lovely.

I was looking for something really practical. There is so much information out there online about this stuff but I wanted something clear and easy to access and this course seemed to tick all those boxes.

I hadn't expected to actually get everything up and running by the end of this course. But, because it is presented as a step-by-step process in modules, it was easy to work through it all in a practical way.

I liked the format. I actually went through and listened to all the units so I knew what was ahead of me and then went back and went through all the tasks for each unit. It was good to have a 'check list' of sorts.

I use social media and visit websites all the time, but the idea of marketing myself or my writing is something I've always avoided. This course made me realise that 1) I am not alone in feeling this and 2) it's NECESSARY and I really just have to do get over it, and do it!

Even for people who are familiar with social media, who use it every day, this course gets you thinking about it from an analytical, business-mode point of view. Some people might say that what is outlined in the lectures is 'obvious' eg. conducting your own research to see what you like on other websites, but this is not something I would have sat down and dedicated time to had it not been part of the course.

Really practical, easy to follow, and super useful.

What a kick start! The course has woken me up from a long nap in a dreary world where I honestly started to believe that writing was not achievable for me. Feeling and being proactive in my own goal now seems achievable and a reality. Ultimately, I feel I have been given the permission to write and that is what I am now doing.

If you are stuck in your own beliefs and trapped by unhelpful thought patterns then this is a course that will lift and inspire you as well as answer questions regarding the process of writing and publishing in an honest and helpful way. It is short, sweet and motivating.

It has given me confidence to try new ways of writing. I have always wanted to be a novel writer but now I am looking at exploring other ways of writing.

I was amazed at how many ways you can write and writing professions.

You have to do some courses through AWC; they are great. You learn so much and the tutors have a wealth of knowledge.

This was an exceptionally useful course - I didn't know what I didn't know and it not only went through everything in a clear, organised way - Natasha made it all feel achievable.

The course provided a comprehensive breakdown of steps to take to pitch to agents and publishers - and I love that it has concrete tasks you can complete whether your manuscript is ready to go, or if it is still a few months off being polished. It provides a foundation to start working on for an emerging author right up to the moment you are confident to send it out to the world.

I went into the course with very little idea of how to approach agents or publishers, but now I feel confident that with the information provided by Natasha I can develop a solid plan to give my manuscript the best chance of success.

The course was hugely beneficial and absolutely value for money.

Pamela Cook was a brilliant tutor. I had her for Creative Writing Stage 1 as well, and she does a great job with her feedback, pointing out areas to improve and how we can move forward. I learnt so much through listening to her feedback given to other writers in the group too. She was very giving of her time, answering additional questions we had. Also shared her insights on the publishing industry at the final wrap event which was very useful. She was also fantastic at instilling confidence in me as a writer, to the point where I feel like I can tell people I'm a writer, I'm working on a novel!

It has greatly improved my writing skills, my understanding of novels, characters, POV, setting, plot and so much more. Most importantly, it has built my belief in myself as a writer. I know it's still a tough road and getting published isn't easy, but I'm going to give it my best crack, as I now have belief in my work that I didn't have before.

The courses at Australian Writers' Centre have been instrumental in developing my skills, knowledge and self-belief as a writer. I've completed quite a few, Novel Writing Essentials being the latest one. It has propelled me forward with confidence, and I now have 65,000 words down for my first novel. I've written for years - probably the last decade - but doing these courses has put me on the right track in terms of learning about structure, plot, character, dialogue, setting, POV (just to name a few). I couldn't be more proud and am very grateful for AWC and the tutors. If you're thinking about starting a course - don't hesitate. You will not regret it!

I actually hadn't realised just how much could be taught in only two lessons, but Kate has completely packed these lessons with so much information and examples for writers. It is such a gift.

I loved the way Kate gave us so many examples, and she also unpacked trickier concepts so that all of us could grasp the way different plotting and planning ideas can be used in our own work.

Everything was enjoyable about this course!

Kate's example and discussion of her own plotting plans, including the word count she aims for with each incident in a story, has profoundly impacted my ideas for writing. I feel so much more capable and able to tackle the projects in my imagination.

Kate's planning session lined up with what I had done for when I was undergoing my PhD, but the plotting session just completely blew me away. Her explanation of how to go about plotting your story and its course is just the biggest help I could have asked for.

Any writing course you choose from the Centre is going to give you the *best* advice. And you will learn so much, you'll wonder how you never knew about this great resource before now.

Thank you for making these courses that are filled with information so affordable. It makes a huge difference, and sparks both our imagination and determination to go for our dreams.

My manuscript is nearing the stage of being 'ready' for others to critique, and I wanted to find out what comes after that.

It was great to have a step-by-step process to follow. Simple, sensible and easy to follow guidelines.

If you are new to writing, the AWC courses (and other offerings such as Furious Fiction) will undoubtedly improve your skills and knowledge of the industry.

I love writing and want to make it into my profession, but needed clarity on how. I hoped for this course to give me the knowledge needed to take the step.

The modules were so great and I liked having assignments with a deadline to make sure the content was put into practice.

I feel more confident and less clueless, even if it still is very much uncharted water for me. It gave me tools and momentum which I am working hard to make the most of.

If you want to start writing feature articles and have the chance of being published, without any previous experience, this is a great starting point.

I know now how to start blogging and what kind of issues and subjects I want to write about as part of my website that I'm setting up.

Go for it, you won't be disappointed.

Tim is a really easy person to listen to. Great presentations.

It has made me think about humour in a completely different way. It was freeing to realize I could add humour later and not stress about making something hilarious in the rough draft.

I have recommended AWC to friends and colleagues. It is simple to access and well set out. The courses I have done have been of an excellent standard.

Kate was fantastic - she presented her points clearly and had great a great slide presentation. She was generous in her sharing and open to students' questions.

I learned a lot - couldn't be happier with the course. It lent itself to online learning.

It's helping me to see where my work in progress should have its plot points. The examples from existing stories helped bring this to life.

Thanks to Kate for making the course interesting, comprehensive and visually luscious!

I did History, Mystery and Magic with Kate Forsyth and I just had to have another course with her.

For us beginner writers, writing a book is such an all-consuming task that we forget the end goal - write a book that is publishable. What I realised from Kate is that the publishing industry has some expectations and norms. More importantly, readers have expectations and that’s when planning and plotting become so crucial. I hate even the prospect of planning my book. However, I know I need it. And Kate broke it down into steps and made it less daunting and more like following a recipe book.

There are many beautiful words that can be written to describe Kate and her teaching. However, you really need to experience one of her courses to understand that Kate shares wisdom and knowledge that goes beyond words and therefore resists description. Some unspoken magic happens at her classes that transforms you into a different writer.

Kate is very engaging and helpful. Excellent that she provides detailed notes and slides. Slides help 'visual learners', good teaching practice.

Kate seems to relate in an 'intimate' way despite the large number of participants and via zoom.

I also work as a workshop presenter, mentor editor, and found it great to listen to others. I am unlikely to do much more of this work (nearly 81) but I finish a Master of History at the end of the year (researching the period I hope to write about) so hoping this will get me going again with my own writing.

Bernadette is a great teacher with an obvious deep knowledge of copywriting.

The assignments/writing exercises were the best part of the course - a chance to apply the skills.

I'm now aware of what's needed in copywriting as opposed to the news writing I've done throughout my career - they are quite different.

This course has given me structure to learn how to write articles and an introduction into the freelance and journalism industry.

It is a great way to get a clear idea of the freelance industry and journalism. It also provides you with vital article writing skills in a clear and understandable way.

The flexibility of this course was fantastic. With a very young baby at home, I needed a course that I could pick up and put down whenever I needed, and could easily complete small bits at a time around my baby's needs.

My only concern was completing the assignments on time. However once I started, I did not find this at all challenging due to the very achievable time commitments for each assignment and the easy to understand content sitting behind those assignments.

The feedback was excellent and delivered in very kind terms. It was always posted on the Monday immediately following the assignment submission deadline, which allowed any feedback to be incorporated into the next week's assignment where relevant. The tutor also posted a number of helpful links and articles in week one covering some common issues among new writers.

The audio lessons combined with the handout were really interesting and the content was broken down into understandable and logical chunks of information. Going through the handouts each week was always a revelation, like a veil had been lifted on my favourite books, and I finally had an understanding of the authors' choices and why their books were so successful.

I had always considered myself to be 'on the outside', that is someone masquerading as a potential writer, with everyone else being 'true writers' whose novels came to them with distinct clarity and mastered in only one or two drafts. This course has not only filled me with self-confidence, it has given me all the fundamentals necessary to complete a good quality first draft. It also gave me the courage to pick up a novel I started many years ago, which I thought I had put away for good in fear that it was too ambitious and I would never have the skill to do the story justice. I now feel ready to revisit the story, and continue to write.

Novels are not written in moments of total clarity and inspiration. Even the best writers struggle to write some days, are sometimes unclear where their plot will go, and need to do multiple drafts to get the finished product I pick up off the shelf. I thought writers either had it or they didn't. It was wonderful to realise that all writers need to work hard, and if I myself work hard, there's no reason why I can't also be a writer.

This course is suitable for people of all motivations. Whether the goal is to publish, refine skills for writing competitions, create something for your own enjoyment, learn a new skill, or just to keep your mind active and sharp, this course manages to be relevant and interesting for people of all goals. The flexibility in learning and understanding the content is an added bonus. There aren't many courses of any discipline that could be comfortably achieved while in the trenches of early first-time parenthood, but this course was perfect for me.

Each week when I reviewed the content and submitted my assignment, I felt as though I had really achieved something and that I had taken a small step towards becoming a writer. The confidence boosts I would get each week were unexpected, and I hope I can carry the momentum moving forward.

I knew picture book writing was a finely honed craft with specific conventions, and I wanted to get clear, concrete information on this, as well as a sense of how the industry works, particularly expectations in presenting manuscripts to publishers. I was happy with the quality of the information covered in the modules.

Suzanne is very encouraging and constructive in her feedback and responded to questions promptly. It was good to have her insights as someone who works as an editor/publisher within the industry.

I liked the way the information in the modules was designed and structured, and released weekly rather than all at once. This made the course more dynamic i.e. to be a part of a small group receiving info, specific learning outcomes and deadlines each week with personalised tutor feedback. I also loved that the course allows each participant to get what they want from it and there's plenty of time to access the information afterwards.

From my earlier exposure at RMIT, I understood the incredible craft and perspiration it takes to write the best picture books, and the course cemented this well and truly, but it also offered important insights into the publishing side and great information on how to become immersed in the thriving children's writing community. I feel more confident now, though I know it's a pretty tough road to get published.

The course is very enjoyable and provides a solid foundation in the elements of the craft and up-to-date industry insights.

I'd written a children's middle-grade novel but knew it was lacking. I browsed your courses and decided Fiction Essentials: Scenes was just what I needed. I had given some thought to scenes in my story but didn't realise their importance. I'd always tended to think in chapters, ending with a question or a twist etc. Emphasis on scenes was something required for stage and screen plays, or so I thought. Now I understand how important they are.

The course has made a huge difference to the standard of my writing.

I found writing scene by scene was satisfying and rewarding. Previously I'd thought and written in chapters which take much longer. Writing a novel can be overwhelming for an inexperienced author. Doing it scene by scene (step by step) is like scratching a lottery ticket: you know instantly whether you're going to be rewarded or not. If rewarded, you go on to the next scene happily. If not, you rework it.

I found this course full of meaty information. It is exactly what I needed to improve my novel. I actually find writing more interesting and exciting now that I have an understanding of scenes. At the same time, I have a greater awareness of the work an author has to put into a novel.

AWC offers some great courses for aspiring writers and also experienced writers. There is always more to learn about writing, for example, writing in different genres and keeping up to date with publishing requirements.

There was just so much more to structure than I thought there was. I actually know what a structure is now and have a better understanding of tension and the like.

The presenter was engaging and very easy to understand. The tutor who I received specific feedback from was very useful with constructive and positive feedback.

I enjoyed the depth and specifics of the course. It gave me the structure and details to put me on the right track to what is expected by publishers. It also gave me insight as to the structure of these books which I have read hundreds of but hadn't realized certain things.

Very detailed and useful feedback. Really gets your mind thinking and challenges you. I enjoyed hearing how everyone else approached their story writing.

It is always daunting studying again. You always want it to be perfect. For me it was a great way to overcome my fears of learning and that has inspired me to keep going and keep learning.

A great way to learn and expand your writing knowledge either at your own pace or within a set course. The presenters were excellent and the care taken on feedback really shows their keen interest to see each student get the best out of the course.

This course is so comprehensive. I love it! Alex has a lot of knowledge, great feedback and she is very encouraging.

I feel much more confident when I write because I feel that I actually know what I'm doing now. I use my new skills in everything I write and really take the time for it until I feel it's perfect.

Thank you so much for this opportunity!

Go for it! Highly recommended.

I was attracted to this course because it specialised specifically in writing picture books for children.

I found the handouts very helpful to follow while listening to the lectures. The extra exercises were helpful too. I found Suzanne's feedback was a good balance of encouragement and areas to improve. I found her comments about my and other students writing astute and specific enough to understand and make a change.

I enjoyed the lectures and completing the assignments. I enjoyed reading other students' writing.

I am keen to keep writing and improve my writing. I would like to maybe send something to a publisher and see how it goes.

A professionally presented and informative course.

I was attracted to this course because I've found a love for artistic/creative writing and wanted to enhance my understanding/skills.

I really loved my online tutor! She was nice and gave me amazing advice.

I found receiving the feedback to be the most enjoyable - I loved hearing what I did well and also enjoyed being given the feedback to improve.

I did my research to confirm that it was Bernadette's course that I wanted to do in Copywriting, and after comparing her to the competitors, I was happy with what I'd learned about Bernadette, and keen to proceed in my learning journey with her.

The course contained the right amount of information and exercises, without being too overwhelming for me. I was also able to complete it in a timely manner so that I could start implementing the knowledge quickly. I'm keen to do the other courses in Copywriting now too, with the SEO, and the Business course as well.

Bernadette was brilliant. She kept the learning and tutoring on point, entertaining, and efficient.

The course had in it all that I could learn and apply, plus included some well-thought-of resources. Thank you very much for starting me in this career.

It's given me the confidence to go and do something I've been curious about (copywriting) for some time. I've always thought that being involved in the world of advertising would be fun and creative. Now I have something valuable to contribute to this field, and I'm excited to proceed.

During the tutorials I probably thought several times, as I listened to them, "I'm so glad I chose to go with Bernadette. She's really knowledgeable, fun, and kind." Really, it was the teacher and her encouragement that made me feel like, "I can do this." :D

Choose AWC, and learn from Bernadette. She and her courses are amazing! You'll learn heaps, and graduate, ready to fly.

Just a heartfelt thanks :D

Deb Fitzpatrick was my online tutor, and she did a wonderful job. I gained a lot of feedback and information!

I enjoyed the variety of learning experiences. Not only was every week teaching me something different, but there were different ways to learn. For example, audio lessons, exercises, downloads, and assignments.

Week Two of the program really made my mind spark. I learned about the punctuation of dialogue, and how to use it well. This has really helped develop my writing.

The Teenage Creative Writers' Program has helped me to learn more about my characters, settings and plot, as well as how to improve my writing skills.

The feedback was excellent and very helpful. I thought Vivienne was very respectful yet was able to give critiques and point people in the right direction with helpful advice. She is a good teacher.

I liked the different types of assignments and that each one looked at a different aspect of feature writing. Even though I found it stressful that other people would see my writing, I think doing the assignments and getting feedback, and listening to the feedback for others' work was the best part.

I think the course reminded me that I like my day job - being a scientist - that I like being the 'expert' but it also helped me think about how to communicate science to the general public and to find avenues for that. Just by doing assignment one on finding magazines, I found out a lot about where science articles get published and found an online science journalism group in Australia. That was great.

The course I did gave very practical advice and the feedback is well worth the money spent. If someone was thinking about moving into freelance I would DEFINITELY recommend the course I took.

Thanks Vivienne.

The tutor provided great feedback. Didn't skip over anything that needed some constructive criticism and provided in-depth feedback wherever needed.

The additional handouts were very helpful and I enjoyed analysing articles both good and bad to see what worked and what didn't. I liked that Vivienne was able to provide insight into the freelance writing industry with the business side of things as well as the writing side of things.

Not coincidentally, I had my first paid submission to an online magazine. And luckily, through Vivienne's invoice examples, I was also able to quickly identify what to write up for my first invoice.

Do it. Vivienne provides very honest and helpful feedback and the way the course is run allows you to observe feedback from others as well --- which can be so helpful to quickly learn from others in a similar position to you, what they've done well and where they can improve. It's very professionally run and allows you to study at any time of the week.

Amanda was helpful and pointed out useful ways to improve my writing. I enjoyed meeting other writers and interacting online, along with reading everyone's work and receiving feedback.

The course has had a profound impact on my direction. Before beginning the course, I was trying to fit writing in alongside the rest of my life; now I am prepared to make it a priority and focus on my writing as my next direction in life.

Taking a course at AWC is inspiring and motivating, whatever direction you intend to go with writing.

Bernadette was fantastic at delivering tutorials that were super clear, engaging, and easy to follow. Her feedback was always very thorough and encouraging.

I really enjoyed completing the assignments and listening to the feedback, as I tend to learn the most while doing.

It's given me the confidence to pursue a career in copywriting.

100% do it, you won't regret it.

Just a big thanks to Bernadette!

The tutor was super nice and she gave really helpful feedback!

I absolutely LOVED the person who ran the audio lessons for the course - she had such a clear voice and she made EVERYTHING really understandable and enjoyable!!

I learnt SO much about writing a novel and this course increased my goal to write a novel some day!! I love writing even more now!!

Thank you!!!

The course was very practical. The learning material and assignments were extremely valuable without requiring too much time commitment for someone working full-time. Not only did I learn from my own feedback, being able to review others' work and feedback was extremely helpful.

I really enjoyed the whole process. I now feel like I have the confidence and knowledge to transition to a career in writing.

You will gain invaluable knowledge about the freelance writing industry that would take many years of trial and error to otherwise gain.

I loved the course. I learnt so much in such a short period of time. Zanni was lovely. Great feedback. Very helpful.

It was informative from the start. A step-by-step, how to do program which was what I needed. I feel that I can actually do this.

If you want to write, do the courses.

The tutor was very knowledgeable and very open and honest with her feedback without being abrupt or making you feel that you do not know what you are doing.

I enjoyed the assignments and feedback to them. Really liked the fact that you had feedback on your writing and everything else that you need to do when you create an article and submit/pitch it.

I like the flow and it forces you to do something every week. You are ready to pitch at the end of the course.

I am more than determined to get myself published now knowing it is not that hard when you put your mind to it.

There is a method on approaching things/research/writing and pitching and if you follow the course advice you cannot get it wrong.

I would say this is the best place to start your freelance career!

Thank you, for everything Vivienne! Would love to do another course with you guys to hone my skills even more!

I really enjoyed Stephen's feedback - it was both overarching to the assignment as well as detailed in particular points. I found myself nodding along quite a lot in agreement with comments and feedback.

I enjoyed the group environment - providing and receiving feedback in a safe and friendly environment was definitely a bonus. Getting feedback from strangers is scary! But by week three I was already looking forward to comments and ideas from the others in the course.

I'm feeling so much more confident and excited to sit down and write! My self-doubt was getting worse and worse, but now I really feel like I could write my books - successfully!

I already recommended the AWC to someone who told me they were interested in writing and wished they were "good". Told them this was the confidence boost they needed!

Overall a great course, workload achievable to fit between fulltime work and family. I'll save all the lessons and exercises for future reference and guidance for sure. Can't wait to join another course 😀

I appreciated Stephen's clear and calm support in his feedback comments. I found that I could see the changes he offered to better a piece easily and the suggestions weren't overwhelming. I felt encouraged and could see my progress.

I enjoyed the feedback each week and the tools to scaffold a piece of writing to get the words down.

I feel more confident that I could construct a story that people might want to read.

AWC offers solid ready-to-use skills and a nice supportive community.

Valerie's lessons and the additional exercises were really well delivered. I thought the tutor's assessment was very fair, honest and encouraging.

I began the course hoping to get the fundamentals clearer in my mind. I still have a very long way to go, but I more fully understand how writing a story is the result of a lot of work first.

I learnt more than I expected and pushed myself. The hardest things are often the most rewarding.

It is a very helpful, informative course that will help you improve your writing.

Bernadette was great, very approachable, treated people's work respectfully and gave me very useful feedback.

I enjoyed everything about it. Although some of the exercises felt quite challenging at first, once I got into them I learnt a lot and surprised myself that I could make a reasonable go at them.

This is the first AWC course that I have done with Zoom meetings and this made it extra enjoyable for me, as you can interact with others more like in a classroom. Living in a rural area, I only ever can do the online courses, so this was the best from that point of view.

I really did the course just as something interesting to explore over winter, but what I learnt has made me feel that I would definitely like to keep writing a novel or short stories.

Go for it, you won't be disappointed.

Thanks for the wonderful courses you offer.

I found the handouts very helpful, and the videos excellent. I enjoyed being able to do it at my own pace.

The course has enabled me to look at my characters I had already established and give them a voice, to tell me their story.

