What’s it like to learn with AWC?

The course provided a structure to my writing over the five weeks and got me actually writing. I've done a couple of writing courses before which were fine, but the student's role was passive and not as interactive as the AWC course.

Angela was very positive and provided constructive feedback in the last module, which was very helpful.

I feel a lot more confident about the story I want to write and that, for now, it's OK to just get on and start writing it as a lot can be sorted out as part of the drafting process later on. I also learnt that we all write differently and due to our life experiences can bring our own style and flavour to what we write.

I thought Jennifer was brilliant. Her critique was delivered in an eloquent fashion and always considered. I also loved how she delivered it all with a smile, with some helpful angles to further assist the students. Thanks, Jennifer!

I enjoyed having someone read my writing who doesn't have an emotional attachment to me - also the course content was helpful, helped me gain perspective and allowed me to think about maturing my writing techniques.

Take a chance with it - it might help you open your mind and give you confidence to put your wonderful stories to paper.

The course was great. It has inspired me to write, and given me some useful tools to help me think about process and technique. At the very least, it has made me more knowledgeable for analysing my monthly book club book :)

I was always so keen to read Pamela's feedback and appreciated her quick turnaround. I also appreciated her very supportive and constructive comments. Her experience and knowledge are amazing and we were so fortunate to have her as our tutor - inspirational!

I enrolled with a friend and most weeks we had a zoom catch up to discuss what we were learning, creative ideas that were developing, and our progress on the course. We also read each other's work which was very helpful.

It has 'forced'/encouraged/committed' me to start writing and, in doing so, has ignited a creative part of me that has been dormant for many years. I have always loved writing but corporate writing has dulled the creativity. I'm suddenly finding many ideas for stories and have even woken up during the night and written a short story!

The course is a great introduction to the mechanics, tools and process of writing while providing the support you may need to start your journey of creative writing. The course also gives you the confidence to find your own style and writing practice while learning from others. And it gives you the prod you need to actually sit down and get writing!

Well organised. Excellent pacing. Information and feedback was detailed and relevant. I especially appreciate that students have access to the course for 12 months because I certainly couldn't absorb everything in 5 weeks.

The tutor was knowledgeable and perceptive, picked up on details I would not have considered and suggested useful ways to think about them, and improve my writing.

I actually began writing the story I have wanted to for a long time! I already had the main characters and setting in mind, based on stories from my family history. But I was limiting my thinking too much because I already know those characters well. The course seems to have given me permission to 'depart' from what I know and be more imaginative in how I develop those characters.

No matter how long you've been writing, or how much you think you know about writing, you'll learn something new and be a better writer for this course!

Just a thank you to all involved.

Pamela was professional, concise, and approachable. Her feedback was very valuable. She found areas for improvement and those that were working well in my submissions. I also gained great insights by listening to the feedback on the other course participants' submissions.

The course has consolidated the basics of writing good fiction for me. It has also potentially changed my focus from continuing with a novel I had already started and am 10,000 words into, to starting a new project based on a 500-word scene written at the end of the course.

It is an easily accessible way to learn about writing in a friendly environment.

I've been receiving AWC newsletters for a while now. I wanted to do this course as a chance to develop and get some feedback on my creative writing and to start to build a network of writers as well.

Finding the time to do it justice was the biggest concern - but the biggest hesitation was just finding the confidence to share my writing. So glad I did though!

Pamela was fantastic - so knowledgeable about the craft of writing but also just in general with the feedback given to the class. I loved her focus on the positive aspects of the assignments and the constructive advice given for improvement.

I loved completing the assignments and receiving feedback on them. It was enjoyable to play with the different scenarios and POVs and come away with some ideas to build into longer stories.

It's given me the confidence to go away and write some more and showed me that I can find the time to do it too!

The AWC provides a really supportive environment for aspiring writers. Creative Writing Stage 1 is a great starting point and really helps break down how writing works. Receiving feedback on course assignments is so valuable - I'd highly recommend AWC courses based on my experience.

Keep doing what you're doing. It's fantastic!

My overall impression of the tutor was that it was all constructive feedback and had the extra push of where I could improve my story and where I'm doing really well. Whereas getting that feedback from friends or family didn't help at all.

I hesitated at first because I was worried about another writer being mean about my work. But everyone in my course was so nice.

