What’s it like to learn with AWC?

The tutor was great! I could tell they actually read my work. They also gave me great feedback and pointed out some things I hadn't noticed about my writing and gave good advice for how to better shape my scene.

I enjoyed going through the content. I enjoyed writing excerpts for a specific purpose. The exercises were fun and could be adapted to my story or the one specified for the exercise.

I'm actually really excited to write again. That was the reason I took the course and it got me interested in my story again.

I would say it's a great course with supportive, friendly people and it's fun.

Writing has always been a huge hobby of mine so I really wanted to learn how to put it all together into a story.

I liked how honest the feedback was. It was constructive and really helped me with all of my assessments. I liked that everyone could see everyone else's comments and assessments and give feedback to each other.

For me personally, I learnt everything I wanted to and more. I would love to keep going so I wish it were longer.

It's made me learn so much about different points of view and ways to write and even read my own writing. It also taught me how to take criticism in a good way and improve myself.

It really struck the creativity in me and motivated me to not worry about what other people think about my writing.

I found this course fantastic. It helped me a great deal with structure, and how to set the scene and summarise.

My tutor was great. I really enjoyed Pamela's feedback. It helped me to see where I could improve my writing. We could hear what she said about our fellow writers' work, and we could read their work and understand what advice she was giving.

I enjoyed reading my fellow writers' work, and I really enjoyed other people's comments on my work. It helped with my structure.

I have enrolled in Furious Fiction, and I hope to do Novel Essentials in the new year.

It is an effective course with how it is structured from week to week. It is also a doable amount of time if you have other commitments.

I worried that perhaps it might be too basic, given that I had published a dozen short stories prior to signing up. But I was delighted by the modules, and felt like they really fleshed out my understanding about scenes and structure, and particularly gave me some worthwhile exercises to practice.

Margaret seemed very knowledgeable and was wonderfully encouraging. I really appreciated her feedback on my work, which was always insightful.

The modules were really fantastic, and were the biggest value-add, but I also really loved getting to know other writers and forming early bonds with them. I look forward to seeing their work in print in the future!

I definitely feel more confident in my grasp of the basics of crafting a story, and it really filled in some gaps in my knowledge base. I'm definitely looking forward to signing up for the Novel Writing Essentials course soon!

I've mentioned the course to pretty much any writer friend who will listen, because there's just so much intellectual meat (or jackfruit, if one prefers!) in each of the courses. I've taken other online courses before, but this one never made me question whether my money was well-spent. It absolutely was! And the fact that they can be done online from anywhere and any time zone (I'm in the US) is fantastic!

For a first-time user of internet learning, I found the course easy to follow.

I thought the tutor was honest and generous with her feedback.

I enjoyed reading fellow students work, the challenge of getting work in, listening to audio lessons, feedback from other students, the positive and constructive advice from Cathie.

The course has lifted my spirits and has given me a renewed sense of confidence to continue on this path. Many thanks. I look forward to my next course with AWC.

I loved listening to the audio material... Valerie Khoo is a pleasure to listen to. I also liked the writing assignments, the way the course was structured and the opportunity to network with other aspiring writers and read and critique their work and get feedback.

It’s inspired and motivated me to dust off the cobwebs of my first draft I wrote many years ago and rewrite. That’s a big thing!

It’s a very inspiring and motivating experience to do one of their courses. Very well supported also by the podcasts and other material on the website and Facebook groups.

I wanted to gain an overview of the process of writing a novel and the technical skills required. I also wanted to kickstart my writing habit.

Cathie was excellent. She provided really practical and in-depth feedback. I was able to put her feedback into the next exercise week after week.

I loved the writing exercises and reading everyone's stories

I really loved it! It has provided me with the encouragement to start writing creatively and to instil a routine of writing frequently.

If you have always had the desire to write a novel but just didn't know where to begin, this is where you begin. I hadn't really written creatively prior to this course but have always wanted to. This has kickstarted this passion for me and has provided me with the basic structures on how to craft my stories. I loved it! I had so much fun. Thank you, Cathie, for all of your support and helpful feedback!

Just a great well-rounded course. The tutor was great - honest feedback and friendly :)

I enjoyed getting feedback and the classes as read by Valerie. Also submitting assignments.

It’s given me confidence that I could actually write a book. I have a totally fresh understanding of storytelling and the mechanics.

Do it; you’ll regret you didn’t sooner. Can’t wait to do more courses soon.

I haven't written for some time and thought this would be a great course to get back into the creativity, structure and focus of writing. I was very glad to be reminded of scenes and summaries, PoV and tense. It really assisted with reconnecting to what I love about good storytelling.

The tutor's feedback was incisive and very helpful.

I really enjoyed the resources and how they connected to the audio giving meaningful examples of what the lecturer was telling us. I enjoyed reading my own feedback but also the feedback given to other students because that was also helpful for me.

If you want to write something others will want to read then do a course with the Australian Writers' Centre.

I wanted to gain more knowledge about how to write a novel. I have a story floating in my head and would love to publish one day.

Nicole was uplifting in her feedback and she had some great tips. I enjoyed reading others' work and seeing their feedback expanded my knowledge of the topic.