Do this Essentials course. Give your characters a chance to tell you their back story. This course has enabled me to think why Seb and Amber in my story behave the way they do. My characters have a voice.

This course was excellent, I found that the handouts, which you can download, and the videos are really good and very well-articulated.

I wasn't sure where or how to start to become a writer, so this course seemed ideal.

I really enjoyed listening to Valerie and all the guest speakers. The book is remarkably comprehensive - thank you for making this available!

It led me to realise the type of writing that I am best suited to. Narrowing things down in this way is enormously helpful.

I'm very glad I took this step. I'm now doing the Copywriting Essentials course - I'm on my way!

This course is ideal for those who are interested in exploring professional writing, but are not sure how to begin the process.

The best thing was that everyone was so helpful and supportive. The audio lessons were brilliant and I loved listening to them. They were packed full of useful information and advice.

Stephen Hart was so helpful and kind! His feedback was invaluable.

I enjoyed the online class - hearing about classmates' writing journeys and aspirations. I enjoyed reading other's assignments and hearing their feedback from Stephen.

I think I'll believe in myself a bit more from now on!

If you've ever thought you'd like to write - just go for it - AWC courses are an excellent way to get started. They give you so much encouragement to keep going.

Just, thank you. The knowledge I gained and encouragement I received has been invaluable.

The course content was presented in such a clear and simplistic way, it made the online learning experience super easy and enjoyable.

I found Bernadette's teaching style to be absolutely fantastic. She delivered the content in a super casual and frank tone which allowed us to connect with her easily and quickly (keeping in mind we have never met in person). Not only did she firmly guide us in understanding the key concepts using real-life examples, but she also encouraged us to maintain a sense of curiosity and fun in our work - which is a motivational boost for me!

I enjoyed the high quality of the course content and delivery by the tutor, the easy access to our learning platform and the promptness of AWC staff in replying to our queries.

It has opened my mind to the creative and fun side of advertising and how I can 'play around' with words depending on my client and target audience.

Super easy and fun learning that caters to an array of writing interests. There's bound to be a subject or field that you can enjoy, whether for personal or professional development.

Thank you for making the last 5 weeks of online learning enjoyable for me!

It looked like a true beginner course for a true beginner like me! It seemed achievable at only 5 weeks long and requiring only a couple of hours each week. I thought what it covered looked very practical as well.

Stephen was very helpful. I found his feedback useful and his advice practical - not just 'this could be improved' but rather 'perhaps you could try this to see if you think it improves it'. I liked that. His manner and style were very low key which is perfect for a tender over-sensitive beginner writer like me!

I enjoyed having my work read and critiqued by so many different people. It was really encouraging. Also great to be able to read so many other beginner writers' work. It is far less daunting than reading published works! I feel more confident than I did at the beginning of the course. The practical nature of the course is also great. I actually feel for the first time that I may be able to do this!

I think my writing is already noticeably better. I feel more confident about my work which makes me feel more confident generally.

I really was drawn to the premise of this course being actually writing. I had previously taken Creative Writing Stage 1 which was super helpful with theory and information regarding the process but I wanted something to put the theory into practice. It makes perfect sense why the courses are linked! They work extremely well together.

I was very worried about the actual process of workshopping. Actually having to meet with a group of strangers and show them my writing felt very scary but honestly I had nothing to worry about. Everyone was so kind and supportive and we became so comfortable sharing work close to our hearts.

Bernadette was amazing. From day one she has been extremely supportive and informative. She would lead discussions but step back and let the group members then offer their thoughts and when they had constructive criticism, she was always there to better explain the criticism, offer alternatives and make it really useful. I'm currently at university where I've taken many arts courses including a creative writing course but Bernadette made this course so likeable.

I really enjoyed the expertise, the comradery, the structure and the exercises. Everything was informative and useful.

Working with this group has given me the motivation and honestly just the confidence to keep writing. I was always very insecure about my writing but they really made me feel good about it.

I loved the course. It was super professional and very well run. I have done some online courses before and was not impressed. They put me off online courses whereas this one has made me want to do more online courses with AWC.

The tutor was very professional. Very knowledgeable. Very passionate. Gave very honest, helpful feedback.

I enjoyed doing the assignments the most. And being able to see the work of others and listen to their feedback also was extremely helpful and enjoyable.

It has encouraged me to do more courses, and to do more writing...

Very professionally run courses which are very informative and make online learning fun and personal! Getting the feedback directly by seeing the lecturer on screen is awesome.

Overall, an excellent experience which I will be doing again!

Travel writing is something I have been interested in for years and what better time to do some study than when I am in lockdown.

I looked forward to the feedback each week [hearing everyone's feedback] - this is what makes the course so special.

I enjoyed the satisfaction of actually writing an article.

I feel confident that I could write an article and pitch it to a publication.

Go for it. If you want to achieve something in the writing field, these courses help you get there.

I wanted something fun to do during lockdown. This course seemed like a good all-round place to start.

The content was extremely helpful in understanding and improving creative writing.

I thought Stephen provided fair and constructive feedback that improved my writing and others'. He has a kind and approachable manner. I enjoyed listening to the classes and applying the learning.

It's encouraged me to keep up my writing practise and pursue my current project. I think the small improvements I've adapted as a result of the course will positively benefit my future writing.

Thanks Stephen & AWC. Most enjoyable part of my lockdown.

Excellent format and Zanni provided valuable feedback at each stage as we progressed. I also felt there was great class support, loved how the group engaged. The content was enjoyable. Detailed feedback that I was able to apply to my story each week. The feedback was given in an encouraging way.

The course was engaging and well presented. It was also fun. I have more confidence and have gained skills, and knowledge to craft ideas into stories.

I already have recommended the AWC :) It's the presenters, it's the format, it has the edge!

Fabulous course! It gave me a thorough understanding of the publishing industry. I enjoyed how well the subjects were explained.

It has supplied me with valuable knowledge and confidence of what to expect when dealing with publishers. It has given me a clearer understanding of the publishing process

If you would like to gain an edge and learn valuable information and insider knowledge then try one of the many courses on offer at the AWC.

I wanted to get back into writing after not writing for a long time.

The boot camp was wonderful. Having to write a certain number of words a day really stretched my writing. I realised it is just that easy to sit down and write. It's true if you have words on the page they trigger thoughts and feelings. You can then go through what you have written and can see how characters have developed and where the writing is heading.

I've written 10,000 words of a novel I never thought that I would start. It is just a starting point but l've been impressed with what I've accomplished. I can't get the characters out of my head and feel that I need to write every day now.

Really great feedback - positive but constructive. I don't usually care for criticism (I'm so sensitive, I'm usually completely discouraged by it) but in this case I loved it and really enjoyed editing once I had guidance. It really improved my writing having people to bounce off and it gave me a lot of confidence in sharing my work.

At first the fact we had to openly share our work TERRIFIED me. However- the support from the other students REALLY surprised me. We have a Facebook group already and I am excited to continue these relationships and am hopeful see published works from our group members in the future :)

I set my self a personal goal of writing a new story each week and I did and I loved pushing myself for inspiration.

I really feel like I have found my true passion. It's so nice to feel inspired and pushed to write. And pushed to edit. And pushed to create good work.

Thank you. And many thanks to Zanni.

I have had a desire to write and illustrate children's books since I first started working with children in 2001. I've written countless books but all with ZERO structure or technical know-how. This course was exactly what I wanted and needed to push me into a mental and creative place that enabled me to hone whatever skill I may have and concentrate on making my original dreams come true.

Zanni was lovely. Her feedback style is encouraging as well as direct and honest - definitely a style that can and did push the likes of me to try new things and go further than the crippling self-doubt would otherwise allow.

I enjoyed the content and information. And definitely being encouraged, pushed and guided through the feedback and the classmates' group chat.

I had never written in prose before or considered any formal structure in my writing efforts prior to this course. I wrote, and write, simply because I enjoy it. The structure and tools provided gave me a new approach to writing and I immediately saw the benefits. After a while, I even found the fun in doing things the way they're supposed to be done. It also opened my eyes to how other writers have approached their books and why some work and some don't. It amazes me the number of books out there that have completely ignored the tools and techniques found within this course, and yet are still published.

Just a heartfelt 'Thank you'. This course was humbling and super-informative. I loved every second. Thank you.

Do it. If you want to learn how to write children's books - do this course.

Very thorough with good examples to emphasise points

I enjoyed the structure, the narrator, the content and having a year to go back over parts again and again when they were relevant to the next part of my project.

It reminds me it can be a long project but to keep working and I'll get there. I realise what I need to do and what else still lies ahead.

Excellent content and does what it says it will. I love the light humour throughout which says to me, this is hard work but it's a creative venture and should be enjoyable. You can accomplish your project if you are willing to work at it and learn. It is a journey.

The explanation and examples have really helped me with my next novel. I hit a snag and doing this course helped me to clear up which POV I could best tell this story.

I now have a set of questions to ask myself before beginning to write to know which direction I'm heading in.

The courses are prepared by people who have been where you are now and are where you wish to be in the future. The information they impart is from their writing experience.

Natasha is clear and enthusiastic. As a former marketing professional myself, I appreciate her approach.

I enjoyed discovering a few extra tips I had not yet come across in my own investigations. Being clear on what order to approach - i.e. try for an agent first, don't pitch to publishers in the meantime.

As in all things in life, success is about perseverance as much as talent. Natasha demonstrates this well.

I completed the Creative Writing Stage 1 course last year and, much to my surprise, started writing a novel. I was stuck at around 4,000 words and signed up for Novel Writing Essentials to learn how to move forward. I was also interested to get feedback on my writing style to determine if I should keep going.

I was a bit hesitant about having my work read and critiqued, but it turned out to be a very useful, and not too painful, experience. I was also concerned about providing feedback on other people's work, however we were provided with advice on how to do this constructively.

I learnt more than I thought I would, the feedback was useful and I now have 24,000 words written.

I found Angela's feedback practical, helpful, honest and encouraging. She was generous in sharing her knowledge and experience along with useful techniques to improve structure and style. Angela answered all questions our cohort put forward and provided guidance. Overall I enjoyed Angela's class and was pleased we had her as our tutor.

What I found most enjoyable was learning more about the craft of writing a novel. It was comforting to realise that there are guidelines and structure that can help to get the story onto the page in a way that readers will enjoy. I've always read novels and marvelled at how the author creates dialogue, scenes and action that seem to just come naturally, to hook the reader and keep them reading to find out more - to learn there are techniques and guidelines to help me do the same was a wonderful revelation.

Do it, you will be surprised at the writer that's lurking within you and just needs coaxing out.

I had previously completed Copywriting Essentials and knew that Bernadette would give good, practical advice on how to break into SEO copywriting.

I thought it may get quite techy, but it didn't - everything was explained in a very user-friendly way.

I feel that I know my story at a much deeper level now, and have applied some of the lessons learned to a couple of other writing projects I'm working on.

I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere that Pamela created. I felt able to contribute easily, and I appreciated Pamela's skilful handling of group dynamics.

I really like Zoom online learning! So efficient of time, yet still able to offer productive interaction and inspiration. I really like the flexible use of shared screen to see key examples.

I was really nervous at first but the course helped me increase my self-confidence and belief in my writing. The tutor was excellent; also kind, which I needed.

I didn't know I had any ability to write creatively so that's been huge! Also it has encouraged me to be much more diverse and explore more avenues in writing. Thanks and please keep doing what you're doing!

Just try it, you never know what you'll find you're capable of.

I have wanted to write for a long time and have kept putting it off. After completing the Reinvent Yourself and Make Time to Write courses, I felt I needed the discipline of having a goal to work towards and the Bootcamp was the way to do this. I was not disappointed!

This was exactly what I needed to prove to myself that I could actually write and write something that resembles the beginnings of a story.

I found that I was really looking forward both with anticipation and a slight fear about how many words each day would ask for. Despite always having the fear in the back of my head, I found that the encouragement in the bootcamp tasks, especially from published authors, spurred me on. By about a quarter of the way through I realised that I had a story and that felt good!

Just do it - it will be something to look back on as a pivotal marker in your writing journey. You won't regret it.

With so much content covered in the foundation course, I did not expect the masterclass to be so detailed and with valuable refreshers. It definitely exceeded my expectations and I recommend it to other authors I know.

Although I have read a lot of picture books for pleasure and in my library work, I had no idea about the exemplary way to create picture books. I had some understanding of writing narrative from courses done for adult non-fiction and the publishing industry, but of course this course added so much to my understanding of writing and publishing in a very different genre. I had learnt about things like show-don't-tell etc but with the Writing Picture Books course I can use some of what I learnt for adult non-fiction as well. And I am now wanting to write more picture books!

It's a very well-tailored course. Bernadette is very easy to listen to. Fluid delivery - no hesitations when expressing herself. Explanations don't do backtracks and second guessing - Bernadette is sure of herself and her content. This comes through and makes very easy listening.

I enjoyed the practicality of it all. It tells me what I have to DO. It covers what has to be covered - even the getting over ourselves!

Do it. Clear and efficient course delivery, well worth the money just to hear what is said, without even going into the payoff if it gets you to where you want to go.

Thanks!

Pamela was so thorough, covering all aspects of each assignment. She is supportive and provided constructive and positive feedback for everyone.

It has given me the confidence to keep going with an idea I have had and prompted me to enrol in the Novel Writing Essentials course.

This course has been so eye opening, practical, and informative. It's also been inspiring. I had slumped because I was missing the tools to make my shovelled sand into a sandcastle. While I still feel like I have a long way to go in developing my writing skills, I already feel like a better writer just because I now know what I need to do to improve. I also feel like my writing has gotten a little better just in these five weeks because of what I've learned and Pamela's amazing tips. Pamela, you will forever be a gentle yet constructive voice in my head every time I edit. Thank you AWC and Pamela. You have been wonderful. This course is perfect for emerging writers looking to dive into the craft and learn the tools so that they have the foundational elements of good creative writing.

Pamela was kind, caring, very knowledgeable and great at tweaking our work to really sharpen the writing. Her tips and feedback were practical and useful for our entire writing career. All of the above is needed in a tutor because most of us are self-conscious so kindness and care is so important while guiding us on the journey to being better writers.

I already feel like a better writer just from this beginner course's learnings and the feedback. While you've captured the important theory it's so practical that it makes it easy to apply. It's like I was stuck because I couldn't take my draft any further, but now I have the skills to sharpen it and make it better. The skills still need further development but I have the sharpener now.

This is a great course for beginners that want a nurturing and supportive environment to learn the essentials of creative writing. The course material is structured so it's great for learning about the foundational pillars of good writing. It's also practical, so it's easy to apply. Getting feedback on my writing was very helpful; it allowed me to see what I was not able to see (the problems). It allowed me to know how to sharpen and improve on my style (the solutions). I highly recommend this course and think it's a such a good investment in myself and my writing. I loved taking part and would tell my husband every week: 'I just love this course, I'm so happy I found it.'

Angela was very encouraging and provided targeted advice to each writer. It was helpful to see her feedback to other students as well as our own. She provided insights into my writing that I realised were blockers and I now have strategies to overcome them. I really appreciated the 'extras' she gave us on structure and narrative too.

I'm enjoying writing a lot more now that I have a better idea of the novel writing process and less pressure to write beautifully in a first draft. The words are now flowing and I have a plan to get through my first draft.

There is no substitute for making the time to write, but the AWC can provide motivation and guidance to help you make the most of that time.

Angela was exceptional and so generous in her comments, feedback and little extras. I learnt loads from her and was able to get an outline together which I had been really struggling with. She also got to know each one of us and gave incredibly personal feedback.

Great value for money. Try and sign up for at least one workshop with Angela as your tutor... doing these workshops has made me write every week no matter what and given me a network of writers.

Highly professional, admirably practical, thoroughly insider-look at the step-by-step process of becoming a freelance writer. From suggesting the precise formulation of pitch emails through to celebrating the novelistic qualities of profile writing, this course takes you from the grand to the mundane and back with grace and clarity.

Thank you!

Bernadette is wonderful. She is constructive and encouraging in her feedback, and delivers content in a way that makes the idea of starting life as a freelance copywriter the most normal thing in the world.

I enjoyed working on assignments that enabled me to deliver for my own business and identity as a copywriter.

The content, and the way Bernadette so willingly shares her knowledge and expertise, puts the students in a position of really believing in themselves, the process, and the 'reach-ability' of the goal of becoming a freelance copywriter. I absolutely feel at home in this world of copywriting and referring to myself as a freelance copywriter - and that's a complete change from a few weeks ago.

Absolutely give it a shot - you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by giving yourself this opportunity to learn and grow.

The tutor was very knowledgeable and encouraging. I never felt embarrassed or too overcome by feedback that I wanted to stop trying or writing.

I enjoyed the interactions and the fact that I made time to write, mostly not to waste the investment, but I really enjoyed this and hope to continue. I also like the different scenarios every week and that the assignments made us write different scenes and not always work with the same writing piece.

It was easy to complete and enjoyable. I will definitely write now and know how to go back and be ruthless with getting to my point.

I loved the course. It cleared my thoughts and set me in writing motion. The feedback was great and helped refine my thinking a lot. I also learnt about and understood better the publishing business.

The feedback was detailed and very helpful. I needed that to engage in the writing process and understand the discipline that is required to be a writer.

I loved listening to the audios and went over them many times to guide me.

I know my weaknesses now in that I try to overemphasise certain messages. So I now read my work in a more critical way.

Extremely useful if you want to pursue writing. Great experience for me. I will be back for more 😊👌

I enjoyed receiving the resources. They reassured me. I realised I was already on the right track. It was a moment that built my confidence.

This course is simple to follow and very informative. Completing this course made me realise just how capable I am.

Completing courses with the Australian Writers' Centre was easy. They left me with the confidence to create the life I want and the courage to dive in to becoming a successful writer. In just a matter of weeks, not just my writing but my approach to my writing has changed in so many ways. Seriously, you won't regret taking a course with AWC. The mentors are so encouraging and knowledgeable. They pull no punches. They offer no get rich quick schemes. Just honest know-how with gentle reminders that you have to put in the work, and the tools that you can use to build your writing career.

I have a story in my head and my heart which I have been wanting to write, but I needed direction and training.

The part that I found most fulfilling was being able to work through the story I already want to write. I was able to explore what it could look like on the page using the scaffolding and advice given in this course. I feel like I have a much clearer vision of what I want to achieve and I have the knowledge and understanding now of how to achieve it. Thank you!

The course has impacted my writing in many ways. The importance of planning in the process of creating creative non-fiction has become paramount to me - not in the sense that it is a rigid plan - but a plan that will bend and morph as it develops, where the end process may look very different to the one originally envisaged. All with the intent that my story will be told well - really well. At the forefront of my mind as I write is making the story come to life by adding detail, and interesting word choices and finding my voice in the process. I want to be intentional about creating characters who are real and relatable and a setting that is palpable to the reader. This course has helped me to explore how to achieve these things.

This course gives you the tools you need to turn a good 'true' story into something truly great.

I loved Dean Koorey's voice and his slightly quirky personality that shone through with his sense of humour.

I feel quite motivated to get started! We will see where things go from here.

Fantastic courses, easy to complete!

I wanted to learn about writing picture book stories for very young children. This course looked interesting and comprehensive in the topics it covered. The course duration of five weeks and being able to study in my own time appealed to me.

Suzanne's feedback was insightful, constructive and revealed a deep knowledge of this area of writing and the publishing industry.

There is so much valuable information in each module, and I found being able to download the handouts, audio lessons and exercises very useful. The assignments are well thought out and it was great to be able to listen to the feedback on other classmates' assignments.

I feel that I have learned a lot about writing for very young readers, and the course has given me the confidence to keep on writing.

I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn about writing picture books and what publishers are looking for.

Kate Forsyth! I was so excited to hear what such an experienced author had to say about writing in these genres.

I thoroughly enjoyed Kate's teaching style, her warm and approachable delivery, and her beautiful slide decks.

I felt as though I was part of a community of engaged and knowledgeable learners. I absolutely loved this course.

I now have a deeper understanding of how writers approach writing and storytelling in different genres, and I am already able to look at a text and identify various techniques. I also now have a beautiful set of additional books to read courtesy of Kate's recommendations.

If you are ready to take the next step on your writing journey, this is the course for you. A key thing you'll learn is how different genres approach key aspects of a story. You'll also workshop extracts from published books, and explore how successful authors harness these features. The best part though is that you will be taught by an absolutely amazing industry leader who will delight you with their insight and experience!

I just wanted to thank both the AWC and Kate Forsyth. This course was so enjoyable. In terms of the technology, everything worked the way it should - the course page was accessible, and the Zoom links worked with no glitches or oddities. The student cohort were lovely, and are a tribute to the AWC and your ability to attract such engaged and interesting people to the courses. Most of all though, I wanted to thank Kate, who was just amazing. She was so warm and welcoming, her slide decks were both informative and beautiful, and her delivery was fantastic. Oh, and I have so many new books on my reading lists courtesy of Kate's analyses and recommendations! Everything was just brilliant!

Bernadette's feedback is always encouraging and constructive. She is clearly very experienced but also relatable, with a good sense of humour and lots of personality.