I have a better understanding of how to start and structure a story. This course helped me so much in gaining those foundational skills that I wasn't taught at school.

I would say that this course is amazing for first-time writers or any writer that wants to relearn the foundations of story writing.

The tutor was fantastic - Pamela's feedback was very helpful and interesting. I am very grateful for the gentle encouragement to try the workshopping process, which I was anxious about but have found incredibly useful. Thank you.

I have done a university stage one writing paper in the past and, although it was interesting, it wasn't very helpful. I am a pragmatic learner, so found it didn't seem to translate well to the specifics of how to write better. This made me unsure about trying another course, but I'm so glad I did as the AWC course was fantastic and I have learnt so many real practical useful strategies.

The course has made me see how important every single word and space is, and helped me understand the difference between simple storytelling and writing well. It has also given me hope that I can learn to write well and even given me hope that getting published one day may be possible.

If you want to learn the practical tools and strategies of both telling a story and writing it well, do this course.

Thank you :-)

It's given me the foundational knowledge and confidence to get writing!

It was great to look at stories from the perspective of the author, rather than that of the critic / English Lit student. It was also great to write weekly and receive feedback and to see where I can improve and also where things worked!

The AWC provided a safe space in which to tap into my imagination and give writing a go! Being part of a structured course gave me the direction, parameters and accountability to write and write regularly. Sharing my writing with the class was a great experience and receiving specific feedback each week helped me understand my areas for improvement and my strengths. It has inspired and empowered me to write, write, write!

Thank you!

I wanted to improve my writing and it looked as if it would cover what I was after. I liked that I could listen to the modules and read handouts any time during the week. The accountability of needing to get that assignment in seemed like a good way to stay motivated. I liked the idea of individual feedback.

Petronella definitely knew what she was talking about. She was always upbeat, her feedback was always positive, but incisive enough to motivate me to keep aiming higher.

I enjoyed the accountability - and being in a zone with others who were from such diverse backgrounds, but loved writing - regardless of whether they were going to publish the great novel in the next few months.

I finished my first draft of a novel 2 years ago and wanted something to help me build my confidence and fall in love with writing again so I can attempt my second and subsequent drafts.

Petronella gave really great feedback and super helpful critique. She delivered in a really soft manner so as to build your skills and not to dissuade you from the craft. Big thanks, I learned so much!

I enjoyed being able to read everyone else's assignments and provide/receive comments. It was so cool to hear feedback from others on the course about what they liked about your writing.

I wish I'd known about the courses sooner! Even though I'd written a first draft of a novel, the Creative Writing course taught me so much. It's given me the confidence to get back to drafting my novel after two (long!) years.

I've been interested in creative writing for a long time but just haven't pushed myself to get serious. I thought this would help me see if I was keen and learn a bit as well.

I enjoyed learning about the critical elements in a story, and the assignments, just getting that regular writing practice. I liked Jennifer's feedback and encouragement, makes me want to write! :)

It has been a great introduction and the course works easily into your life if you want it to!

I was really nervous because I had no idea what standard of writing I was at, or what I was good at or not good at. I really had so many doubts, but the need to write was greater and I hit the submit button. Straight away I felt really supported and understood, and my confidence began to grow. I would highly recommend Petronella McGovern as a teacher - she was so great! It was the most wonderful course I have ever done!! I loved everything about it. Thank you AWC.

I felt really excited to be able to receive feedback from Petronella because she has so much experience. She is such an inspiration! She is so kind, and friendly. I loved all her feedback; it was really encouraging and also practical. I loved that it was recorded as well so that I could take time to absorb what went well and what I could improve on.

Every single part of the course was so great. It was great because I could fit it all around my family life. I liked that I could listen to the audio anywhere anytime, and pause it and go back over certain points. I loved having a deadline, as I find this is the only way I would have completed something. I loved the recorded feedback. I also really enjoyed gaining experience for the first time on giving others feedback; it's such a wonderful way to learn more about what works and doesn't work in writing. I loved receiving feedback as well. Which I had no idea I would love all of these things at the beginning.

I feel like it's allowing me to find my voice. I am able to get so many ideas out of my head. I have gained confidence. Sometimes I can be shy in new environments, but I started feeling like I could chat more when I was out in the real world. I felt happy to be a part of and connect with others who also love writing. I feel like I have found my tribe.