The course content covers everything I needed to get my book moving. My teacher was very supportive and gave positive and constructive feedback.

The tutor was excellent! Nicole's feedback was always spot on and I always went back to revise my work based on her comments.

It's given me confidence to keep writing and get past the first chapter.

An excellent way to kickstart writing. Highly recommended.

The course was very well structured with very engaging lectures and I enjoyed the creativity kickstarter too. Overall the course was professional and well put together for an online experience.

Pamela clearly knows her stuff and was encouraging. She gave a lot of great feedback to the class and I learned from that.

There was a lot to enjoy about the course - I loved getting out of my comfort zone and learning about the mechanics of writing. The explanation that this course was like a building course versus a literature course at uni being like architecture was spot on. I also enjoyed connecting with other students and the videos about other writers in Creativity Kickstarter was inspiring - I bought all 3 of Sarah Bailley's books after watching/hearing her interviews!

I definitely improved my writing by doing this course. Thank you. It's made me want to be a creative writer even more, and start to narrow down what I want to write about. At the same time, it has highlighted to me just how much I still have to learn and how much sheer hard work I will have to put in. Journalistic writing is quite natural for me now - this is a totally different ball game!

Excellent! Pamela was thorough, quick, critical and encouraging at the same time!

I enjoyed the feedback from Pam and classmates, the design of the course, and the handouts.

It got me into a writing habit, 500 words a day, no matter what.

An excellent course to get started, very much a ‘hands-on’ (bum on seat) course. Already signed up for 2 follow-up programmes so there you go!

I thought Pamela's feedback was always positive and constructive, offering alternatives that made sense. She really knew "her stuff" and I would then go back and take on board what she had suggested.

I really enjoyed the tasks that were set each week and the feedback that we received from Pamela. The tasks allowed me to extend my writing and I have become motivated to continue my writing and look forward to the next course!

I also liked Valerie's voice on the audio - it was always positive and upbeat. Very easy to understand with lots of invaluable tips.

I have always been interested in writing and it has now allowed me to sit down and work more on my manuscript. The course, while introductory, offered a taster for further development. I am looking forward to starting the Novel Writing Essentials course and perhaps then looking at further feedback on my work through other programs with the AWC.

When I noticed Pamela would be the tutor, I was eager.

It's just a great experience. Joining other people, commenting, learning and being brave enough to post. Truly helped my confidence.

Pamela took the time to critique everyone every week. Her comments on my own writing and that of others were valuable and helpful.

I enjoyed finding my voice, squashing that self-doubt. Though that is technically not taught in the course, it does give you the push to think, learn, explore and allow you to see that it is possible.

I loved that the lessons were broken down in bite-size pieces. It is less daunting to listen for twenty minutes than over an hour.

I can write, I know that now. I just have to put it all together and let the self-doubt go. Focus on writing and getting the words down and the rest will come.

It's the push you need to take yourself seriously. The tutor, the lessons, the course mates are all there to give you that nudge into the writing world and it is a fabulous feeling.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course and will likely do more. Thank you.

I enjoyed reading other work and being part of a creative experience. I learned that it's ok to write without wanting to be published. It's fabulous to have a safe and supportive creative space to express the writer within.

I enjoyed reading everyone's assignments. Having access to everyone's assignments and Stephen's feedback on each helped to reinforce the course materials. I particularly appreciated the level of feedback Stephen provided.

Stephen was thorough and his feedback well considered. I would not hesitate to take another course with Stephen as a tutor.

I have already begun thinking about the structure of my novel. I have a better understanding of structure and scene.

If you are serious about embarking on a writer's journey, one of the best things you can do is take a course from AWC. You won't regret it.

I would like to thank Stephen for being an excellent tutor.

Stephen was incredibly supportive and gave amazing feedback to all participants.

I do believe now that I have the capabilities to write a novel and move forward with it. Prior to the course, it would have continued to be a dream.

I told one of my fellow bus operators, who is also thinking about writing, a little of my background and my fears about putting pen to paper (or finger to laptop lol) and what I had got out of this course. He took the details and was going to look into it.

Thank you. I look forward to doing other courses.

I have been a journalist for many years and wanted to try creative writing in a structured environment. I was a little nervous of sharing my writing attempts but that passed quickly in the supportive environment.

The feedback seemed measured and consistent. Stephen pointed out flaws or parts of work that could be changed but always did so constructively and always with words of praise for other areas of the piece where he could.

I enjoyed making myself focus and write. I also loved reading everyone else's stories.

For me, the course reminded me of how much I love to write creatively and more importantly, showed me I need to set writing time aside and focus only on that for the specified time. The assignments were a great lesson in that.

If you've always wanted to write, there is bound to be a course for you. Do it. There is nothing at all to lose and always something to gain.

Pamela was supportive and informative. I enjoyed the structure of the course, the intensity, the assignment outline, the length of the assignments (not too long).

I truly appreciate the feedback and reading through other peers' pieces. For me, this is personal, as hearing positive feedback was essential. It is a brilliant starter course. Thank you to the AWC staff.