The lessons were practical and progressed logically. The assignments were not too onerous and provided the opportunity to be creative and have fun with putting the theory into practice.

It was always good to be reminded that you don't have to know exactly what you're doing to make a start. It also helped me to think about my writing ability being a service to others rather than a sell!

It's given me practical information and encouragement to boost my confidence to a point where I am ready to launch my own copywriting business - stay tuned!

Just a huge thanks to Bernadette and the AWC team for the support and encouragement!

Pamela was excellent. I learned a great deal from the lessons. So many good tips on writing that I never considered previously. and the assignments were a good motivation.

I now feel confident to write stories.

I did this for purely personal reasons, and not necessarily with the expectation of wanting to be a novelist. I wanted to get memories of places and people and be able to weave them into a story. I feel I can do that now. Thanks, AWC.

Do it you will love it.

Kate is passionate, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. I absolutely loved each session.

I enjoyed the analysis/deconstruction of various texts that showed the underlying writing process, and how punctuation and word use create various aspects of a text.

I have run writing workshops for over twenty years and am also an avid writing course attender; Kate is excellent.

The tutor was very good. I enjoyed hearing the feedback verbally rather than just in writing. I enjoyed the practicality of writing a feature.

It was better designed than my Master of Writing online.

I am now actively seeking publication as a freelancer.

As a newbie freelance writer with a long-ago career in advertising, I needed to dive into copywriting skills. A few years ago, I enjoyed learning with Bernadette in a Local Government upskilling initiative plus my husband's business has engaged her for a workshop. To be honest, I was uncertain I would learn anything new!!! How wrong I was.

Bernadette's delivery style was warm and engaging, and her content was highly relevant. Leveraging her industry experience, she provided practical insight and useful steps in each learning module. Generously sharing key copywriting tips and skills, there were many powerful 'aha' moments!

I enjoyed unravelling copywriting concepts and re-learning what I thought I already knew, but didn't! I have a bag of new tricks! I'm looking forward to practising the skills I learned and adding them to my offer.

AWC courses pack a punch! I've done 5 courses so far, and every session, topic, module and presenter has provided me the real tools to improve my writing practice. If you're thinking about tweaking an area of your writing, or even if you just want to get started but don't know how, just dive in. No regrets!

David Leser has such an amazing way with words and descriptions. I loved listening to his anecdotes but also appreciated the way each one demonstrated a point, rather than just a writer 'name dropping'. He was really engaging and even though I wasn't there in the room, it felt like I was. I WISH I was!

I also really enjoyed the selection of David's profiles that were included for reading. It's amazing how a well-written article can keep you intrigued - and on people and topics I would never usually have been interested in.

The workbook / toolkit is going to be incredibly useful but above all, I found the course really inspirational and thought provoking. I don't think I've ever listened to someone so interesting or who made me think so much about the craft, and responsibility, involved in profile writing. It was a great follow-up to the practical focus of the freelance course.

I think I learnt something about myself in this course through listening to David's own experiences. I couldn't pinpoint why I wasn't terribly interested in writing 'newsy' articles, or even travel-based articles given that I love travelling. Then David explained that profile writers are inherently interested and fascinated by people and people's stories and what drives them. He pointed out that profile writing is actually a very creative form of writing and described and demonstrated the anguish that can be involved in the writing process. It really resonated with me. "That's me!!" I was saying to my computer!

Now I have both the practical, industry-based knowledge, AND the inspiration to pursue what it is I'm most interested in.

I love listening to the SYWTBAW podcast and find Val and Al very laid back and engaging. I was looking for a course to spur me into some writing action, after procrastinating for years, before realising that there is *never* going to be enough time. I debated between this one and the crime writing course and went for this one because there was no specific commitment to a particular day or time, it was self-paced - and that fitted better with what I could make time for right now.

The tutor was excellent. Great feedback. It must be really difficult to do this with a fairly diverse group without stepping on anyone's toes! But good advice on structure, particularly.

I enjoyed actually doing the writing. I was amazed how it just flowed out. Just committing to the course has moved me out of planning/procrastination stage and into actually writing. And (this may be self-delusion, but while the glow is there I am claiming it) I think I can actually do this...

The Creative Writing Stage 1 course is a great way to kickstart your writing! The course is well planned and covers some good ground.

I had an idea bouncing around my head and I knew I needed help to refine the language and pace. Now I have a few other ideas!

I did not expect the brutal truth but I got it and I appreciated it. The way Suzanne delivered her constructive critique was firm and considered. You can tell she has years of industry experience and cares for the students.

The feedback made me reflect and adapt. I've been able to change my style without losing too much of myself and I'm confident in my newfound writing skills.

I've always wanted to write and this course has allowed me to feel vulnerable and excited. It's given me the fundamentals I need if I pursue publishers and certainly exposed me to the expectations which I didn't know existed about publishing.

Just do it, stop overthinking about your ability and just do it.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I really enjoyed undertaking the course. It wasn't too onerous for someone working full-time but it was pressured enough to keep it a focus and to ensure that I completed it. I'm very much looking forward to the Write Your Novel course.

This course was fantastic. The worksheets are handy, and the tips very helpful. It gave me insight into the formation of my characters. I would definitely recommend this course to build your characters.

Thanks.

I've listened on and off to So You Want to Be a Writer, and have been aware of the AWC courses for some time. A recent redundancy gave me the time to enrol and learn a new skill.

Bernadette was fantastic. Her feedback was amazing, and being able to listen to the feedback for everyone was very instructive.

I enjoyed trying something new, learning a new skill, feeling more confident with my own abilities.

It has helped me realise how transferable the writing skills I have developed through curriculum writing are to different genres.

The teachers at AWC are top-notch and really know their stuff, the personalised feedback is invaluable, and the flexibility to do it in your own time helps anyone fit the study in.

A wonderful course, wonderful option -- very helpful. Thankyou.

I enjoyed completing the story - i.e., refining it be professional, readable. Previously had plenty of loose short stories written but nothing tight enough for others to read. The course fixed that!

I now have the confidence, or can at least see the path, from writer's desk to reader's eyes.

If you're serious about writing but don't have the time: try AWC. They will get you there.

I have a large manuscript and have been using a trial version of Scrivener for approximately three years without really understanding how to use it. I guess I never wanted to commit to the novel I was writing. I'd like to commit now so I figure I better learn how to use it.

I liked seeing how Natasha used the label functions, explained the corkboards and just generally organised her research. Thank you for generously sharing your manuscript, Natasha.

Setting up your binder and learning how to use the functions in the Scrivener program will make it easier for you to complete your project. I also liked some of the good habits she suggested, like renaming and writing a synopsis straight away.

AWC has good quality courses presented in a thoughtful way.

This is the first course I have taken in writing. I have just started out "Reinventing Myself". The best place to start - at the beginning!

I don't think I am a great writer but I always had a little voice in the back of my head saying I need to write a book. I was really worried about the feedback from the teacher. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I actually think I did ok and got some encouraging feedback from my teacher and some great helpful criticisms and tips. It helped me to see where I need more experience and knowledge.

I am proud that I completed the course. I am looking forward to doing another - just trying to choose! I want to further develop my dialogue, structure and layout - and use the correct grammar when writing dialogue.

The teacher was really encouraging and felt like she really cared about each student's writing. She gave some great feedback.

I could listen to Valerie Khoo talk all day long. I hung on her every word! She gave so much insight to writing.

Thank you for creating this course - Thank you Angela for your time and encouragement. Good luck to all the students - I hope to see them on the best seller list one day!

I finished it - and I am proud of the writing that I produced. I can do it! Starting out at 45 is really hard! I really want to write something and be published. Now I believe that I am good enough to actually do it.

Be brave and just do it. Just start.

The course content was invaluable - loved the work on structure and writing skills - the nuts and bolts. The lesson on 'show not tell' was crucial for me. The entire content is more useful than any other course I have done. It gave me more than I expected and I will extend a lot of the skills into my other writing.

Suzanne was excellent - loved listening to her feedback on our work. She has valuable insight, experience and knowledge. She was fair and provided very helpful feedback - constructive and positive. She speaks beautifully and I am grateful for her feedback!

I have learnt so much. It was great to be able to work one story throughout and continue to improve on this each week after feedback.

It has opened my eyes to the complexities involved in picture book writing. Coming from adult novels where showing visually is important, learning to allow the pictures to do this was new to me but made sense of course - it is a picture book!

I have been wanting a course that helped with the nuts and bolts of writing - language, structure, and basic skills. One of the big lightbulb moments was when Suzanne pointed out my point-of-view error in my story.

Highly recommend.

I will look to do another one of your courses in the future. I may not be great at picture book writing, but I will practise! Thank you, Suzanne!

Feedback was really constructive and it was useful listening to the feedback provided to each person. I appreciated the encouragement and validation of my idea.

I enjoyed the simple, practical and straightforward modules. I enjoyed the online chat and engagement with Suzanne and the other participants. I especially enjoyed producing and evolving my story, and being held accountable to do this!

I never thought I would actually be able to draft a full picture book - yet I have finished the course with a working version. I am really proud that I have taken a small idea and turned it into a passion project and I'm excited to keep developing it. I feel really motivated.

Thank you, it's a wonderful course!

Be brave and give it a go!

I was really impressed with the content covered in the course and I feel as if I have learnt a lot.

I loved the feedback from Suzanne after assignments and felt it was really informative and worthwhile. She had great advice that I was able to take on board. She was really active in the chats too and seemed to be approachable and involved and really interested in what everyone was doing.

I enjoyed being challenged with my writing and looking at it all in a different way. I feel as if I have grown more as a writer and I'm excited to keep putting all I have learnt into my writing from now on.

It opened my eyes to the wider world of picture books. It's not just writing the story but so much more. I learnt so much about writing the actual story and how to make my stories stronger and more interesting or appealing.

The AWC is such a worthwhile place to find courses to suit wherever you are in your writing journey. I really enjoyed and was challenged in my own writing. Just do it.

Well done to all involved. It was such a worthwhile course and so informative. Thank you.

I'd been searching for more information on writing picture books, and at last saw this course. I just wish I'd come across it a few years back. I found myself learning things I hadn't even realised I needed to know!

Suzanne was great, very clear, and her feedback was spot on.

I loved that it was purely picture book focussed. I'm not interested in writing chapter books right now, so was happy to be putting all my energy into a course that was so totally about this one type of book.

I now know what I've been doing wrong, and how not to make those same mistakes in the future! Believe me, I am sincerely grateful!

If you want to know about writing picture books, DO THIS COURSE! It's not too expensive, not too long, and has invaluable information.

I loved it and have learned heaps. Thank you so much!

Overall, this course was incredibly useful and enjoyable. I liked how the course offered an analytical and a practical approach and used templates and the case studies. I gained great insight into the many genres that content writers can write in. It is impossible not to be inspired and pick at least one or two to try out.

The headline module was a lot of fun. I had great fun trying out the headlines. It even inspired my creative writing.

This course helps you not only in creating better content, but also stimulates your critical thinking skills as it helps you to better analyse content and understand how some media use clickbait content to draw you in.

I'm in the early stages of writing a memoir. I'm a pantser, writing in fits and starts, drawing information from a number of disparate sources. It's a challenge managing so many documents. I've tried using Word and OneNote, but they just don't cut it. I'd heard mixed reports about Scrivener and wanted to know more about it before making a decision to purchase.

I particularly enjoyed seeing how Natasha uses Scrivener for her own writing projects. I'm sure her tips will be very helpful.

It's reignited my enthusiasm to press on with my memoir, knowing I can use Scrivener to organise my material and track my progress. The project somehow seems less daunting than it did before.

I enjoyed the class, the tutor's skills and approach and the format. The tutor was knowledgeable, personable, engaging. I enjoyed seeing other students' attempts, too - it's good to get a rounded approach.

I'd completed three AWC courses prior to this and had written the first chapters of a novel. I felt I needed support and guidance to give me the confidence to persevere with it.

To be so close to finishing my first draft was not something I expected at the start of the course and is very exciting. I didn't think I had it in me to go this far, but now have the confidence to continue, and one day, finish!

Bernadette was awesome. To have feedback from a person with such expertise and experience was a privilege. I liked that she pointed out aspects of our work that didn't quite work as well as pieces that worked really well. Her tuition was always encouraging and motivating.

I've always loved writing but never thought I had it in me to complete a novel. The wonderful thing about this course is being in a class of like-minded people, all aiming for the same goal and giving each other encouragement along the way. I liked giving feedback to others, as it taught me to think about how books are structured as well as introducing me to genres I normally wouldn't read.

I have been writing since I was a child and always dreamed of one day tackling a book. To now be so close to finishing the first draft is wonderful. Even if this story is never published, just knowing I can do it will spur me on to write another.

If you've started on a novel, but procrastinate or feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work required to finish it, join this course. With guidance from the tutor and support from colleagues, you'll not only be empowered to continue writing, but will learn to love the process, however complicated it may be!

I read more critically. I read like a writer now - a major step forward for me. The real work is in editing and rewriting.

In my experience, from the few courses I have completed, the Australian Writers' Centre offers exceptional quality.

I found Louisa to be a great tutor, down to earth and with a great sense of humour. She made everyone feel comfortable and at ease.

It was helpful in allowing me to take the fear out of plotting and structure. I found the whole course enjoyable and it was nice to meet others in the break-out groups.

Just do it; well worth the investment.

Louisa Larkin is just fabulous and I thoroughly enjoyed this course. Louisa was informative, supportive and gave constructive feedback. The course covered areas I would never have thought of in terms of approach and how to craft your writing.

The interactive Zoom sessions were the best. Due to an unexpected workload (and ridiculous deadlines), I was only able to join 2 of these but found the online videos also very helpful. I also enjoyed the interaction with the other participants.

I feel like I have gained so much knowledge from this course in terms of how to approach my writing, plan it, structure, character development, etc. I feel a bit overwhelmed at the moment as I am only at the beginning, but I also feel that this course has provided me with a solid foundation to begin.

I have already recommended the AWC to several friends. I have told them about the variety of writing courses on offer and also told them about this Crime and Thriller writing course and how much I was learning from it - this was after week 1.

I am so glad I found your website and the programs you offer.

I had heard Kate Forsyth interviewed on ABC Conversations with Richard Fidler. I was fascinated when I heard she had a doctorate in fairy tales. I have read two of her books, Bitter Greens and Beauty in Thorns. She was so inspirational in the interview, I wanted to experience her Zoom talks and pick up some writing tips.

Kate was a very warm and friendly person. Kate loves her work; she loves writing and teaching others how to write. This is refreshing. She doesn't mind sharing her knowledge and is very encouraging to aspiring writers.

I enjoyed Kate's enthusiasm for her work and fresh approach to teaching her Zoom class. We looked at the different genres of history, mystery and magic writing skills. Kate gave us tips on reading better. We all have a big list of books we want to read.

I would love to be as organised and brilliant as Kate Forsyth and a successful published author. Meanwhile, I write for pleasure and enjoy improving my writing skills by doing a few AWC courses and being in a writer's group.

I have already recommended the AWC to many friends. There are a wide range of courses to choose. My favourite one was MOJO course in MAY 2021. That opened up so many sensory challenges.

Thoroughly enjoyed the course and will read more of Kate Forsyth's books and follow her suggestions of other writers to read.

I am currently editing a draft of a crime novel and hoped to find tips on what works best. I found it really helpful. Helped me hone many points in my draft novel.

Louisa was excellent. Friendly, presented the information in a clear and interesting way. Made for a really friendly environment for discussion and putting forward ideas.

I enjoyed learning about the important points of writing about crime. Listening to everyone's thoughts and ideas.

I have drafted a first novel and, as we had the discussions, I found ideas kept coming to me about how to improve the novel (which I am currently editing so it was great!) and I just jotted down the ideas as we went and am making the changes now.

Loved the course and hope to do more in future. Many thanks to AWC and Louisa.

I loved sitting down with the lectures every week. Valerie's voice is so nice to listen to (not in a freaky way I promise!). They brought up so many interesting things and "Oh yeah, I was wondering about that" moments. I also enjoyed reading the selection of longer profile pieces in the handouts.

I came into the course wanting to know if freelance writing was something I would enjoy doing and was able to do. I came out of it with those questions partly answered but most importantly I now have all the tools I need to plan, research, pitch and write an article. After only a few weeks I can pitch a viable article to a real publication. I could do it tomorrow if I wanted!

Really well organised and planned. You come out of the courses with really practical, industry-based knowledge and the courses often answer all your "this is probably a stupid question but I really wanna know" questions. This course taught me big things and small things - all of them fundamental and useful.

THANK YOU

I like the self-paced nature of the course and extended access to the course audio and materials. It provided a good introduction to the different content structures, and the content examples helped to illustrate these.

I now read content more carefully, trying to identify the structure used by the writer. I also write more purposefully, using the formulas/structures to keep my content on topic.

I really enjoyed each lesson. Kate was very engaging and enjoyed our feedback and questions. She was always keen to answer our questions and give in-depth answers.

I loved all the different literary examples that Kate used in each chapter, which has now been added to my "to read" pile. Has spurred me on to focus on a historical saga that I've had floating around in my head.

I love attending all the courses at AWC and find the content engaging and informative and the teachers are also engaging and encourage us to pursue our dreams.

I enjoyed this course with Kate immensely.

I was interested in the possibility of bypassing the traditional publishing gatekeepers; plus the flexibility of non-traditional formats that Kindle offers. I was initially hesitant - but now I have all the answers I need to feel more confident.

I enjoyed the bite-sized components of the modules. The instructive slides. I feel more confident about the different formats that can be published - it doesn't have to be a 65,000 word book.

The courses run by AWC are informative, relevant, straightforward and enlightening. A must-visit for any aspiring, and practising, writer.

This course is perfect for its audience and provides lots of feedback and exercises to keep the student occupied.

I'm starting to seriously do more of my creative writing.

Amazing short course for people who want to get some practical and effective information about starting their creative writing journey.

The course far exceeded my expectations - combining insight into genre with a particular area of writing technique was a fantastic way to go. And there were so many useful insights.

Kate really, really knows her stuff - she understands writing and the use of language at an incredibly deep level.

I'm shaping a new series and it's absolutely given me the tools to forge ahead confidently.

The course I did was absolutely worthwhile and there is so much amazing stuff on offer.

I want to write a collection of short true stories on a niche topic. I also had some time during COVID with few work commitments.

I enjoyed Valerie's clear explanations and examples from published books.

Given me lots of things to keep in mind when, and if, I start the process. The narrative arc - such a crucial element. Interesting to see how I can apply it to short true stories about people's experiences.

Do it. Lots of good tips and knowledge crucial to a writer starting out.

This course gave me a chance to focus on my fiction writing. I wouldn't have done any writing without this course.

The tutor was very professional and had a wealth of knowledge and experience in the publishing industry.

I enjoyed the positive feedback from the tutor and others and the sharing of stories from other writers. I have learnt a lot more about writing thanks to my tutor and fellow writers' critiques.

My online tutor pinpointed some areas where my writing could be improved which I suspected I had problems with. Also my tutor's encouragement and comments regarding my writing.

If you want to get your novel published, this is a good start to knowing what is required.

I'm working on a murder mystery. I was particularly interested in writing suspense and action scenes as I had learned some of the basics from previous courses.

Louisa was fantastic. Friendly and personable and with a lot of experience to share. I felt her feedback was really constructive, positive but also giving places to improve and think about more. Absolutely fabulous. Even in those areas I had previously studied like character and structure, I learned new things relevant to my genre which was great.

I wasn't overly keen on the zoom format, being a typically introverted writer type, but I loved it! Great to bounce ideas off each other. The breakout rooms were really useful.

This and Novel Writing Essentials have been so helpful to my dream of writing a book. Well worth it. The courses are positive, helpful and constructive.

I wanted to learn how to develop my limited thriller/suspense writing skills and my fiction writing skills because I had only written a non-fiction self-help book. The course description showed it to be very hands on, which, from previous writing courses I have done, was essential.

Louisa is a highly skilled writer and excellent trainer. She was positive, generous and complimentary in all her feedback. She provided helpful examples of alternative options, suggested books relevant to specific genres and questions. She always found positives in what was read out or discussed, and offered variations as well. Her enthusiasm and interest were infectious throughout the group it seemed to me.

The wonderful combination of providing information in an interesting and accessible way, the many examples of different types of crime writing, the additional information provided including links to videos of real crimes. Louisa was very generous in her range and depth of information, so that the attendees would have information about their writing focus. She answered all questions in detailed but easily understandable ways.

Having read dozens of 'how to write' books and attended courses previously, I found that after this course I am more confident and much better informed to write in the crime genre. I am excited now to finish my short stories and publish them.

Increasing my knowledge and confidence about writing fiction was the most precious outcome. And having my eyes opened to the numerous ways of going about the different aspects of writing. The positive feedback and discussion between group members, either in break-out rooms or as a group was great.

I learned how to go about planning and shaping a book. How to include bricks of details, pace stories, include plot twists, create interesting characters, and much more. I am more confident about my ability to write and how to go about it.

Having a highly skilled presenter who is also a brilliant and successful writer is paramount. I'm so glad I did this course. Thank you, Louisa, and AWC.