If you enjoy writing and want to explore it further, or just want to develop confidence with self-expression, then this the course for you!

Jenni was very knowledgeable and provided constructive feedback to all students that I found very helpful.

I enjoyed the exercises and receiving feedback on them. All modules were great but the structure one was particularly interesting.

I hadn't written much creatively over the past 20 years and this has given me the confidence and inspiration to get back into a regular creative practice.

Excellent course filled with real practical nuts and bolts creative writing information.

I needed a focus to keep me in the writing discipline, and guidance on where to go next in the journey. I watched the promotional videos and read the descriptions and something in me clicked which said, 'This is for me, right now.'

I really liked the personable conversational style of the feedback and the insights into the writing of the other participants. I had a sense this was the life of the writer, being engaged, not formal, and able to explore through conversation. I really appreciated the different insights.

I could work at a pace that fitted in with my job (in education, which can be hectic), and the assignments were achievable and well explained. The audio sessions were excellent and well told.

I now have a new direction for a piece I have been working on, and have committed to completing a word count each week that is achievable. I don't agonize anymore, and if I draft it, I know it can be worked on later.

Go for it. It's five weeks that could change your life.

I enjoyed being accountable. Submitting to a criteria and deadline and, weirdly, excitedly anticipating the feedback, which was always very positive. Also, by hearing the feedback for the other course participants, there was useful tips and pointers to take on board for my own writing.

As always, submitting pieces of writing that were going to be read by someone was very daunting. I survived... Yay!!

Every tip, pointer and bit of encouragement gives me the confidence to continue to write and, having completed the course through AWC, I feel as though my journey as an aspiring author has been given more credibility.

Thanks for putting together a great course!! It is easy to access, the content is well structured, the requirement to complete the assignments keeps you accountable and the feedback on your work is a valuable way to nourish your writing growth.

Writing has been something I've been interested in for a while. When I finally started researching a creative writing course to begin, the AWC courses stood out.

Due to writing being a completely new thing for me, I was worried the course would be too hard for me or too in depth, but I thoroughly enjoyed the five weeks of this course.

Suzanne's feedback was insightful, and constructive. She also gave such nice positive feedback which was a huge boost to someone like me who's never written anything before.

Even though I hated school as a teenager and dislike study, I found I actually really enjoyed the audio lessons and looked forward to the new week starting. I enjoyed taking notes and I found all of the content in the lessons to be very beneficial.

It has spurred me to take writing more seriously, and it's made me realise that the dream of being a writer isn't actually so far fetched as I thought.

I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the course, and I believe it's an excellent starting point into the world of creative writing.

Thank you to everyone involved that makes courses like these available, and so accessible. I had a great time learning the basics of creative writing and I'm very glad to have found this course :)

Started a story but had no training - wanted to increase my skills as a writer so I could finish the story and make it as good as it could be.

The tutor was extremely knowledgeable and encouraging. I've really appreciated all her feedback and time answering questions.

I enjoyed building a community (chat with the students) and real feedback on submissions. The course content was fantastic and I love that I can work through the modules in my own time.

I have more skills and more confidence to continue writing. I appreciate the messaging around finishing first drafts, and feel supported by other authors who have had the same doubts as me.

This course was a fantastic overview of everything you need to start building a real story. I looked forward to every Monday, when I could access the new lessons. I've loved being part of this beautiful community.

Thank you all! Thank you Petronella for your feedback, and thank you Abby for your support as well!

Our tutor was fantastic. She gave detailed feedback and examples to each student. Her feedback was constructive and encouraging.

I felt the course was very well organised, from the audio to the handouts, exercises, assignments, feedback and group chat. I also liked the way facilitators encouraged us to chat and share ideas within the group.

I feel inspired to keep writing. :)

The course was well structured, professional, engaging and enjoyable. Thank you!

I enjoyed the course structure and doing the exercises. The best part was doing the assignments at the end. I felt I could have done more, which is a good thing!

I feel I have tools to start creating more detailed characters, scenes and worlds within which to tell my stories. I also have a greater understanding of the correct structure of a story and how to create an interesting tale.

Thank you. I really enjoyed the course and look forward to doing more in the future :-)

Try it! There's lots to learn and everyone is friendly and supportive.