Louisa was wonderful. Very generous with her time, advice and feedback. She was encouraging and helpful and encouraged respectful and positive feedback from across the group.

The format and approach and the genre-specific nature of the content was great. Louisa was wonderful and I really appreciated her generosity in sharing her real-world experiences and her encouragement.

A great opportunity to understand the bones of a great crime fiction novel. Thank you to Louisa and my fellow participants!

I found it enjoyable to hear about the types of writing you can aspire to get into, and how they all differ from one another.

I am more inspired than ever to become a writer, which is a lifelong dream. I will definitely be enrolling in more courses to help me.

Valerie is amazing, the course is easy to follow and you are bound to get a lot out of it. It is possible to become a successful writer without spending thousands of dollars and years at university.

I knew I needed some structure and accountability to move forward with my novel, and I like being in a critique group. I'd also heard lots of praise for AWC on a Facebook group I'm in, so I checked out the website and went from there.

The range of topics in the modules was awesome. I also like that the content stressed there is more than one way to be a writer, rather than adopting a 'this is the one true path' sort of methodology.

Bernadette is amazing! She balances being incredibly perceptive and constructively critical with genuine encouragement. Her insight is so valuable.

I enjoyed reading my fellow students' work. It was really inspiring and motivating to see what everyone else was working on, and the feeling of all being in it together.

I am considerably more confident in my abilities than when I started. I feel like I might actually be able to finish my novel!

Thank you! I'll be back for more in the near future, I'm sure.

I found the tutor very knowledgeable. The feedback she provided was constructive and I was able to implement it immediately.

I enjoyed receiving feedback for my work and interacting with other people passionate about writing.

It made me realise that I can write a given number of words based on a prompt and I can meet writing deadlines. I spent so much time worrying about this for no reason.

The AWC is the place where people really care about writing and they do their best to guide students in writing their first novel, short story or whatever they choose to do.

Having completed the Copywriting Essentials course (and loving it), I decided to add real estate writing to my arsenal as I set up my copywriting business so I have more skills to offer my future clients.

I liked that the course was delivered with a sense of humour. I found myself looking forward to each new module. The tips were practical and I felt it covered everything that I needed to know.

This course gave me the confidence to take the first step towards finding my first client. It was delivered in a very aspirational and positive way, making the world of copywriting seem very inviting and the goal of becoming a real estate copywriter achievable!

Nicole's feedback was invaluable. I really enjoyed listening to her recorded feedback not only for me but for all the other participants in my course. I got the impression everyone in my course got the confidence boost they needed to keep working on their manuscripts while at the same time benefiting from the constructive criticism and tips about what's not working.

By the end of the course I was emotionally invested in everyone's stories.

I have some confidence that I can actually write (of course there is lots to improve). Before doing the course, I was wondering if I was wasting my time.

DO IT! It's money well spent and the worst that can happen is that you discover your novel hasn't got legs. In saying that though, the course content is highly engaging so you're highly likely to be inspired to start another story that does have legs.

I've been writing and editing for a while but all through self-taught means (I.e. "Google, help me figure out how to write this!"). I was looking to improve the professionalism and accuracy of my writing by learning the accepted rules.

Michelle was wonderful! I really appreciated her welcoming, humble approach and found her content matter knowledge to be incredibly valuable.

I enjoyed the concise, clearly articulated 'rules' of editing. There were many things I learned that had always been a source of confusion.

I gained confidence in what I was already doing correctly, and clear guidance on the things that I'd often spend a lot of time trying to figure out.

Thank you for another great course and for supplying the recording so I could catch up on the section I missed.

You're never too old to learn grammar and punctuation. The Australian Writers' Centre course improved my grammar immensely, so much that my writers' group now say my punctuation skills are better.

Really loved Bernadette's teaching style, personality and feedback. For me, the main takeaway was detail & specificity. The more words you use that relate to the target market's concerns the better.

I enjoyed the content and resources. The homework is designed to be very actionable and digestible. I didn't spend hours on it, but it targeted all the key skills which were put together at the end. Really well-designed structure.

I'm much more confident with copywriting and writing in general! It got the writing floodgate open. I never thought of myself as a writer, but I really do write a lot in my current job. Others in my organisation have called me a wordsmith before but I really didn't think so myself. Now I feel like I really can own that. I now have the tried-and-true tools to guarantee my work is at least above-average in its ability to incite action. With more practice, I can get quite masterful at this!

Took my copywriting to the next level. Ties together a lot of what I already did instinctively but now I have a handy checklist to ensure I'm always following best practice. Made me more confident in my writing. Highly recommend the course to anyone who needs to write to sell or influence (which is ALL OF US!)

I enjoyed being able to tap into the online content wherever and whenever it suited me. Of course, it helped that the content was engaging and full of helpful advice.

It has given me the tools to critically analyse what I've written. It has also helped me to realise that some of what I've written is really quite good...and some of it less so.

Before doing this course, I don't think I'd realised just how critically important scenes are. That sounds so random. Of course, I understood their importance. I had just underestimated how much work they do for the overall story.

Writing is a journey and if you'd like someone to help guide you on that journey then I'd highly recommend the AWC.

The depth of experience and honesty of David Leser exceeded my expectations.

I most enjoyed the online lectures. It has clarified what I will write next.

If you want to write profiles this is the course for you.

I have always wanted to have some of my opinions published. This course seemed to offer the right balance of theory, practice and advice.

I found Vivienne to be an engaging and knowledgeable tutor. It was well structured and progressed logically. As always, I enjoyed the diversity of the participants.

Without over engineering, I will now structure my letters to the editor and any proposed opinion pieces more effectively.

It delivers pretty well exactly what it says it will and I think offers good value for money.

Vivienne was great. She provided good content and a good model to utilise for future pitches. Her feedback on our opinion pieces was also very thorough and useful.

Inspired me to get back out there writing and honing my opinion writing.

AWC provides practical, hands-on inspiration and writing support so you can reach your writing goals.

I love my young students and I wanted to create some new stories for them! I've always loved writing and I've always been writing, but lately it's been more writing for work (marketing) rather than for pleasure or creative projects.

The assignments were great! The feedback was SO useful. I was not expecting to be able to read everyone's stories and hear their feedback and have everyone read/hear my stories and feedback, but it ended up being so cool. :-)

I loved Zanni's honesty and positive attitude. She provided really wonderful and useful feedback and recommendations!

Honestly, giving myself the time and space to read and appreciate all these picture books was so fun and inspiring. I always loved picture books but I feel like I appreciate them even more now that I realise how challenging they are! And of course, the ability to read other people's stories and hear their feedback. And to hear someone read my stories out loud was slightly scary but awesome. I really appreciated Zanni's feedback. :-)

This course reminded me I need to make my creativity/writing a priority. :-)

Give yourself the gift of creative time. It's more important now than ever! This course was part of my new 'self care' routine, honouring and nurturing my creativity.

I love you, AWC! :-)

The course was nice and relaxing, was not too stressful and demanding. It really allowed me to just sit back and slowly digest the information, then put that information to words.

Amanda Hampson was a great tutor, provided good feedback for areas to improve on and when asked questions, answered the best she could. No faults.

As I opted to write segments of my own story, it really made me want to revisit it and continue the journey (the particular story used was one I had abandoned for nearly two years now). So it gave me that spark I needed to continue.

I'd like to thank Amanda and the students for all the feedback.

Get on it and don't wait like I have for so long!

Bernadette was great, her feedback was constructive and extremely helpful. I never felt as though I had done something wrong because she always explained her feedback in a positive way.

I enjoyed learning a practical approach to the art of copywriting, complete with examples and resources. I felt as though I was actually learning rather than hearing/reading academic theory. I remembered how much I enjoy writing and copywriting is something that I could happily do professionally.

AWC has a diverse range of courses available to anyone interested in writing, whatever their preferred genre/interest. The practical skills that they teach and their teaching style makes learning fun, plus there is a wealth of knowledge and experience to tap into. I'm certainly thinking of enrolling in more courses, just have to decide which ones.

Bernadette was a fantastic tutor for SEO Copywriting (as she is for anything copywriting!)

I enjoyed the common-sense approach without jargon. Feeling much more confident to tackle anything 'SEO'.

I never considered the huge amounts of corporate and technical writing I undertake in my current employment as writing until I listened to the course audio. It made me realise I already have a wealth of experience as a writer which really boosts my confidence.

You do not need to be born with a natural gift for creativity that flows easily from mind to paper in order to write. It is a skill that can be learned and honed.

Undertake this course if you are considering a change in career and suffer from self-doubt.

I enjoyed the course, especially being able to listen to the modules.

Zanni was very helpful and I enjoyed getting her feedback each week. It was great having someone who is in the industry to offer a professional perspective.

I like how Bernadette provided constructive criticism without being unnecessarily harsh/belittling. She was warm, friendly and very helpful.

I enjoyed being able to see the work of other people taking the course. Getting detailed and helpful feedback on my assignments (and being able to listen to feedback provided on others' assignments with more useful tips!)

I've realised there's a lot more to copywriting than meets the eye, but I'm eager to find out more.

As Bernadette says, people don't think you need formal training to become a good copywriter. That might be true for a (special/lucky) few, but for the rest of us, there's this brilliantly structured course that keeps you engaged every step of the way thanks to Bernadette's wisdom and wit.

This course absolutely clicked for me. It's exactly the kind of work that I want to be doing and I honestly cannot wait to get started!

I have so much respect for Bernadette, her knowledge, experience, and practical application to work are awesome!

I have always been a wordy writer, and I have found that this course has given me some tools around being succinct and tailoring what I write.

I loved the course that I completed, and felt absolutely encouraged and welcome to step into the world of copywriting. The course modules together with the assignments and feedback have given me the confidence and tools I needed to call myself a writer.

I have an illustration background but want to write and illustrate my own stories. I knew very little about the writing side of things, so this course was perfect!

I was a little concerned that it would be too much for me to fit into my work/life schedule, but it was very manageable. I could listen to the lessons whenever I wanted to. I really appreciate the flexibility the course offers in that respect.

I was impressed by the speed and clarity at which Zanni dissects and critiques stories. I found her feedback to be very useful, straight to the point and also very encouraging. She guided me to write a story draft that I believe is worth presenting to a publisher with a little more editing.

I found the structure and format of the online course really refreshing. I've studied a lot, up to a master's degree, and believe this to be the best course I've done in terms of balance between the volume of information and practical assessments. I also enjoyed Zanni's feedback. The course is affordable in terms of cost and time commitment as well.

This course has really helped me to start thinking like a picture book author and has also taken the mystery out of the publishing process and industry as a whole.

The Writing Picture Books course is a perfect introduction to the field. It offers a thorough understanding of the current trends, what's involved in the practical process of writing a picture book and how to edit and prepare for a publisher. I totally recommend it to anyone wanting to make a start or needing guidance on their first attempts at writing.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course. Thank you!

The AWC course on children's picture books is great! I have already recommended this course to a friend. It teaches you a lot of valuable skills for writing children's picture books as well as valuable tips for getting into the industry and approaching publishers. You will definitely come out of the course a better writer and with skills for approaching publishers professionally.

I have just retired from a very busy and enjoyable career as a developmental/behavioural paediatrician. I've always loved children's books and recently become a grandmother, with more grandchildren on the way. I wanted to do something creative in the area of writing and found this course on Google. The AWC looked such an excellent group to start my quest for learning to write creatively.

Zanni has been thoughtful, encouraging and the experience she brings, very helpful. It has been enjoyable to read the stories from the rest of the group, and also to listen to Zanni's suggestions for them.

I enjoyed many things about this course. Learning about the structure of a picture book, and what makes a 'not put downable' story. The interaction with others on our course and reading their great stories. Zanni's guidance.

This course has given me a new pursuit, which I think about daily, and look forward to continuing with.

If you are interested in writing in any form, do one of the online tutored courses to start you on your journey. The Australian Writers' Centre also introduces you to the vibrant community of writers and illustrators in Australia.

Just a big thank you.

I found being able to do this in an achievable time frame and not under pressure made this course enjoyable. It also gave me great theoretical background to writing which I had not covered for a while. The feedback was useful and I was able to use it to critique my writing for my next tasks.

The course was great in kickstarting my writing. Made me feel like writing for an audience is possible and that I am capable of it.

Do it - it's a great confidence builder. I'd always hesitated, because I was worried about sharing my writing and I'm not great with receiving feedback. However, I found I enjoyed the critical feedback knowing it was only going to strengthen my writing for other readers.

Thank you to my tutor Amanda and other students for their feedback.

I've always liked reading and writing but, due to work, never had much of an opportunity. My wife knew of my passion and enrolled me into this course as a birthday present. I'm so glad she did!

I absolutely loved the creative writing course! The learning content and resources were well constructed and, combined with the assignments and exercises, aided my better understanding of the art of creative writing.

Angela's assessments of my assignments were very constructive, helpful and on the mark every single time. It is quite obvious that she is a seasoned professional in the art of creative writing.

I enjoyed putting all the learning from the resource materials to work in my assignments and impressing myself with how much I had improved since starting the course. I also enjoyed the interactions among my fellow students...and knowing that I wasn't alone on this journey!

It has reignited my passion to start creative writing. The course has also given me the confidence to plan to write a series of short stories...and perhaps even a novel one day.

If you would like to start creative writing or improve your creative writing skills, contact the Australian Writers' Centre!

Thank you so much for including me in this course, which has convinced me that I am not too old to start a creative writing career!

I loved that it was only five weeks. Being my first course with AWC it gave me a chance to see the quality of courses offered without making a major time commitment.

I have gained so much knowledge from both the tutor, Zanni, and my fellow classmates.

Zanni was lovely. Her comments and feedback were always so encouraging but also really helpful and insightful. She would see things immediately that would elevate the story and gave really thorough feedback to everyone in the course.

I enjoyed actually sharing my stories, which at first I thought terrifying, and getting to read others was great.

I now write every day and believe I may actually one day write something that is good enough to be published.

Thank you for this course. I have never done a writing course before and this was so wonderful. I will definitely be looking into further classes with AWC in the future.

If you want to do a writing course, go to AWC!

I watched the Zoom information session regarding copywriting and feature writing that was held a couple of months ago. Bernadette explained what copywriting was and I was instantly hooked. I felt that I would really enjoy this as a career and wanted to pursue it.

Bernadette knows her craft extremely well and is very generous with her time, study material and guidance. I would highly recommend anyone to learn from her; she has so much knowledge and is great at teaching it. I also appreciated that she taught the actual subject herself and was the one that graded our assignments as well. This provided consistency.

I realised that I can write for a living and have a stable income working from home. I never knew copywriting was an option until I did this course.

The tutor was brilliant. No negative feedback at all. Very knowledge, clear and easy to understand.

I enjoyed the handouts we were given as resources for our future, I enjoyed the fact the course was online and self paced, I also enjoyed all of the assignments as I found them challenging but also really fun!

I feel like I now have more confidence when writing copy since learning about the headline formulas, features and benefits, linking words etc. I feel like it has made me a more confident writer.

I would say that the course content was outlined perfectly, that there was a right amount of learning/assignment, that it was easy to understand and that it was challenging but fun.

Helped me realise what I'll have to do to edit my novel. I wasn't sure how to approach it (major rewrite several times!) but I really liked the clear steps and focus points of this course.

Editing is hard and it's not about rewriting a billion times - it's about being logical and proceeding through different stages to pinpoint problems!

Do it, it's helpful, don't leave it to the last minute like I did.

I had just completed the first draft of a novel I'm working on. It was great timing, as I felt I needed help with the editing process.

It has opened my eyes to just how big a task writing a novel actually is. It's also provided tips that will hopefully prove beneficial in the future should I write another novel. Hopefully they will save me a lot of time.

The course material is easy to follow and the people working there really care about seeing you grow in your craft and having fun in the process, whilst being honest about how big an endeavour it can actually be.

I am always interested in improving my skills. Working on my manuscript, I wanted more technical information on creating scenes. I was somewhat concerned that it might be too basic for me, but the level of detail was excellent and I can already see how I can apply this information to my manuscript in the second draft.

I feel better equipped to continue writing. I feel like I have more tools to work with, rather than just 'winging it'.

I've taken a few online courses now, and each has been beneficial. There is a huge variety of courses for whatever stage you are at in your writing and whichever way you like to learn - live, with feedback or accessing it when you have a spare minute like I do with the online course. Would definitely recommend.

I loved the course. The information was clear and interesting and valuable. I will be referring back to the notes and exercises for sure.

Suzanne was great. Her feedback was kind and constructive and really encouraging.

I most enjoyed writing! I've been trying to get myself started for so long and this really put me in the path.

I was also really comforted by the information and advice. I guess I'd always thought writers sat down and the words flowed beautifully onto the page. It's just never done that for me and it was comforting to see how much "behind the scenes" work actually goes in to that finished product. It gave me hope!

It's very worth it. If you were trying to master any other skill, you would seek training and expertise from people within the industry, why not writing.

I knew I'd need this course to edit my manuscript when I finally finished it. It backed up what I learned in the Fiction Essentials - Scenes course. The handouts are an awesome tool to be used over.

During the course I found myself saying, "Yes! I did that in my manuscript." For example, the final segment - making sure the ending ties up answers asked in the first part of the book. It also highlighted areas I have doubts about - sagging middle.

The Australian Writers' Centre is the right place for all the write courses.

Michelle was great. She knew her stuff and was open and realistic about the challenges faced by editors. Michelle also talked about managing expectations and relationships, which I found very helpful.

Time well spent! I needed a confidence boost in some areas and the environment was friendly and encouraging. My tutor had extensive and current experience, and made us feel like we were all in it together.

Thank you :)

Angela was fantastic. Her analysis and assessment of each person's submission was very comprehensive, positive and encouraging. I especially liked the last assignment evaluation as she edited these as well.

The most enjoyable part of the course was reading and commenting on other student's work. Their comments on my writing was so encouraging in the sense that I really felt that I was in a community. I have made some new friends.

The course is very balanced in the amount of lessons and handouts as well as assignment expectations. I didn't get time to finish or even look at some of the extra exercises, but I will work through these at my own pace.

It has made me want to take up writing seriously, not just as something I dabble in. I want to be a writer! That is a profound life choice for me.

I had a wonderful experience participating in the course and this was due, not only to developing a creative process for writing, but also in the resources and support I received from my tutor and AWC.

I'll be back!

Nicole was a skilled writer and I found her feedback on all our submissions to be informative and supportive.

One, I grew in that I finished the course and committed to it the whole way through. Two, I learned from others that there is no magic - it's giving rein to your imagination and then, word by word, scene by scene, putting your story down. Three, don't agonise over making your first draft perfect - you'll change it anyway later.

Well-organised, practical lessons and handouts. Thoughtful, detailed feedback from the tutor and AWC's coordination/moderation of workshopping means that feedback is constructive and useful and not scary.

Angela's feedback is affirming and supportive, giving valuable comments and guidance, especially for someone like me who came into the course knowing absolutely nothing about the process!

I enjoyed reading the other students' work and communicating with them. Also, being able to do the assignments in my own time and at my own pace, within the weekly format.

I knew nothing about how to construct a narrative, a scene etc. I had no idea about structure, the importance of setting the scene, and using the four colours in a scene. This course has taught me so much, and has given me sign posts to guide the way. The handouts will be invaluable to refer to in future.

You don't need to be an enormously gifted writer to succeed - you do need to be prepared to do the work with passion, time and self-discipline, but you don't have to be the next Charles Dickens!

The atmosphere within this course is stimulating, but always very encouraging, which gives even the most sensitive writers an environment of acceptance and trust, knowing their work will be dealt with in a respectful way. This, in my opinion, is a huge "tick" for AWC.

If you're looking for an excellent grounding in the craft of writing creatively, to learn important guidelines and receive valuable feedback which will enable you to hone your skills and help you grow as a writer, then this is the course for you.

The tutor was good and informative. I enjoyed how matter-of-fact they were when talking about techniques and other writing stuff.

I'm thinking more about the writing process and taking breaks from different stories to gain a better perspective.

It was practical, topical and I haven't seen other courses covering this topic.

Bernadette provided great feedback - she always had something constructive to add, but also found something positive to say as well which helps with motivation!

I am now picking up on the SEO techniques mentioned in this course whenever I google something. The tips are very practical and applicable for setting up any kind of business.

The courses are practical and informative. The feedback provided on work is extremely constructive and the format is very convenient. I particularly like that most of the course work is listening to audio which (during lockdown) has been great to listen to on daily walks!

I've really enjoyed the course - thank you!

I'm writing biographies for a charity organisation and have always been interested in creative non-fiction.

I enjoyed the use of the examples from well-known authors. Also the clear layout of the course. I think I have a clearer idea of structure and I picked up some very useful tips.

The AWC offers an extensive range of courses taught by passionate teachers. The courses are insightful, inspiring and practical and will guide you in the world of writing.

I love the examples and author interviews. I purchased nearly every book discussed. I like the bite size format. This made it very easy to consume when I have tiny moments throughout the week available.

It has broken down what's commonly seen as daunting.

High-quality courses, designed for the busy professional in mind. Easy to fit into my schedule, skills for confidence and life, skills for income and improving your business. Grateful for AWC and will seek out more courses once I have finished those on my dashboard.

So many great tips about getting the most from Scrivener. Natasha teaches just as brilliantly as she writes!

I think this will transform my use of Scrivener and improve my ability to organise and visualise my writing projects enormously.

I've done quite a few of your courses and this one was a standout. Practical. Great to have a clear process to follow and templates to assist with editing. I will use this process and tools to edit manuscripts in future.

Well structured, clear, practical, great tools.

The course forced me to write and forced me to think about what I was doing with my writing. It allowed me to experiment and helped me to cease procrastination. With a solid due date ahead of me I have found I spend the time writing and learning. That was invaluable to me.

The online tutor was extremely encouraging and appeared very knowledgeable about writing. She was able to comment on aspects of my writing I was unaware of and could provide a different perspective to what I was used to.

The scene setting lesson was probably the most helpful lesson I have received about writing a scene. I will very likely return to it whenever I am struggling with a scene.

The AWC website whole-heartedly encourages people to pursue a career (or even a hobby) in writing. The breadth of courses and activities available has something to suit every individual person. Everything you see is inspiring and encouraging and you truly feel like a part of a community.

Thank you for creating the opportunity for me to write and learn at the same time.

Great course. Some things I'm already doing but each section contained something new for me to think about and bring to my own writing. I really want to revisit my character language, for example, to see how I can make sure each has a unique voice through my book. I'm also desperate to weave in some ping-pong conversations now that I know about them.

I think my 'aha' moment has been the realisation that it's not just making your characters say funny things that brings humour to your work. I suddenly see the full toolbox of techniques available to a writer such as situation, wordplay, repetition, surreal comedy etc. I have never stopped to think about the different elements of comedy before. Some I've already introduced to my work without knowing it, and others I can now consciously plan in.

You don't know what you don't know. Even if you learn one new thing, it might make all the difference to your work.

Bernadette is thorough and gives clear explanations and instructions. Great detailed feedback on assignments!

I've learned the skills to be more strategic with content. I love the practical, hands-on nature of AWC courses.

Tim was great with so many tips and stories to tell! Thank you! I enjoyed the videos and bits of advice along the way.

I know more about the process which is comforting for me. I like to have a pathway to work towards.

Highly recommend before you start your writing journey as an excellent overview.

Vivienne was very prompt and active in the online classroom, and my impression of her was that she was a very encouraging but also honest and genuine tutor. I enjoyed the feedback immensely, and I think her delivery of it is very inspiring. I feel encouraged whilst also challenged, without ever feeling judged.

I enjoyed getting to listen to lessons, and Valerie's style of teaching was wonderful. I looked forward to the sessions with my headphones on and my notebook in front of me, and getting to follow along the audio with the helpful summary of points. The profile writing assignment was my favourite activity by far!

It's opened up a world of possibility which I'd never given thought to before! It's helped me reconnect to the love of writing I had in school, which I had been discouraged to pursue as any sort of career. This has given me the knowledge that it is totally possible, and given me a feeling of excitement that I could use my love of words and creativity to carve out an unexpected career path and do something I consider meaningful and aligned with my values.

The course is delightful! It's well-structured, affordable, interesting, and equips you with very practical, real-life knowledge to go down the writing path.

Thank you to the team for designing and offering this course! It's been a highlight of my year.

Carli was a joy to be taught by. Her knowledge was so generously shared with us all and she made me feel as if I could approach her about anything.

I really enjoyed the homework, funnily enough. And being able to send this work onto Carli for her feedback has been wonderful!

I feel so much more confident in going forward with my writing and pitching ideas to publications. And feel that I am definitely on the right track in pursuing this as more than just a hobby.

It has changed the way I feel about writing as well as injecting an extra dose of confidence within me that I didn't have beforehand.

The whole course really was so wonderful, and it brought me so much joy in what has been a challenging time. So thank you!

The professionalism and quality of this course - in both content and presentation style - far exceeded anything I anticipated. The online platform and modalities have worked extremely well. Very smooth!

Bernadette is extremely knowledgeable and professional. Her presentations are rich in detailed information and her conversational style is friendly and relaxed. She maintains an encouraging tone in her feedback, while providing helpful and constructive criticism. An outstanding presenter!

I have gained a whole new skill set and awareness, which provides confidence and opportunities moving forward. It has been very rewarding starting to be immersed in a new genre and its culture. I have learned to be more economical with my writing and gained a bunch of strategies for arresting the attention of the reader quickly. The fact that there is some immediate income earning potential after this course is fantastic. Because these skills can be transferred to so many other areas of professional life and writing, it feels like being on the threshold of a whole new world of possibilities.

It has been great to discover that I can be dragged into the 21st Century and learn the SEO component of copywriting without feeling completely overwhelmed. Having come from a very off-line, classical, academic background, I have gained confidence that I can actually understand and do this!

AWC has been well-organised and easy to deal with. There is a great range of courses, which in my experience so far have been high quality and professional.

Thank you for introducing me to something wonderful and new!

I learned so much over the past 5 weeks! Carli was extremely generous with her time and knowledge. I enjoyed going through the readings and looked forward to our Tuesday evening classes. I appreciated her feedback and help with improving my writing skills.

It helped me find new ways of exploring my personal interest with food and food-related topics. Equally, Carli gave us the tools to go and pitch to publications on a deeper level.

I've always gotten a lot out of the AWC courses. After taking 3+ courses this year (and the Freelance Writing Masterclass), I'm developing more confidence in my abilities as a writer.

Angela was fantastic. Really responsive and helpful. I found her feedback on my writing excellent and insightful in ways that helped me breakthrough blocks I was facing.

It helped me actually finish my book and gave me insight into what my strengths are and what areas I need to work on. I felt more like I could actually do this. It also introduced me to other excellent writers, who I hope to keep in touch with.

Angela's comments on my synopsis and the questions she asked were a big 'aha' moment for me - they helped me nail the final story and identify crucial things that were missing.

Thanks very much for this. It was great and would definitely do it again! I'll be buying the editing course next. :)

It was enjoyable and easy to follow. I feel confident on how to go forward. The ease of use made the information less overwhelming.

Helpful and informative; very well set out course. It has given me a map to move forward with and eased some of my confusion about the process.

I was blown away by how much I learned on this course. It took me to areas and writing opportunities that I had no idea even existed!

Bernadette is just lovely! Her genuine love of copywriting and the knowledge she imparts, in such a down to earth way, and always positive, is not only thought provoking but informative and confidence-building.

The way in which the course was run and the fact that it was only 5 weeks gave me the opportunity to fit this in between work and family commitments. I enjoyed the many different aspects to copywriting and the tips, tricks and templates Bernadette imparted.

It has inspired me to want to be a copywriter! To want to and believe that I can actually make a living from my love of words, together with all of the relevant information and templates imparted by Bernadette. I'm looking forward to my journey with newly found self-belief!

I actually knew more about copywriting in my day-to-day life than I thought I did! Was just the terminology that was missing! The whole course was one BIG 'aha!' moment for me.

Even though this course was a challenge for me in every way, from personal to practical, I just loved the fact that, at the end of this course, I wanted to learn MORE!!

Excellent courses! Interesting, informative and relevant with manageable timeframes and fantastic tutors!

The tutor was professional, funny, clever, encouraging, met you at your level - generally fab!

Superb - really eye opening course. AWC were doing online courses well before COVID, they set it up this way and they know what they are doing. This is not just a reaction to not being able to do things in person (as many seem to be).

Thank you very much to Bernadette and the whole team.

I was keen to inject some more humour into my writing for children, and it seemed like something fun to do during COVID lockdown.

The exercises given were long enough to get my grey matter working, but not too onerous to fit into my busy life. Tim's presentation style was engaging and he presented the information clearly and concisely.

I now feel capable of ramping up the humour in my writing for children. I'm excited about blowing the cobwebs off a previously written story for children and giving it the humour makeover I see it now needs.

If you are really serious about learning to write, or improving your writing, the right course could be a great investment.

Great course. Has delivered what I expected it to and encouraged me to continue my journey towards my first novel. I feel confident enough to just begin writing the book now.

I enjoyed the structure and the way that it scaffolded the various elements as we learnt them and applied them. The tutor was great, very considered feedback and very positively presented.

Absolutely great resource for aspiring and experienced writers alike. A great place to start if you need to find your voice and the confidence to start.

I will be back for more courses!

I'd been hearing a little about copywriting as a growth field so I wanted to find out more about it as a possible side-hustle. The simple format of the sessions, the breakup of the content and the small assessments made this a really achievable 5 weeks of learning.

Bernadette is really easy to listen to, full of advice and stories, and I found her feedback to be both encouraging and informative, pushing me to further develop my work.

I enjoyed the real-world references to actual ad campaigns, and I also enjoyed having the verbal feedback on my work, and also hearing it for others too. This is a really powerful learning technique!

I think the course is a well-oiled machine that's running perfectly!

I've already started using some of the techniques in my current work emails. And I can see that there is a possibility for me to use these skills, and find the courage to call myself a copywriter.

Thanks for your approachable and encouraging manner, Bernadette. You really made me believe that I can become a copywriter!

Suzanne always gives a very enthusiastic response to all submissions, and under that influence you feel compelled to submit the best you can.

Got enormous pleasure from responding to targeted exercises and applying them to the story I am working on. Loved that creative challenge and the feeling of achievement that starts with: "OK, Robyn what have you got (in response to this exercise)? Now what can you DO with it?"

There is so much satisfaction in taking up the challenge to make your writing hum by employing concepts that are introduced and described weekly. Even more satisfaction though, if by condensing, rearranging, re-examining and rethinking - you can make them sing. Doesn't happen all the time, but when it does...

Writing re-energised. Confidence boosted. Onward.

Suzanne was very thorough, and gave really easy to understand feedback. She picked up on points in my writing I was not aware of, and was very encouraging.

I really enjoyed the lectures and how the assessments built upon each other.

It has given me the confidence to take writing seriously. I received really encouraging feedback that left me smiling each time which is pretty amazing to me!

I would say to take the chance, and you won't be disappointed.

This course is very practical and hands on, i.e. supplying 'formulas' and templates for copywriting; most courses don't offer this. I also like that it's online and I can do the class when it suits me each week.

Bernadette is great, very personable and interesting and her feedback was always really constructive and positive.

I liked the homework assignments each week; it was a good way to put into action what I had learned. I felt the course evolved at a good pace.

I like the practicality of the course and Bernadette made it all seem easy. It takes the fear out of staring at a blank page as I now have tools and templates to get started.

Great course, really practical and useful - whether you're just learning to write or have industry experience.

I am interested in writing in general, and also part of my work involves writing copy for a website, brochures and emails. I joined as I thought having some training behind me would make me better at these tasks, as well as being interesting for me personally.

I found Bernadette to be very professional yet relatable. She was able to provide great tips and feedback in a manner that was easy to understand and put into practice.

I will be able to put these skills into practice in the aspects of my work that require copywriting. It has also given me skills that I may be able to use in future jobs and any writing that I do for myself.

I would definitely recommend it. Great course - thank you.

It was good hearing from successful authors and the different attitudes to social media. It validated the concern around it soaking up time, but also showed that, pretty consistently, it's considered a crucial tool and, if you choose the channels that work for you, then it can be a pretty rewarding experience as well.

I knew I had to get back into my author profile after letting it fall to the side. But I didn't know where best to focus my efforts or how to start. The course has broken through that uncertainty, gotten me well down the path and provided some more confidence on how to go about it in a sustainable way. I'm feeling much more upbeat about it all as a result!

If you are unsure about your author platform in any way, then this course is a good resource to help you find the answers to your uncertainty and get started.

Since moving to Australia, I was unsuccessful in securing a job as a journalist and worked instead in community care. When Covid-19 hit in 2020, I decided it was time to get back into writing. This course with the AWC has given me the assurance that it can be done no matter which stage of life you are at.

The modules are self-paced or can be binged during these frequent lockdowns in Melbourne.

The case studies with authors and writers is invigorating. It's almost like I've found my tribe.

I found this course at the point in my life when I was ready to make a career change. It has shown me that it is possible to venture into freelance writing or novel writing while having a job.

The Australian Writers' Centre allows you to dream and helps you achieve it.

Very step-by-step with great links and resources for relevant information.

It has convinced me not just that I have to do this (which I already knew but hated) but that I can do this. So I'm going to take a deep breath now and jump...

Suzanne has great industry knowledge and was a massive asset to have as a tutor. She provided constructive criticism and often provided alternatives to the way things were written. That helped me understand the differences between my writing and what publishers are looking for.

I enjoyed writing! Being given a weekly assignment to write stories was great motivation and a thoroughly enjoyable task. It has made me realise that I really want to pursue this path to writing a children's picture book.

I would highly recommend the course! The more your commit to the course and the assignments, the more you will gain from the feedback.

Bernadette was excellent. I found the thorough feedback given to everyone to be very valuable. I enjoyed the challenge of the homework!

It may be a pathway to something new for me. Even if I don't take it that far, I will now think about what I've learned in this course whenever I have to write something. Great course.

If you want to improve your writing skills for whatever reason give the AWC a go.

Bernadette was so welcoming and friendly from the get go. Her welcome video made me feel so comfortable as she was so confident that absolutely anyone could become a copywriter. She also seemed to be able to read my mind and know exactly what reservations I had and why I should put them behind me and give this a go. Her feedback was always kind and constructive. She was able to tell me what I had done well and where I could improve and how. Best feedback I've ever had from any tutor!

I actually enjoyed the assignments! They didn't make me feel overwhelmed and they were short and sweet while allowing me to put the skills Bernadette had taught me to the test. I also loved the handouts Bernadette provided; they were all extremely helpful and are a great visual for me to keep and refer back to.

The instructors are friendly and helpful and make the learning process simple. Learning online and at your own pace is also a win, so that you can take your time and take it all in. You can also download the slides, audio and handouts so that you can come back to the material in the future.

I thought it was going to be like all the other how-to's I've encountered on the Internet over the last 5-10 years, but I was proven wrong.

The tutor is skilled and experienced, and knew exactly how to diagnose what was wrong with my work or the approach of it. I found the learning and the "breaking down" of what I thought I knew enjoyable.

The course and teacher for the course taught me how to improve my writing, since I had an inkling of something about my previous work that didn't feel right. In attending this course, I had someone look at my work, no matter how small, with fresh eyes.

It will change your writing.

I am writing a chapter book for children and would like to include a lot of humour. And it looked like it'd be fun to do! :)

I enjoyed the examples read by Tim, bringing theory to life. Exercises were fun and practical. Loved getting Tim's recorded assessment of my writing exercise - that was an unexpected added bonus!

Received so many tips and ways of injecting humour into a story that I wouldn't have thought of or naturally used. Invaluable.

Zanni came across as caring and experienced. She delivered her feedback in an insightful, helpful and constructive way

Although in the beginning it was daunting to construct a story in a week, it became a bit of fun to create another new story idea within a timeframe. I also enjoyed reading everyone else's creations and enjoyed how different they all were.

Before this course I had very little confidence in my ability to write a children's story let alone let anyone read any of it. This course made me face my fears and allow my thoughts to be public. I feel I have moved closer to making my aim of writing a book a little bit closer to reality.

It's been so wonderful to be creative and challenged as a distraction and different focus from the current everyday life. In fact, my partner watched me enjoy the course so much he signed up to do the copywriting course as well.

I've heard a lot about Scrivener and out of pure frustration of scrolling through 90K plus words in Word I finally took the step of faith.

I've never done an online course before (I'm an in-class face-to-face kinda girl). But Natasha was SO clear and thorough and explained the steps really well. I also liked that it was a short course, giving me the motivation to do it knowing that it can be completed.

I enjoyed the clarity and sharpness of Natasha's voice and articulation. The fact that each video was short and could be accomplished in one sitting (say after work). And I liked that she repeated the steps a few times just to make sure we got it.

I did a little dance when I discovered you can put images, and research notes and web links directly next to the scene you're working on! Amazing! I haven't applied it yet (as I just finished the course), but it's been something I've been imagining for a long time. I believe this Scrivener course will change my life - for the better.

Definitely do it! These people are passionate about their craft.

I've promised my Nana I will write her memoirs for her 90th birthday. I'd like to take her life story and turn it into a novel one day as well. I know I need a bunch of new skills and feedback on my writing to achieve both!

Suzanne is kind and creative. She has offered constructive feedback to all the writers in my course. I learnt something from every recording Suzanne provided, not always from the writer or their piece, but how to become a better reader too. It's been great to look deeper into my own writing with her guidance.

One major learning moment was understanding how the structure of a novel plays the most crucial role in the success of a book. The different roles of scenes and summaries was something I didn't know, and now notice in every book I pick up!

I got so much out of these five short weeks. You won't regret investing the time and money into this course if you want to really get serious about your writing. I feel like I have new skills to implement and know I WILL write this memoir.

Just THANKYOU! So much.

Tim was very entertaining and funny - which I guess you would expect in a course about writing humour! Everything was laid out very clearly. The reading suggestions were highly beneficial. Loved that Tim used examples from his own work and other popular books to illustrate concepts.

I've realised how important it is to include humour in children's books, regardless of the target age group. I have re-written an idea to include more gags, especially ones delivered via illustrations.

Stephen gave very thoughtful and encouraging responses to all the participants. I learned a lot not just from his feedback to me, but also from what he said to other writers in the class.

I enjoyed exploring fiction writing for the first time in decades!

The difference point of view can make when you are writing characters is astonishing. While I knew that intellectually, I had a real aha! moment while exploring one of my own characters on this course.

Thank you for giving access to the online material after the course is over. This allows dipping back in when you have time, which I find valuable.

I was hesitant at first, because I was a complete beginner and I had to get over those feelings that it wasn't meant for me, but only for people with experience or who were already 'writers'. That definitely wasn't the case! It was a really supportive environment and I felt comfortable being a complete beginner and learnt so much.

The course delivered everything it said it would. The information was extensive but easy to follow, there were so many helpful resources and the assignments were enjoyable. The feedback received from the tutor and other participants was really valuable.

Angela was responsive and provided really valuable and encouraging feedback. She also generously shared extra resources and hints with us, such as her blog posts and other articles.

It has improved my confidence immensely, and changed my mindset around writing. I feel like I have a much better understanding of the foundations, and that it has given me the 'permission' to take it more seriously.

I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in creative writing, for any purpose. I would tell them that if they're thinking about it, give it a go! It was a really encouraging environment, and there was so much to learn.

Thank you!!

Carli was a great tutor! She quickly established rapport with each of us and effectively tailored information to our specific situations throughout her teachings. She answered all questions with ease, and was friendly and professional.

I loved the nitty gritty session on Thursday. It was great to get some clear guidelines for best web practice. I also appreciated Carli's insider tips around freelance rates.

I am able to confidently tackle my work project, understanding and practicing best practice when it comes to website management and accessibility. I also feel better equipped to continue my career in writing with a very important skillset added to my toolkit!

I would highly recommend this short training for a crash course in web practice and accessibility. Learning from the vast experience of both my tutor, Carli, and the other students, was a really great experience. The online format of the training fit perfectly with my work schedule and I have left with great knowledge and confidence in how to execute best web practice!

Thanks to Carli and the AWC team!

I wanted to refine my scene writing skills. I am 35k through my first draft of my first novel and things were starting to get complicated!

I'm bogged down in a complicated Act 2 and this gave me the help and the motivation I needed to get on with it!

Cindy provided me with great feedback on my assignments. She was professional and insightful in her feedback.

I enjoyed interviewing a classmate. Even though I did not really know the interviewing process, I really enjoyed talking to another person doing the same course, learning about their lives and what they hoped to achieve.

It has given me some tools to start writing stories for magazine and online publications.

Value for money and helped focus me in Sydney lockdown. If you want practical information and knowledge that builds your writing practice, whether creatively or commercially, then try out the AWC courses.

I have written a novel (draft), but wanted to learn how to write better. I also hadn't written for over two years and wanted to get back in the habit of writing.

I was worried the course would be too basic, but I found it was great. There were some things I already knew like the three-act structure, but many that I did not. It was really valuable and Angela's feedback was great.

Angela was knowledgeable and encouraging. She also gave us link to articles relevant to each of us/our writing specifically, which was great.

I enjoyed writing! Having a Sunday night deadline was great as it forced me to do what I love (which sounds so stupid, but there you have it). Perhaps 'prioritise what I love' is a better description.

This course reminded me of how much I love writing and I have actually taken a semester off from my uni course to focus on it for the next six months. Perhaps I'm doing the wrong thing at uni...

In the final assessment, I chose to use a scene from my previously written draft and straight away I could see things that could be improved, which I did before submitting. Angela's feedback then allowed me to see in which areas, generally, that I need to work on and this can be applied to the whole novel (along with what I have learnt). I feel confident that I can read my manuscript now and improve it significantly thanks to this course.

Thank you!

I liked the idea of having deadlines to work against and the feedback aspect from multiple people unfamiliar with the genre I was writing in. I had self-doubt about what I was doing and my writing, but with the encouragement of my tutor and classmates that was stripped away pretty quickly.

Angela had a great no-nonsense approach to giving feedback which I loved. It let me know clearly what needed work and how to go about fixing it. She gave me a great motivational boost when telling me what worked and why. She also gave real world examples to the group that were thoroughly helpful and made sense. I couldn't have asked for a better suited tutor.

The most enjoyable part was definitely the workshopping. As writing is a pretty solitary pursuit, it really helped to get second opinions on sections I was unsure of. It was also great to read genres I don't normally read and to see how others worked through plots and character.

It helped me to understand that even the most successful writers still have doubts about what they're doing. It also helped me to develop habits to continue writing, maybe not at the pace of this course, but definitely to continue with a second book. Nothing is perfect and to let mistakes happen. Just continue writing and get that first draft done. Everything can be fixed in the next draft.

I loved this course. Yes, it was stressful and I feared I wouldn't finish my first draft, but I did and had fun while doing it. This was the perfect course for me. It has made me a better writer, a better planner and most of all given me the motivation to keep going and write more.

If you're looking to develop habits to help you write, get used to feedback and not feel so alone, or to just finally get your first draft finished - do this course!

I love the AWC. Your website is so informative, welcoming to new writers without being patronising, and honest about the writing process without being intimidating or gatekeeping. It's one of the best decisions I've made to enrol in Creative Writing Stage 1 last year, so I knew that the next step would be even more informative and engaging.

Pamela was wonderful. Very honest about feedback given, but never in a way that was impersonal, overly harsh or unhelpful. Very thorough, detailed comments that gave me a really good springboard for my further drafts.

I enjoyed the video feedback format from the tutor. I like how different learning styles were incorporated - some people respond better to detailed text instructions, whereas some digest them better in video or audio.

I now have a very confident path to forge ahead with my planned novel, and during these uncertain times of lockdowns, it's fantastic to have something you can confidently focus on.

The whole course was set out very well and seemed to cover every aspect that I could imagine would need to be covered for historical fiction.

It has spurred me on to actually start researching and putting pen to paper.

All the courses that I have attended in person or completed online have been very informative and enjoyable. I thoroughly recommend the Australian Writers' Centre.

I had an idea for a picture book based on something my five-year-old boy did.

The tutor was exceptional. I enjoyed the assignments and the feedback. It has given me the confidence to pursue this specialised area knowing I have valid ideas and I can write.

If you want to go down the path of being a writer, go with the AWC.

Bernadette was an excellent tutor, and her feedback was targeted and useful. Well-chosen activities that honed the skills we were learning.

Excellent and practical course that is also great fun to take! It's given me the confidence to proceed with a career in writing.

Bernadette was very encouraging. She framed all the feedback in a positive way and gave plenty of suggestions about how we could improve our writing.

I enjoyed putting what I had learnt in the modules into practice and having a go at writing my own copy.

Bernadette has given me the confidence and belief that my stuff is actually good and that people would pay for this. I learnt this through the assignment feedback she provided. I am hoping to start up my own copywriting business in the near future.

Go for it. If you love writing there's so many different directions you can take it in.

I can easily recognise different forms of humour now. For example, that's word play or that's surreal humour. And I discovered through doing the assignment at the end that I could write a humorous scene!

It's entertaining, easy to listen to and you get out of it as much as you put in.

The presenter was very methodical, which I liked. My main take out from the course is, focus on the audience.

Worth doing whether you are a novice or a seasoned writer.

Carli was wonderful. Engaging, informative, regularly referenced the wonderful expertise in the group, gave us great examples throughout. I enjoyed her wonderfully generous sharing of information!

Professional, valuable, highly recommended.

I love writing. I watched the Creative Coaching event with Bernadette and Valerie and was so inspired! A slight hesitation on the cost - but, quite frankly, it was worth every cent!

I loved every minute of the course and learnt so much. The feedback gave me a great confidence boost. I loved the homework(!)

I've recently cut back my work to 4 days a week because I wanted to write. This course has given me clear direction and confidence.

Just do it - great quality content and it will change your life. Big thanks to Bernadette and AWC!

I found Carli to be engaging and enjoyed both sessions, which went by very quickly.

It was a great introductory overview to UX writing, touching on many points that are a bit of a blur at the moment (cognitive overload - what an important principle to be aware of). However, the resources we have been left with will be invaluable in enabling me to utilise what I have learned to greatly improve my online writing.

Cost effective courses from people working in the field who genuinely understand the realities that you may be experiencing.

Carli is a generous presenter. I like that she encouraged and utilised the expertise of others in our group to help each of us with our individual projects. I appreciated Carli taking the time to talk about fee structure, add ons and time management. For someone like me who is new to the industry it really helped.

The course covered a lot of ground and had a practical focus. We were equipped with knowledge right from the get go that was useful, best practice and relatable.

I see the pathway forward for me. Writing and design come together in one space. I love the technical, but my strength is fine tuning what it says, how it looks and how it's used. Before I did this course, I couldn't work out how to go forward in the digital space and where to find the information. Now I feel empowered to motor on ahead. Step one: give my author platform and socials an overdue tune up.

Go in with an open mind. Be willing to try a few courses until you find your path. There are takeaway nuggets of gold in every course and presentation.

The tutor was very knowledgeable and made the course engaging with stories and examples in practice. Not too much "cognitive overload!".

Made me realise I know more than I thought I did, the work I've done to date is on track (and pointed out things I can go back and improve) and that I should own the fact that I can call myself a UX copywriter.

The work I've done to date with copy for websites and the app I've developed put me at an experience advantage that I should promote with more confidence.

I'd done other AWC courses (including another led by Angela Slatter) so I knew signing on for this one would improve my writing and ensure I made solid progress with my novel. The six month timeframe was short enough for me to visualise the end and 'scary' enough to propel me into action.

I was a little concerned I might not be able to keep up with the demands (regular assignments, feedbacking and delivery of my entire manuscript by June) but I enjoyed the course so much, I prioritised it and kept up to speed.

Angela is super knowledgeable across many facets of writing and publishing. She was 'above and beyond' generous with her time and feedback. I liked how she was clear and direct about ways I could enhance my writing, while also providing lots of positive support and encouragement. I signed on to IMPROVE so I wanted real feedback, not just sugar-coating and this is what I got. I learned so much from Angela and my story and writing are stronger for it.

Like all the AWC courses I've done, I enjoyed 'meeting' my classmates and getting to know their stories too. I learned a lot from reading and reviewing their writing and I've been able to apply new techniques to my own writing as a result.

When I signed up, I was six months away from turning 60. I'd been messing about with my story for about a year prior to that, and was determined to finish my manuscript by the time I reached this milestone birthday - and I did! That was really satisfying. I hope I can keep up the momentum and make it shine in the upcoming drafts.

If you have any aspirations to write, a course with the AWC is a fantastic step to take. It gives you energy and motivation to write, equips you with insights and skills, and helps you get your 'head in the game' as a writer.

Thanks AWC and Angela for a very satisfying and thrilling ride!

Excellent presenter with good communication skills who knows her subject exceptionally well. I have learnt a lot in the last two days.

Times have changed since I did my last in-house training and this course gave me a lot more information on how to improve my writing.

Creative writing is something I loved at school, but never pursued. With a month of leave from work, and having been told by others that I should write something, I decided to see if this was something I wanted to explore.

I wasn't sure what to expect really, but I enjoyed the course very much and learnt a great deal.

I really liked Margaret. I found her to be very engaging and knowledgeable. I took her feedback on board and was chuffed when she said I should be pleased with what I had written for the Module 3 assignment.

It's pricked my interest for sure. I'll admit to being super daunted about where to from here...but I think with some space for reflection I will find myself making time to write and revisit the lessons.

I found the length perfect, the pace good, the interaction with the tutor good, the content good and the assignments challenging but relevant to the coursework. Great course. Not only did I start my investigative journey into creative writing as an adult, but it kindled that love of reading a book - not just listening to one.

Bernadette is well versed in copywriting, which shows. She was generous with her feedback and also any pointers to improve. I loved the sense of humour she brought to the course.

Completing the assignments and also reading the work of the other students was fun!

It has a pretty compact schedule and gives value for money. It has a great tutor and will definitely improve anyone's writing skills.

Bernadette is great. Great delivery of material, and the feedback was great, particularly hearing the feedback across the group.

I enjoyed the assignments! It was great to quickly put what was learned into action.

The course gave me some awesome tools to help write with more structure, and great go to reference material. The biggest impact was giving me the chance to reflect on my previous work, and not be scared to say "I'm a copywriter". In doing this it unlocked my drive to start building my business as a copywriter.

Do it. Easy to access courses, with industry leading presenters, and a lot of fun - it didn't feel like studying!

Thanks Bernadette! Great intro course, and I'll soon be enrolling in the SEO course (after I do my two-day UX writing course next week).

The clarity of the course content, helpful templates and volume of content packed into 5 weeks exceeded my expectations - thank you!

Bernadette really knows her stuff and was a pleasure to learn from. Her feedback was both valuable and insightful and it was great to learn from everyone's examples, not just my own.

I liked Bernadette's relaxed but knowledgeable style, which came across in both the videos and the feedback recordings.

It has given me the belief and confidence that I can actually do this in the future, which is fantastic.

You can't go wrong. The tutors really know their stuff and the courses are high quality. Love the flexibility and mix of options with completely self-paced or guided (but flexible) time-constrained courses.

A huge thanks to Bernadette and to the AWC for another awesome course. I'm keen to take the next steps in copywriting and learn the business side of it.

I was wanting to learn how to write a novel, and two friends of mine had completed and recommended this course to me.

I really valued and respected both the feedback given and the way the feedback was delivered. Margaret was realistic, kind and quite obviously knew her stuff!

I'm going to start writing my story!

Loved the presentation and layout of the web design - easy to understand and follow. Due to having not studied anything since I was 17 (now 54), I was quite daunted by the whole online experience.

I am so surprised at how easy I found it to complete the online study and interact with students and tutor. I labelled myself a technology dinosaur before this experience and now am very happy to report I am dinosaur no more!

Margaret is very observant, just and fair in her critique. Engaging and positive in all feedback, even the negative. I truly like her style.

It has opened my eyes to my own potential. Whether I decide to make a career of it or not, I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Just a big thank you to everyone involved. A great learning process that has unleashed a creative streak that has always been lurking in the background of my years, waiting for a chance to spring forth out of the shadows!

I've done two other courses with AWC and really liked them. This one was outside of my comfort zone, but something I wanted to try.

Zanni was great. Really awesome at constructive feedback! My story developed a lot each week based on her input and guidance.

It was great having the opportunity to keep developing/refining the same story over a few weeks. I liked the consistency and applying skills from the lessons each week into the assignment.

I had a vague idea for a story going into the course. Now I've written my first full draft of that story. It's come to life through the lessons, but mostly through Zanni's feedback.

I'd say AWC courses are a great resource to learn some basics, or if you have a story in mind, it's a great place to develop that story in a safe environment.

I had Scrivener for a few years and found it really difficult to navigate. I thought this course would give me the basics to manage my projects.

Natasha explained everything very well and it was easy to follow her around Scrivener. She was very likeable and made the content easy to understand.

I can now open a new project, start a new project, import files and organise my work.

All the courses I have done with the Australian Writers' Centre have been great. Easy to understand and they cover the information very well.

I thought the lessons were really well recorded and very easy to listen to. It was also helpful to have the content of the lessons itemised so it was easy to go back and listen to any part without having to listen to the whole lesson.

I was extremely impressed with the tutor. Her feedback was valuable and it was very beneficial to hear her feedback for all the students as I took something from each.

Every lesson has provided me with so much learning that I have already improved so much. (I think). Even my memoirs that I write just for myself have changed for the better.

A highly professional organisation. Great online content and support.

I loved this course!
- I liked that we could share in the assignments and feedback of others.
- The assignments and exercises are diverse and valuable.
- Valerie has a lovely voice to listen to for the presentations. Having the audio to embellish on the written notes is very useful (and some videos too).
- The handouts were very well set out and easy to follow.
- The feedback is very positive (strengths) and constructive (areas to improve).
- I feel like I can go out and tackle this now, and have enrolled in the masterclass.
- The course took the recommended time each week (usually 3 hours for me).
- I know what is involved now and that it is not an easy process that gets completed over the 5 week course.
- Yay!

I am more knowledgeable in teaching reading and writing for my job as a primary school teacher (year 2 - so lots of picture books!). I feel that this course should be part of teacher training!

More importantly, I am confident that I could turn some of my ideas into picture books and have benefited immensely from the content and feedback on assignments. It made me commit to the writing and spend my time in purposeful writing rather than doing random things!

I have enrolled in some of your other courses and am now motivated to finish them. I love writing so much more!

Zanni is an amazing tutor. I loved that the feedback was verbal and that she read our stories back to us. Her feedback was thorough and timely, always pointing out what is working well and what could be improved upon. She doesn't just tell you what to improve upon though, she tells you how and gives you an example of a possible change. It's great that she is a well-loved children's book author so you know that the advice you are getting is going to be useful. While I didn't ask anything, I noticed that she wrote back to others very quickly. Thanks Zanni :)

I can't recommend this course highly enough. I was turned off creative writing at high school, but since teaching primary school children, I realised the magic of picture books. This course reignited my passion for writing, which is a dream of mine that has tended to come and go. I now know not only why to write (I see that every day in my students!) but how to write. There's no way you could get this information delivered in such an engaging, fun and meaningful way through any book or through your own research. You have to do this course, even if you love it only half as much as I do then you'll be absolutely stoked!

Keep doing what you're doing because it's magic!

I was looking for inspiration to get me back into writing after quite a long period away from it. It's given me the confidence to complete the enrolment in a five-week course, and not just think about it.

I liked this course as it took me through a process of thinking through what was possible step by step. I also enjoyed hearing the stories of other students who had success with translating what they've learned through AWC into a part-time or full-time writing career.

Previously I had some idea of what type of writing I'd like to focus on but had not really thought it through as thoroughly. This course was a great help. However, I still feel that I have a long way to go.

Probably, the main 'aha' moments were that I need to write what I enjoy and to believe in what I'm doing.

I would say that doing this course or any others with the Australian Writer' Centre is a gateway for anyone considering taking up writing as a serious hobby or even career. These courses offer writing knowledge and skills in a very practical and easily accessible way.

The most enjoyable part was learning what is possible in the world of blogging. I have found more aspects in my writing that I now know how to improve. Also, I now know what's required with starting a blog.

The Australian Writers' Centre has a wide variety of courses that cover many topics, with in-depth modules and videos. I highly recommend them as their courses have helped me in many areas of my writing.

After completing Creative Writing stage 1, I was hooked, and found myself writing a story. The Novel Writing Essentials course felt like perfect timing.

Pamela's feedback was very useful and I found myself having many aha moments during her feedback. I enjoyed reading all the other stories from classmates and receiving their feedback. The audio lessons are fantastic!

I was using a lot of flashbacks in my story and, after the useful feedback from Pamela, I have re-written many scenes using story present. As a result, I am feeling a lot happier with those scenes and feel closer to my characters too.

I highly recommend taking a course with the Australian Writers' Centre. My understanding of plot, characters and individuality as a writer has transformed my approach to my writing and I feel very encouraged about where my story is going, thanks to what I have learned through the course.

I look forward to signing up to the novel writing course next, although I am going to pause to zone in on my story for a few months just using what I have learned from the Novel Writing Essentials course. I plan to go over the coursework again and continue to workshop with the group privately for the time being. But I will certainly be back for more courses.

I have been confident enough to put myself out there and to start making contacts. I attended my very first small business networking event and made some valuable connections

I only needed to step out into the world and start telling people that I am a copywriter to actually start my career.

Do it! Such great guidance, resources and mentoring.

Lesley is a wonderful presenter - a pleasure to learn from. I enjoyed her teaching and doing the assignments.

I'm keen to experiment and see if I can produce something publishable. The main thing is that I really enjoyed it, which hopefully means my writing will be enjoyable to read.

Tim is a legend. I loved it and all the info was extremely helpful. I enjoyed his quirky humour; caramel donuts; and farts.

It's helped me consider different ways of injecting humour into my work.

I loved this course and just wanted it to keep going!

My tutor was amazing. Pamela is an incredibly knowledgeable and encouraging facilitator. She inspired our group every step of the way. We adored her!

The homework tasks inspired us to write, collaborate and engage in critical reflection to improve our skills. Pamela was a wonderful guide and teacher throughout the journey. Pamela helped me to believe in myself. How does it get any better than that?

I cannot thank Pamela and the fellow students in my group enough. I learnt so much and felt supported along the way. The camaraderie was wonderful and the knowledge I gained was invaluable. Thank you!!

The course inspires you to reach your writing goals in an incredibly supportive environment.

It took away the apprehension I often have to start writing on a given day and made me write. It was gradual--something that built over the 30 days.

Just try it. It builds confidence that you can write. It’s just about doing it every day in some way.

I had been considering participating in this course for a long time but only now had the courage to test my skills in English creative writing. I was concerned if my skills in English language were sufficient to take part in a creative writing course.

Stephen was great. He provided feedback on different aspects of the writing after each module which I found really useful. I can put the lessons learnt to immediate action on my current manuscript.

I enjoyed the feedback from both the tutor and other course participants on my stories and reading other course participants’ stories.

I decided early on to use this course as a kick starter for my next manuscript.

I enjoy participating in courses, listening to podcasts and watching the webinars provided by the AWC. I listen to the podcast every week and the AWC graduates group in FB has become like a home base for whatever writing related information I am looking for.

Bernadette was well versed in the subject and added life experiences which allowed participants to imagine situations which they may need to deal with.

I enjoyed writing the content, and having to meet word counts made me really think about how I was writing and to make it more succinct. I have been able to use the skills learnt to improve my writing in the workplace (and have received positive feedback from my boss on my writing).

It has made me hyper aware of the way "advertising" content is written - I look at every email now with new eyes and think about why it has caught my eye. Also, it has helped me to hone my report responses at work.

Do the course, it will change your life.

Bernadette was fantastic: relatable, encouraging and deeply experienced. Her humility when offering assignment feedback - she would often pause and correct herself without making a big deal of it - was useful to witness. Rather than getting bogged in perfectionism, it felt like a demonstration of a productive mindset for doing quality work, getting paid and moving forward.

I enjoyed the consistently positive and encouraging tone. When you're nursing doubts about trying something new, the supportive voice makes a difference.

I'm confident I can make good on my goal to earn money by writing. That's a huge step towards my dream career switch.

The courses are focused, results-driven and delivered by lovely people.

The tutor was very knowledgeable, encouraging and efficient in his replies.

I enjoyed meeting the other students ... we are from everywhere and all so different. Also working at my own pace.

It's made me realise that I can write that novel if I really put in the effort. In my mind, a Uni degree was the only way forward, but I've realised that these short courses are so much more suited to my learning style and still deliver the goods. The courses may be short, but they have a huge amount of precise information that really get the creative juices flowing.

A writing friend mentioned the course to me when it was first released and I purchased it straight away. I also purchased and completed a number of other AWC courses before I completed this one. As someone who found this course at the start of their writing journey, I was attracted to the course as I knew adding humour to my books was something I wanted to do and who better to be guide me in this than Tim Harris.

I loved how Tim was so open and honest about everything in the course. Made the course and material very relatable.

I have already used the techniques in a picture book I was working on and have submitted to an Australian publisher for consideration. Tim's feedback of my final assessment was the confidence boost I needed to just get in there and write my heart out. I can't even put into words how his critique of my assessment has made me feel about my writing.

If you are having fun, your readers will pick up on that. I think that's the major thing I have taken from this course.

I recommend AWC all the time. I am currently finishing my 9th of 10 courses through the AWC and I have taken something from each and every one of them. I know that my writing has improved dramatically in the last 12 months because of the information and feedback provided in the courses. If you are even just a little bit curious about exploring different avenues of writing, then give AWC a go.

Alex was great. She gave very clear and helpful feedback that I could use to work on my skills.

I enjoyed hearing real-world stories from the industry. It really helped me to see that writing freelance is possible and that it’s something I can do.

The course gets you ready to start out freelancing, it's focused on the industry and provides concrete examples, case studies and best practice.

Loved Pamela, the fast pace and the practical exercises. Got me moving, convinced me I can be a full-time writer.

A great way to develop your writing to the next level.

I saw it in the AWC newsletter and I thought it was a great idea. I didn't know anything about marketing myself as an author and didn't even realise I had to. When I saw this course in the newsletter, I had a lightbulb moment and realised immediately that I had to sign up.

I found this course excellent. There was so much information, but it was broken down into easy to manage chunks. At no point did I feel completely overwhelmed, which is quite impressive since there was so much to learn that took me out of my comfort zone. I think it was great that it was continually reiterated to start slowly and stick to the platforms that I'm most comfortable with. I also liked the reminder to not let social media get in the way of writing.

I now have a massive following on Facebook and Instagram, plus a good amount of people subscribed to my newsletter. And I have a website I love. I have met some amazing authors online, they have also taught me new things about writing, and are truly interested in my writing too. These people have become friends and this course was the catalyst for that.

I can't believe how far I have come in the last year, all thanks to doing this course.

I have always wanted to do a creative writing course and a few of my friends have done courses previously at the Australian Writers' Centre. I wasn't sure how much I would get from this course because it was all online pre-recorded, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I actually learnt.

I found the feedback very helpful and easy to understand. I enjoyed using my imagination and becoming more confident in my writing.

It has helped get me started to write a little every day. Now here is hoping it becomes a habit!

The Australian Writers' Centre is great place to learn about writing.

I came in with an open mind, so am delighted with what I have learnt in this short yet informative course.

The tutor was kind. Gentle. Knowledgeable. I really appreciated Stephen's comments.

Even though I was doing a lot of these things inherently in my writing, it was great to have the skills outlined, explained and expanded on. I have enjoyed writing just for the sake of it and like the 200 and 500 word challenges.

I am looking to pitch my fiction to a traditional publisher, so the advice around this has been very helpful. Although I write as part of my living, fiction is a new area, and I now have more confidence to pursue this path. Thanks.

The course is professionally and cleanly presented. It is informative, encouraging and fun. The assignments are challenging and it's great to get professional feedback. The additional exercises are appreciated, and even if there is no time to do them in the 5 weeks, it is terrific that we can revisit and review in the future. Great value for money.

Thank you. I have already purchased several more courses, and have a few more in mind to do after that.

I've done two Writing Workout courses and really enjoy the Zoom format. I've definitely seen improvement in my writing. It's brought back my joy of writing.

It's wonderful working with everyone's stories, and especially wonderful to be able to connect with remote writers during lockdown. Zoom has meant I get to be in Pamela's classes even though I'm in Melbourne.

I love being part of the Zoom classes. It's been great connecting with writers from around the country. We can cheer each other on, and have wonderful discussions that would not happen if we were mainly communicating via text.

I really enjoyed this course. Wish I'd taken the time to do it earlier. Will be happy to enrol in another.

The quizzes were great for testing my knowledge.

Pamela was very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. The environment was encouraging.

I'm working hard on completing my novel and thanks to this course I am out of the thinking stage and into the active writing stage.

As I worked on writing my own piece and providing feedback for my fellow course-mates, I realised that the important thing was to get the story down and that it doesn't have to be perfect. As long as the story is written I will have the opportunity to make it better as much as I want.

The Australian Writers' Centre provides a friendly and encouraging environment, especially to someone like me who lacked confidence in her work and was afraid of criticism. The experience is constructive, inspiring and overall fun.

I want to change career and have always wanted to write. I want to reinvent myself and this course covered it all!

I really appreciate the range of writers that shared their story as I am still discovering the direction/s I want to take.

I enjoyed how positive it was and affirming that I can do this!

At this point, I have yet to take some of the actions, but I think if I really engage with the step-by-step process (baby steps - thank you), I think it could be profound. I am at the beginning.

We have one life, so why spend it doing things we don't enjoy? For me that means changing my life, facing the fear and stepping into the unknown.

It was practical, positive and really reasonably priced! For the small amount, you can be on the way to following your dreams to become a writer.

I'd earlier completed the Copywriting Essentials course and this felt like the natural next step before setting up my business.

Bernadette was great - interesting, informative and professional but approachable in her teaching style. I felt that her advice was practical and realistic based on her first-hand experience as a copywriter.

I enjoyed the pace of it and that assignments were achievable given that I was also working another job at the time of doing the course. Also liked how practical it was with assignments providing the steps to actually get a business up and running.

I feel more confident in starting out as a copywriter when the time is right for me to begin and also knowing how to charge appropriately for services.

Thanks Bernadette for another enjoyable, well presented course! I really looked forward to each module and know that I will continue to refer back to the two courses I've done with you as I move forward with starting my copywriting business.

I thought it would be beneficial to learn something about the process of publishing should I ever get that far. It was surprisingly interesting and the voice over was engaging.

It will keep me focussed that I'm writing for a market, so I should have in mind more clearly who my audience is rather than me.

Thank you to Pamela Hart. I have even bought one of your books.

I liked that there would be assignments and that we would be given constant feedback as well as being encouraged to work on stories that we have already started.

I was hesitant because I wasn't sure whether it would help me with the story I have been writing but it ended up working out perfectly.

The tutor was incredibly helpful, she gave constructive feedback and asked questions that made my writing better. She made sure to also give praise for certain things and overall was extremely supportive and gave great advice.

I enjoyed the assignments as it was where I was given feedback on my work and also the Q&A week where I was able to ask questions regarding any topic to do with writing and my tutor was very prompt with her replies.

It has made me consider certain things in regard to my story and has helped me to understand how the world of writing works, as well as the better way of planning a novel.

AWC courses are well structured, making it easy to complete studies in writing; without becoming overwhelmed. This is my fourth AWC course. It's become an addiction now!

The course has made it easier for me to see my 'big picture' manuscript, at a time when I was feeling bogged down in story details. I feel like I have the skills to move on with a major structural edit of my book.

Early in the course, we were looking at different types of structure. I realised that the life events depicted in my memoir seemed to contain an organic structure, that mirrored elements of the three-act structure, as well as the hero's journey. These structures mirror the human story, because the human story is where these structures originated.

I would say that AWC courses are a really easy way to develop professional writing skills, one step at a time. Courses are structured so that writers can focus on specific areas, as they're needed. They're enjoyable, as well as rewarding. You even get a certificate! Once you do one, you'll want another.

The lessons were comprehensive and provided great practical advice. Also appreciated the exercises; although optional, they were helpful practice.

Amanda was very encouraging and provided precise feedback. I knew exactly what I required to improve my writing.

I had finished the second draft of my manuscript and wasn't sure of the next step. I knew it wasn't ready to submit but I wasn't sure what I needed to do to improve it.

I love the self-paced online format for the more technical courses, such as this one. There is so much information and I can pause, stop or continue depending on my capacity to learn.

The power editing process has clear steps that were well explained. It gave me the skills and the confidence I need to self-edit my manuscript.

I feel more confident in my ability to self-edit and submit to a publisher or literary agent.

The Australian Writers' Centre gives you the tools you need to improve your writing as well as your confidence in your own abilities.

I had been thinking about setting up a blog and wasn't sure how to start. I had completed courses with the AWC in the past and knew the quality of the courses.

I was surprised that I felt very confident about setting up the blog even before I finished the course.

I loved the fact that it was oriented towards action. Just get out there, do it, don't worry too much about getting it 'perfect'.

After I set up the blog, I posted it on my Facebook site and sent a message to individual friends encouraging them to have a look and comment. I was surprised how many people absolutely loved my writing. It has given me a real confidence boost and I am now committed to writing a piece to share each week.

AWC courses are practical and well-structured. The self-paced modules allow you to complete sections in your own timeframe and you can always go back to lessons should you need to. They contain a wealth of information that are geared to get you going.

Zanni was great, very honest. I enjoyed learning different literary techniques and getting to try out a different story every week. The course was pretty perfect!

I've rewritten a story and come up with a brand new story that I'm pretty confident about. I have the confidence to keep trying even if I don't succeed with these ideas.

If you want to have a shot at being published, you need to do this course.

I wanted to try a creative writing course and the length and format of this one seemed perfect for me to get some tips/advice before either seeking something longer or more involved. That a published author would be providing feedback was also a plus.

I think the feedback provided was excellent overall and was sure to point out the positives of submitted pieces and constructively appraise areas for improvement. It was also timely and the oral format suited the delivery of the course material. It also allowed self-reflection for the points made for other participants when considering my own writing style/choices.

Really, I just enjoyed the chance to give writing a go and have other people read it and enjoy aspects of what I'd done.

The course lessons provide lots of useful insights and tips to take on board in a very encouraging way. I would recommend this course if somebody were toying with doing some creative writing.

I'm interested in creative non-fiction and life writing and have tried to start my autobiography but gave it up. I wanted to learn more about how to do this sort of writing.

A major learning during the course was the similarities between creative non-fiction and fiction, e.g. story arc, dialogue, etc. Also, the need to make your story interesting for the reader, not just a recitation of facts.

The course has also provided me with a great book list to work through. I've just started reading my first Peter FitzSimons book and am enjoying it, although I had avoided his books in the past.

I would say that the Centre's courses are straightforward, comprehensive and provide useful tools to aid your writing endeavours in either creative writing or non-fiction forms of writing.

Bernadette was brilliant. Very generous and encouraging with her feedback. Really useful information provided on slides. Practically-minded and material well-paced.

The time commitment was perfect for people working and/or with other commitments.

I enjoyed getting verbal feedback from the tutor herself. The excellent slides and handouts. The pace. The assignments. Everything, really.

I can apply everything I learnt to my job right now. There are also so many ways I can improve my knowledge in this area based on the materials Bernadette provided. It really was a launch-pad course to put you on the right track and also help you figure out what you don't know and how to get it.

Do it. It's practical, affordable, fits into a busy schedule and you'll leave more enlightened and enriched than when you started. Guaranteed.

Bernadette - you are a legend.

I completed a creative writing course a few years ago and had started writing a novel. I hadn't looked at it in a year so wanted to get motivated to write again. I have listened to the podcasts for quite a while and enjoy Allison and Valerie's banter, so thought I would give Novel Writing Essentials a go.

Pamela was amazing! Her feedback was so useful and made perfect sense. She gave a lot of tips throughout the course interwoven through her various feedbacks. I learned a lot from listening to her feedback to other students as well as my own.

I enjoyed the learnings from the feedback sessions - both Pamela's and the other students. Also, reading other submissions and seeing the many different writing styles/genres.

I have started writing again and I feel like I know (sort of) what I'm doing now.

Even though I have completed a couple of creative writing courses over the years, I regret that I didn't start with the Australian Writers' Centre creative writing course.

Wow, where to start. I'd never realised there was so much theory and structure that went into novel writing. I was stuck with the 'how do I put my novel together and arrange the story' and I have so much insight into that now. The lessons were fantastic along with the assignments to put learnings into practice and hone my skills.

I have always said "I want to write a novel" but had never studied creative writing, so this was the first step in taking my novel writing more seriously. I picked this one because of the reviews; it looked like a quality course compared to many others out there.

Pamela was fantastic. Really loved listening to her feedback each week on my work and was always able to improve it another notch. Was very helpful listening to others' feedback too. I learnt a lot in the process. Would love to have her as a tutor again.

I enjoyed the structure, the weekly activities and feedback. Working alongside other students. I got into a great routine of writing five nights a week and hoping to keep that going!

I was a bit of a 'pantser' before this course. Now I can see how much development there is to do before diving in and writing. Characters, structure, working out all the turning points etc. Of course, the plan may change as I write, but it's great to do this work first.

Go for it - you won't regret it! I have so much more confidence in myself as a writer now.

I wasn't sure that I could transition to this type of writing, but I think that I can now.

Lots of good templates and ideas about what type of content writing is used. Also good advice about how to get involved in the industry. There is a formula and structure to help you along the way, and there is actually a huge industry out there for it.

Was quite keen to explore all aspects of my writing journey, particularly after having taken the Picture Books course for younger readers. I have fond memories of the chapter books of my own childhood and its role in introducing me to independent reading. I hadn't ever heard of a course for this specific area being offered before.

It was helpful going through the development of one particular story to illustrate the concepts. The presenter also offered a solid grasp of the area with examples from other books.

Children's books have always seemed an untouchable and distant realm for the chosen few. It was wonderful to have it demystified and explained by Lesley, with instructions that are clear and specific.

I think the AWC has given me such a boost, both in motivation and in confidence, to continue along the writing journey. It's paved the road that little bit more in the most important of ways.

I've recently finished the copywriting essentials and SEO copywriting courses and wanted to learn how content writing differentiates from copywriting in order to bridge any gaps. I really enjoyed that this is self-paced. It's allowed me time to fit this around work and family.

I enjoyed all of the example articles because they were not only a great way to show how each formula applied, they were also an interesting read.

I realised that I've actually been a content writer for years and that I'm totally allowed to call myself one and feel confident about it.

I had an 'aha!' moment when learning about thought leader pieces. I've been writing these for my family's small business for a while, drawing on the thoughts of the owner who truly is a thought leader in his field. However, I didn't realise they were called thought leader pieces and therefore haven't been writing them effectively. I can now apply what I've learned in this course to improve it.

The Australian Writers' Centre courses provide loads of valuable tips and templates you can apply to your writing straight away.

I wanted to add another string to my 'writing bow' and this course fits neatly alongside my copywriting and content writing (I'll have enough strings for a violin soon).

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to David and will take the next few weeks to read the resources provided. The video content was invaluable. David's delivery of his own story, written works and glimpses into his journalistic background was mesmerising. The toolkit details will come in very handy when I summon up the courage to ask a friend of mine if I can profile her. I would never have considered this if the course hadn't supplied me with the right tools.

I feel confident that I can 'profile' a few local individuals who have had, and continue to have, a significant impact on the lives of others (and whose stories should be told).

Annabel was terrific. Her style of presentation was inclusive, knowledgeable and fun. I enjoyed the practical exercises and listening to fellow students' ideas and concepts.

I feel re-energised. My current manuscript (2nd) is nearing completion and I was dissatisfied with it. I now realise I was expecting too much from a first draft. I forgot that the layering, body language, sub plots etc are honed and flesh out on the rewrite.

An excellent course that guides you comfortably along the path of learning.

Annabel was great; she was well prepared, knowledgeable and had 'gone the journey' to publication. Her energy was also inspirational and kept us going.

The people were great. Different writers with different backgrounds, but clear on where they'd like to take their writing. This enabled all of us to draw on each other as inspiration. The intro to the other attendees with the potential to keep in contact as a "writing group" was a real bonus.

Lots of great courses, with a variety of tutors to get your writing to where it needs to be. I'm a Furious Fiction addict and have been spreading the word on this one too. Thanks for holding this in person and in Perth.

After a hiatus of nearly 12 years, I wanted to try my hand at writing again. I wasn't sure if I'd be better suited to copywriting or creative writing. I picked this course as a starting point in my new journey of discovery as it sounded fun, and because I am familiar with the AWC.

Bernadette is very knowledgeable and readily shares her experience. Feedback was positive and constructive.

I liked the structure of the course. It wasn't too overwhelming in terms of content volume. The hands-on exercises were fun. I liked the fact that I could listen to the tutorials at any time and that I could download the lessons to revisit content when I needed to.

Thank you, Bernadette, for your kind encouragement. Thank you, AWC, for a fun experience. I will enrol in another course soon!

I thoroughly enjoyed how relatable Bernadette made the lessons, and the extra tidbits of knowledge that she shared throughout the course. It made me even more excited about the content and the lessons.

Bernadette is very engaging, I was looking forward to listening to the lessons each week. She made the content easy to understand and gave really helpful feedback.

It's helped me gain confidence in my ability to write well and to write quickly. I want a career change and this course has given me the extra boost that I needed to know that I can go out there and be a copywriter.

It's fast paced but easy to learn. The lessons are engaging and the resources are extremely useful.

Pamela Cook was an excellent tutor and gave great feedback throughout this course, not just to myself but all the students.

The opportunity to read the work of others and offer feedback, and receiving feedback, was fantastic as it has helped improve my own work.

These courses are great, the tutors are very helpful, the classroom is respectful to your work and the feedback others offer is fantastic.

The course has re-ignited my passion for writing and given me direction as to how to go back and re-invigorate my memoir, incorporating more memory-type writing.

I'm now committing to 3 writing sessions a week, and two of those will be going to our local library, a place without the distractions of home.

Definitely highly recommended. I've already done this to my friends.

I'm a novice writer who had completed a final draft. I needed to know how to tighten my writing and make it attractive to readers. The course information AWC provided for The Story Doctor ticked all the boxes for what I was looking for.

The tutor was enthusiastic and magnetic in the online class - this is not something everyone can do. The tutor's facilitation style, for me, was like listening to a friend. The words of support and encouragement given, though not specifically directed to me, still found their way into my psyche to calm the doubts I have about the value of my writing.

It was all about the tutor having exceptional writing skill and knowledge, coupled with the ability to engage every participant in the online platform. There was no pressure to participate, but the tutor was able to relate the teachings to each student's writing. The examples provided were relatable, as were the exercises.

Thank you for the work you do and the opportunities you offer. I have suggested to my writing friends that they explore the courses offered by AWC, as there is bound to be something that will be just what they need.

Bernadette was wonderful. So easy to understand and easy to listen to. Very knowledgeable and insightful. I really loved the audio in each module and hearing the feedback on everyone's submissions.

I feel much more confident to start putting myself out there as a freelance copywriter.

Do it! AWC are great and I'll look to do more courses with them down the track.

I enjoyed the ease of the content being delivered clearly, succinctly and effectively through the videos.

It has reminded me of the need to be thorough and meticulous when compiling correspondence and to keep an eye out for those pesky grammar errors!

Go for it. Even if you think you've got it covered, it's a great refresher, or if you're needing some confidence, it's a great course to complete!

It delivered great 'bang for my buck'. I got exactly what I wanted at exactly the right price.

I now have a toolkit I can refer to quickly and easily to get the best results. I don't get bogged down in the detail.

I found Bernadette's course content and presentation to be warm, interesting and enjoyable. Her feedback on the weekly assignments was very helpful.

The most enjoyable aspect for me was delving into the practice of thinking about words and their impact. I would happily become lost for hours, wording and rewording a headline or some content for an assignment, being driven by the thrill of the chase to uncover just the right combination! Definitely addictive!

I have discovered that this is something that I enjoy and CAN do!

If you are interested in exploring copywriting as a potential business or side hustle, AWC is the perfect place to start. The course content, length and cost are very manageable and will give you a taste of what is on offer. Bernadette delivers an interesting, insightful course in a warm and humorous manner. She has a wealth of industry experience and knowledge and gives constructive feedback on assignments. Whether it is to assist you with writing great copy for your own business, or other people's, you will learn plenty of useful strategies. Don't hesitate or doubt yourself - just enrol and start writing!

This was so practical, and I not only learned everything I needed but was given direction on where to find out more. Brilliant!

Bernadette was amazing. The feedback was spot on and her lecture style was engaging. The resources she supplied were exceptional.

I enjoyed learning the tricks of the trade and then putting them into practice. The way I read and write back cover blurbs, sales sheets etc. for work has improved and become more fun. I also now can actually see my future as a copywriter, which impacts my present!

It is incredible value for money.

I found the course easy to follow and full of awesome info. Bernadette is a super engaging presenter and I found her feedback extremely helpful.

Loved the course - looking forward to the next one. Thanks Bernadette for being so awesome! I feel a lot more confident in my work and feel I can write copy a lot faster now.

Do it! It's money well spent.

I have a few new real estate clients and I wanted to enhance what I could offer them.

I enjoyed Dean's narration. He is an engaging teacher/speaker! Thanks Dean!

It gave me another way to logically approach the process of writing real estate copy, and I'm sure this will flow into other areas.

I'd certainly recommend AWC. It has been invaluable for growing my confidence (both in existing and new skills) as I begin my freelance journey.

I had already done a self-study course with AWC which I really enjoyed, and then wanted to learn about SEO for our website. I liked the 5-week length of the course, so I could really focus on the topic.

I found Bernadette to be very easy to listen to on the videos, and her chatty style of presentation was engaging. It has left me considering doing another of her courses. Her feedback was extremely helpful, and gave me confidence in my ability.

It is now clear to me what SEO copywriting is all about, and I actually enjoy it! I now have lots of great ideas to implement on our website.

If you're interested in writing, definitely go ahead and do a course. It is so worth the investment, and will save you time trying to do your own research on the topic.

Great course, thank you Bernadette.

I've already submitted 3 articles and had 2 positive responses; I'm off and away.

I've stewed on writing professionally for years but now with the industry know-how, I can pitch my writing ideas and get going.

If you really want to write, do a course with AWC and see where it takes you.

Bernadette is the best presenter!

The handout summaries are great. I also took many screenshots of the various diagrams and infographics Bernadette shared. There was a simplicity to the course structure, making it really clear what to focus on in the realm of SEO copywriting.

I go off on tangents looking at competitor websites and their DA scores like it's a sport :-D

I got confirmation that the SEO stuff I'd originally completed for my previous company website was the correct thing to do, which is a huge relief. Now I'm confident that I know that and I can do it better in future.

Now I have completed all 3 copywriting courses, I feel confident in this continued professional learning and how it relates to my on-the-job experience. I think it's a very worthwhile course, even for keeping up to date with best practice techniques.

Thank you, Bernadette, and AWC for this course!

I've been using Scrivener for years and love it but realised I was only using some of the functions of it.

This course was great. I didn't realise how many cool functions Scrivener had that I wasn't using! Very easy to follow and I could amend my Scrivener project as I went along, while watching the videos, using two screens.

I have colour coded all my scenes, can now use the cork board for what it was intended for, and the outline functions are really useful for seeing where I'm up to in my manuscript. Also the Linguistic Focus tool was a revelation for seeing when you've gone overboard on adverbs, adjectives or dialogue.

Excellent courses, good online platform and quality teachers.

There was a lot of information to take in over a relatively short timeframe but all of it is very useful and great that we continue to have access to it for 12 months.

The tutor was positive and supportive and gave constructive feedback.

It has given me confidence but also it has helped all of my writing, including the writing I do in the business world. To learn how to be economical but highly effective with words has been very useful.

A well-structured, practical course with constructive feedback that also helps you to understand the industry and how to approach it.

Bernadette has a lot of knowledge and shares it willingly. She gives personal feedback that is helpful but at the same time supportive and shows us how to improve our work. I've done three courses with Bernadette and loved them all! Thank you :)

I enjoyed the assignments. They were practical tasters and gave us a challenge in a supportive environment.

Whilst doing the course I was also building my website. I was able to apply my new knowledge to my website and make sure that it has every chance of being found!

Bernadette was fantastic in her real-world approach. It was great to learn from someone so experienced and so willing to share thoughts and ideas in a really relatable way. It was great to be able to hear the other participants' feedback as well to learn from that.

I enjoyed all of it, but the assignments were especially good to be able to apply learnings and then get feedback.

I have started to look at opportunities in my local area where I could offer copywriting services and how I would improve different pieces of copy I come across. I've also enrolled in the freelance course and started to think about how I might position a side hustle copywriting service.

If you're looking to learn from credible writing experts who understand all the different reasons people write, and who can target material to various writing abilities and confidence levels in a really inclusive way, then consider a course with AWC.

Taking the step to building my author platform has been critical to thinking of myself as an author. My big take-home idea was that if I'm expecting others to take my writing seriously then I ought to be taking it seriously too, and to build a platform made me think of my writing - and marketing my writing - in a more strategic way.

It's given me ideas for writing blog posts - and that I might count these as "proper writing" (having so far been a novelist, it is very hard to write short pieces!)

It's OK to start small, start slow, and take your time. It was heartening to hear many established authors confirm that the platform is a means to an end and shouldn't detract from writing time.

I have always been interested in reading profiles and have wondered about the skills required to do so.

I found David's presentation to be interesting and easily followed. I enjoyed his easy-to-understand communication style, combined with questions from his audience.

I can see openings for profile writing that relate to preservation of memories for future generations in families. So much is lost with the death of older people or their loss of memory.

If you are wanting to write and are unsure how to go about it, have a look at the AWC website for inspiring courses.

I enjoyed listening to the lessons and following along with the handouts. The content taught was very thorough and gave me a good understanding into the Picture Book world.

The tutor was knowledgeable and gave practical feedback.

It has given me a practical insight into the picture book world. I have always wondered about how to get a story published, and I feel like the course provides a very clear path to get there. Just have to write a good story now!

I was concerned that the material provided may be too difficult given I do not have a background in journalism. However, it was very easy to understand.

I feel more in touch with my strengths in writing and rediscovered my passion for words. I really enjoyed discovering that I love writing.

Fabulous course. Self-enriching in every way! Anything is possible. You just need to discover the pathway to reaching it.

I took Copywriting Essentials and loved it. This was the next step.

Bernadette is a great mentor and delivers the course material clearly and concisely. Her anecdotal infusions are funny and enlightening. She is amazing.

I have had so many ideas, have written in the past and am looking for a new career that I decided it was time to try.

Thankyou Zanni - your feedback was invaluable, very relatable to me. It was of a high quality while also showing me what to do.

I have written my first children's picture book but it has also shown me and given me a taste for other types of writing.

I liked the balance between the more technical info and the pure copywriting content. The best part was listening to the review of the assessments - this is where I saw the ideas in practice, learning from others in the course.

I've already started writing blogs for other people (thanks to a course with AWC years ago) and this gave me a deeper level of understanding about structuring keywords for improved writing and SEO results.

Doing this course has really broadened my ideas of what writing is and has improved my writing. I struggled with the 'show don't tell' before, but I have a better grasp on it after listening to the lessons and reading the handouts.

I thought Pamela gave good and varied feedback. She was good at doing the sandwich technique for constructive criticism.

My writing has definitely improved and I feel I have what it takes to write the first draft, if only just to bin it afterwards and start again. I really thought before you needed to have a clear idea of what your story is before writing, but realised that's not the case after this course. I think writing the first draft then binning it (or keeping it if it happens to be worthy) will really help with developing the story and what I want.

Definitely try it! It's life-changing, and also fun. Even with full-time work and language study, I still made time to complete the assignments and listen to the materials every day. The advice is really sound and inspiring, plus the weekly feedback is super beneficial to improve your writing! I can truly say I've come out of this course more knowledgeable, but happier and more confident with myself too. Plus there's the secret bonus of being invited to zoom events and receiving AWC weekly newsletter too.

Thank you for the wonderful course! I'm definitely looking forward to doing another one in the near future :)

Entering the world of picture books is like entering the TARDIS for the first time. The course opened my eyes but has given me the tools and knowledge to work through the maze.

Zanni is great. Her comments were relevant, useful and encouraging. I gained a lot from listening to her feedback on everyone's work, including my own.

I enjoyed the challenge of writing simple text to create big ideas.

I feel ready to join the world of children's book writers. Now I just have to find a publisher who agrees with me. Thank you to Zanni and AWC.

The Australian Writer's Centre is a must-have toolkit for any writer. They have tips and tricks to get you started on your writing journey. Their courses, like the Short Story Essentials course I just took, break down the process of writing and give you practical opportunities to practice the skills and theory discussed in lessons.

I loved the practicality. I have a journalism and creative writing degree but this is much more hands on and actually gives you the tools to make a freelance career as a writer or even use the tools of writing in your work. I am very impressed by the content and Valerie Khoo has a dream voice to listen to!

I feel more confident now on how I can establish myself more as a freelance writer. I have had some articles published but this model and system could really take my career to the next level and potentially a full-time role which is ideally my goal.

The course gives you a practical step-by-step guide that actually works. There is nothing else like it in the marketplace.

I had no idea how to start a blog and it seemed far too complex. I am now very confident that I can start a blog and plan to do so now.

I have more than one idea for a blog and now I am realising how accessible it will be to start one and see how I go. Fantastic!

I'm interested in writing a children's picture book. Started researching how to do this and get published online. It all became very overwhelming. Found this course and thought, "what a great way to get introduced to the world of picture books."

I found the content extremely valuable. I really enjoyed learning about the world of pictures books and its complexities. I loved listening to the lessons. There was so much good stuff to take in.

Do it! It's a fun learning environment. Thanks Zanni :)

I have been interested in profile writing for quite a while and seeing David was running it helped make my decision. David is a wealth of knowledge and made the course a pleasure to participate in.

I actually feel that this is definitely the direction I want to follow with my writing; I feel much more confident in pursuing this.

I have often recommended AWC to people interested in writing, I have done multiple courses now and each one has helped me fine tune my craft in ways I didn't expect.

The course content was inspirational and I am going to pursue profile writing, starting with my family. My mother is the last in her generation so I am going to interview her (no doubt more than once) about relatives.

The content helped me identify that I have some skills already and has given me the confidence to make a start.

The Australian Writers' Centre is a community of writers who support and encourage you to write, providing the opportunity to learn the skills you need to deliver on the goals that are important to you.

It was exactly what I needed. Although I have always been fiction focused, the course gave a great overview of different writing types - I hadn't even considered some of them being an option.

I found each module easy to listen to and the tasks helpful for thinking through what I needed to consider about myself as a writer. Having to intentionally consider my values, what I wanted my writing to convey and what I would or wouldn't compromise was something I hadn't thought of prior to being challenged by Valerie to list them. The interviews with authors and their expertise added extra weight and reality - hearing their stories made me think - 'yes, I think I can do this'. The craft of writing is something for me to further explore, but the inspiration and excitement I feel after the course has given me what I need to actually take the plunge to reinvent myself.

I feel invigorated about writing and about owning 'writer' as part of my identity. In the past my writing has only been for me, a secret pastime that has mainly been musing. I now feel as though I have permission to add 'Writer' to the list of answers to the question "What do you do?"

Just do it - there is nothing to lose. The fact that the courses are professional and so well endorsed by both emerging and professional writers speaks volumes.

I saw it on an AWC newsletter and it was timely because I was just quitting my job and looking to build a more creatively based work life (with more balance!) after a long career in advertising and marketing research.

I was surprised at how engaged I was in the topic. Every lesson seemed interesting and exciting. I could see how this built on my past experience and how I could parlay that into a new skill that I would enjoy and be stretched by.

I liked the flexibility of a-synchronous learning and the deadline was easy to meet. Homework was a great tool to embed the learning and yet was not too onerous in terms of time and the amount of work involved.

I feel very confident about what SEO copywriting is, how it will be useful to me in building my business and secure in knowing I have the tools and materials as backup if I need to refresh my memory.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course and have now signed up for Copywriting Essentials. Thank you, Bernadette, and all at AWC!

Having a dedicated tutor that was able to provide real-time feedback and weekly assignments were both really valuable aspects of the course.

Zanni was highly professional, available as needed, and her feedback was very helpful! I would definitely consider scouting her out for ongoing personal mentorship in the future!

I enjoyed reading the ideas and stories of other participants and being able to build upon new skills introduced each week.

Picture book writing is so much more than a good idea and cute characters. There is a whole structured process to picture book writing than I originally thought! It's quite a carefully thought out process with many components and ingredients!

Do it! You will definitely learn something new, or at the very least, you'll have a lot of fun and get to exercise the creative side of your brain!

Being able to read other people's works and feedback was amazing. I never expected a "classroom" environment in the comfort of my own living room.

The tutor was fantastic! Nicole was very generous with her comments and I felt she read every word we wrote. It was great to get such detailed feedback. And all the examples she provided in our lessons were so valuable.

AWC provides you with the tools to write whatever you want to write. Their range of courses is amazing and the flexibility of doing it online (whenever and wherever you want) is a necessity in this day and age, when we are so time poor.

Thank you!

The detailed insight of how publishing works plus the real-world examples were great.

I never realised just how hard it was to get published, but there are lots of options and don't give up! Stephen King's fourth book, Carrie, was his first published; JK Rowling went to twelve publishers. In other words, rejection is not the end of the line.

Very professional, flexible yet detailed training - it's a must if you want to enter the publishing world.

Loved the practical tips, particularly:
- reassurance that there is a place for your authentic voice
- getting clear on why and who you are blogging for
- looking at examples of the types of blogs out there, and that fabulous quote to keep salient for all posts: Be helpful. Do it often.

The course has had a larger, rather than smaller impact on how I will approach writing for my new blog. The reminder that content is always king and how you can go that extra mile is something I will keep at the forefront of all material I prepare for my blog.

The Australian Writers' Centre is a treasure trove of knowledge on all topics related to writing and they are fun. I have done several AWC courses across varying topics, and each one has shown me new and creative ways to use the written word to effectively communicate with my chosen audience. Definitely well worth my time and money.

Was looking for a course less formal than uni. Weekly feedback was very appealing. The lack of a pass/fail system very appealing also.

I had little to no expectations as I have not studied in years. Course was run very well and extremely informative with the tutor's feedback and handouts etc. It felt relaxing as well as challenging due to the open format and presentation.

I am definitely encouraged to continue studying writing for now. I have always enjoyed it but felt I do not construct stories well. I feel I might develop better plot and structure with further course study.

It's very accessible and easy to use. I have had no difficulties using the site or course material.

I've always wanted to give writing a go and when I looked online at the course information I thought it presented very well. There appeared to be scope for trying lots of different aspects of writing with the different courses on offer.

I was a little hesitant to share my writing attempts with others on the course as I wasn't confident about my writing skills. I thought it could be a bit embarrassing but I got over that idea pretty quickly.

I thought Suzanne was good at giving constructive feedback which included positive comments and pointers about areas to work on and improve writing.

I enjoyed reading the other participants' work and seeing the variety of approaches. I liked the challenge of doing the assignments each week. I found the audio lessons and handouts very informative and useful.

It has renewed my interest in doing some writing in the future. I've learned about the components of a story and thought more about dialogue, character, scenes, settings etc. It has given me a structure to build from if I do decide to do any writing.

It has taught me it's ok to let go of words and sentences I've worked on and become attached to or thought were clever. Having to stick to word limits has made me pare things back a bit and I think it has made the end product better.

I would recommend the AWC because it is well organised and provides very useful and usable information about various aspects of writing. It gives participants a chance to try out writing pieces following clear guidelines and with the opportunity to hear feedback on your pieces.

Going through the modules and doing the exercises was very enjoyable. The homework was not too onerous and got to the point. Very practical.

Bernadette gave objective feedback based on her experience as to what works and what doesn't.

I now realise that it is possible. I don't know what the next step is, but I'll dabble and find something. Knowing where to look for a newbie and having the confidence to give it a go is something that is important. It's easy to talk oneself into not taking action.

Thankyou!

Suzanne was very knowledgeable, professional and encouraging. I enjoyed the opportunity to have my work read and critiqued.

The lessons and handouts really filled in many blanks and gave me more of an understanding on how to plan and work on stages of my writing.

It's a fantastic learning platform and resource for writers in which to subscribe to. I'll be enrolling in more courses!

So many enjoyable things in this course but the most important was the honesty; I greatly appreciated that. There was a line about not quitting your day job if you think being an author is going to make you rich, combined with write because you love it and write about the story you need to tell (not trends, as publishing process is slow and trends have changed by then). The other message about perseverance and persistence in relation to getting published and not giving up. The value of editors and their role and the differences between indie publishing and traditional publishing.

Knowledge is power - I have more knowledge now. It is good to know there is some room for negotiation in contracts and what to focus on. So much to learn, and this helped immensely.

You have to be able to be so much more than a great writer to be an author. You need to know how to edit your own work, promote it online and in-person and be a business person/ contracts lawyer-in-training to be able to figure it all out. Not to mention the essential personality characteristics of never giving up and don't take constructive criticism personally. Tall ask!

AWC courses are professionally run and resources are fantastic for referring to later. The audios are helpful, as well as PowerPoint slides. All very well put together and being able to do courses online and in your own time is so valuable.

Bernadette provided an environment of warmth that encouraged each of us equally and strength to continue exploring the writing exercises regardless of the level of our writing skills.

The Zoom interaction delivered so many helpful tips from Bernadette and my fellow writers.

The 'aha' moment was when I found scenes appearing before me as a result of the exercises.

I found AWC to be a genuinely supportive environment and will take another class with them.

I'm working on some websites and need to refresh my skills. I did a Grad Cert in Editing and Publishing a few years ago, but feel the need to keep updated. Also would like to be able to travel and take my work with me.

The tutor was very professional, yet friendly and relaxed.

I didn't realise what I didn't know. Very useful for work I'm currently doing, so a confidence boost!

I think copywriting suits my style, 'less is more'.

AWC courses - some seriously useful fun. Online courses that are super-informative, well-prepared and user-friendly, but above all fun.

Extremely clearly designed course, interesting, and highly practical. Suzanne's feedback was great, really helpful and positive. Also pointed out where we could improve. I am writing a little every day and am determined to take this to fruition.

THANK YOU - I really enjoyed this course and am really hopeful it is the start of a great journey.

I found the course gave me so much information about writing an actual novel rather than crafting just a few prices of writing. I enjoyed actually doing the writing and having completed the assignments.

Suzanne is lovely, very insightful and not afraid to point out the bad bits as well as the good bits :)

All my fears were discussed by Valerie, which tells me everyone has the same fears and that is OK.

I now believe I can write a book. Above all it takes dedication and commitment to the process.

I can't speak highly enough of Bernadette's presentations and feedback. I enjoyed the continuity, the course content, the ease of working online.

I can see an exciting pathway that involves writing which is what I wanted but was unsure about the format of how I could do this. I have since enrolled in two more subjects to complement the first.

I realised I was lacking an understanding of the intricate aspects of point of view and my basic understanding wasn't going to be enough to complete my novel. This course appeared to cover everything that I needed, so it's the one I chose!

I feel far more confident with creating characters that my audience can connect to in a meaningful way through POV.

The information around depth and discourse were probably the biggest learning curves for me. I now feel far more equipped at navigating POV after considering these aspects.

The courses and resources at the Australian Writer's Centre truly are made for writers by writers. The information is engaging and relevant and you leave with actual tangible resources in addition to new skills and understanding.

Bernadette is an excellent teacher: clear, comprehensive, and easy to listen to.

It covered everything a new copywriter faces but most importantly addresses all the fears we have about going out into the world and announcing ourselves as copywriters, and the daunting task of taking on projects. Bernadette understands how we feel and is very reassuring that we are all up to the task.

Gave me the confidence to approach prospective clients and to say yes to jobs I might have been hesitant to accept.

I have already recommended a friend do the course and she has just finished the Copywriting Essentials course. She had been thinking of getting into copywriting and I told her she would definitely benefit from doing their courses.

I started writing a novel and wanted to learn more fiction techniques and I needed some accountability to keep writing! I also wanted feedback on my work in a safe environment.

I was a bit scared about sharing my work with others, but I actually found it so helpful in the end having feedback from my classmates and Nicole.

Nicole was great at giving feedback. She picked up on a lot of things that I didn't think about until she said it, which is really going to help improve my work. She was a good tutor.

I enjoyed the workshopping, receiving feedback (even if it's a little scary) and reading other classmates' work.

I would say that if you are keen to learn fiction techniques properly and want to actually write a novel (the right way) to look to the AWC :)

I really enjoyed meeting other writers on this and other courses run by the AWC. I feel like I have made a real connection with some of the other students and may have found not only some new friends but really wonderful long term beta readers.

Anyone with dreams of being a writer would be helped by a course run by the Australian Writers' Centre. It is a great starting place.

I wanted to learn more about crafting meaningful characters before diving into writing my own novel. Without this course, I wouldn't have noticed some potential issues with my initial planning.

The examples, worksheets/activities and overall presentation were very engaging and helpful. Not once did I zone out and have to re-wind! A wonderful course.

This course helped me consider characters from angles that I hadn't even thought to investigate. I think the characters, narrative voice and relationships I've now been able to craft are significantly more meaningful than what I had started with. The worksheets/activities are very helpful and really promote reflective thinking. They're also embedded into the audio lessons and are explained explicitly. Nothing in this course felt like a waste of time or money or a time filler. I now have resources and skills that I will definitely come back to in the future.

I felt I was in a bit of a funk and not enjoying the sort of writing and work I was doing at the time. I just felt I had lost my mojo and my love of writing.

I absolutely loved this course and feel really inspired. It has helped shape my thoughts about what I want to do for the future with a couple of big "ah ha!" moments. Although I still feel like my writing muscles need stretching after atrophy, I feel like they've had at least a little exercise now. And more importantly, I feel like it's lit a fire to keep exercising those muscles (way to mix my metaphors!).

It was like opening a present every day. I would never know what surprises were in store for me!

I get paid to write for others. It has been so long since I've written something just for MYSELF and I had forgotten just how satisfying that can be.

DO IT! You won't regret it. In fact, I'll join you on the next one.

I wanted to write an eBook for my business, but wasn't sure where to start.

The variety of examples and case studies used throughout the course gave me some great ideas of what I could do for my book.

I've found that all I have to do is get started! The Bootcamp was especially helpful. Why have I waited so long to get started!

The AWC courses are very professional, with extremely experienced, friendly and helpful tutors. Worth the investment if you are serious about writing.

I wished to challenge myself to do something new and I thought this course sounded interesting. Little did I realise how intricate writing for young adults is!

I had to make myself just enrol before I thought about it too much! I have a habit of leaving things for later and then thinking that it's not worth it. But with this course, I decided to do it, I enrolled and then I couldn't back out.

I must admit that I was a little taken aback when I first realised that submitting my weekly assignment was posting on a chat feed for all my classmates to read! That took a bit of courage. But once I found that confidence, it was lovely to read other people's work and get their feedback every week.

Suzanne was excellent. Her feedback was always insightful and greatly improved my writing.

I now understand how to plan a story. It's given me a structure to just start writing!

Thank you for this opportunity. Now to do something with it...

I have recently begun to write stories for children and know the way to their hearts (and heads) is by making them laugh.

I liked the clarity and brevity. Tim was very knowledgeable and approachable. I now have a new arsenal of skills to take with me as I approach my next writing project.

A great course for anyone wanting to understand the specifics of writing humour for children and the finer details of how different types of jokes can be approached. Hilarity ensues!

The course was great in giving insider tips on getting started in the industry and providing tips on writing a good feature article. It also highlighted that I may need more practice in writing to fine tune my skills

The course overall was very interesting and enjoyable; I can't decide what was best. Alex was great. She was very encouraging and provided very constructive feedback.

It has helped give me a real insight into what it means to be a good writer and provided me with an understanding of where I need to improve my skills to become a great writer. It has motivated me to give it a go.

It's a really good course for giving you the key tools for good feature writing.

This course exceeded my already high expectations! As always, Kate was a gracious, expert host and trainer. Kate shares her experiences and knowledge freely and with immense kindness and grace, she learns about your work and issues and addresses concerns and questions with ease. Amazing level of knowledge and interest as well as provision of information, insight and practical advice on the art of editing.

Every course I do with Kate changes my mind, my writing and my world as I leave it feeling a little terrified by the workload ahead but inspired and encouraged to embrace it to achieve it.

Kate is immensely kind and generous with her time, insight and advice. She leaves no one out, is never critical only constructive in a positive way. So you're not afraid to ask the 'duh' question and always get a gracious and expert answer. The materials were useful - as with previous Kate/AWC courses I will refer back to them time and time again. Everything leads to learning skills to identify issues or problems with your manuscript and doing your first edit and second draft.

If you want to learn how to write better and meet other aspiring and successful writers, this is the course and writing organisation for you!

Thank you - great quality content, expertly delivered by an awe-inspiring, exceptional writer.