What’s it like to learn with AWC?

Great level of feedback on the assignments, and always very timely. Bernadette was also great at engaging with questions and comments in the course chat regularly.

I enjoyed the assignments and writing activities.

For the last assignment I went back to an old short story and was able to dramatically improve it using all the skills and techniques from the course. I felt like a completely different writer by the end of five weeks.

It's a great first course to take at the start of your writing journey!

I thought Nat was great and offered great insight.

The audio lessons are very clear, to the point, and recorded very well. The point of view stuff was very helpful for me. And just knowing that it takes a lot of drafts to do something properly.

I would say it is very worthwhile and a great place to start. It is information that you probably can find anywhere in free resources, but it is better to have it neatly packaged and all in one area.

Thanks guys for an enjoyable month!

AWC is a highly professional learning institute and I was attracted to a short course to explore my desire to develop my writing skills, particularly in fictional writing.

The course offers a very structured and highly supportive environment for learning. There is enough challenge and the option to extend your learning with comprehensive bonus exercises.

It was easy to listen to Nat's feedback each week. Her approach was systematic and streamlined for effective learning. Nat was affirming and consistent in her style of feedback so it was straightforward to learn from her suggestions.

I enjoyed exploring characters within the story's plot and setting. I was fascinated with the experience of inhabiting my characters as I wrote them.

As I'm now retired I really want to explore my creativity and writing looks like my strongest suit. The course has given me a taste of what it could be like to now extend myself in this area. I would love to develop a new career as a fiction writer in children's books and in writing crime and thrillers.

I'd say AWC is a highly reputable and professional institute learning with accomplished writers.

I was so impressed with Creative Writing Stage 1. It is such a comprehensive course and it is such a lovely community to be part of. I found it very rewarding and Nat Newman is a great mentor. The audios and assignments are so valuable. Thank you AWC for giving me confidence in my writing.

Nat Newman has a lovely presence and gives a very experienced critique with gentleness and things to work on, which is very constructive. Thank you, Nat.

The audios are priceless. And the assignments were daunting but enjoyable in the end.

I feel I can now begin my manuscript on my mother's life. And will definitely do more courses in the future.

AWC is such a fun and professional writing space. Such an experienced community of writers.

Just a big thank you to all your lovely staff.

Nat was very supportive and gave great advice and critiques. She was great! Very encouraging and educational.

I enjoyed the assessments and feedback gained from them.

The course has given me confidence! Opened my eyes to the ability to share my craft with people, show people my writing and what I can gain from opening it up to people. Learning the small things that make a huge impact in writing that I was hoping to learn and expand on.

The AWC offers an accepting environment and easy flexible way of Learning. Easily understood points on how to write, great flow of themes to learn.

Thank you for giving me a reason to write and develop more of my skill and see it as a skill and bring me more confidence to share that!

Nat is a fabulous educator, and you can see the genuine enthusiasm she has for her work. The feedback was spot on.

I liked that everyone was there for the same reason.

I can't think of any way you could improve this course; it was amazing.

Do a course because it's very straightforward: if you pay attention, your game will be lifted.

I'll be back.

I wanted to learn how to write what ideas I have and put them into a novel. I wanted to learn how to structure. And to learn as much as I could to be successful.

Nat was lovely. She provided great feedback without making me feel bad or have any doubt that I could do this. I loved hearing what Nat and the students thought of my writing.

I loved the Write Directions with Pamela. They were amazing.

It has given me the courage to continue with writing my novel.

Do it!!! Don't hesitate.

Thank you for a wonderful course! I learnt so much and I'm already planning my next one with AWC.

Nat was approachable, enthusiastic and gave me so much confidence with her feedback! She really took the time to explain her thoughts and I found it so valuable. Thank you!

The classroom chat was a fun aspect and I loved reading everyone else's work. I wish it didn't have to end haha!

I now write every day and feel confident that I can learn and grow.

It's friendly, encouraging and a wonderful source of information.

I liked everything about the course. The Write Direction Zoom meetings were very informative and I enjoyed writing and reading the class assignments (and hearing feedback from all).

I thought Nat's feedback was good and that she was helpful and encouraging. I liked that she asked everyone about what they had read, were reading, and would read next and suggested trying the flash fiction activity. She answered any questions in the chat quite promptly.

There are things you'll learn from the course that you won't find in other courses or books on writing. Getting regular feedback from others is so motivating, and a lot of the course content and chat is very inspiring (e.g., the great writing examples, discovering new authors, sharing your love of books and writing with others). It makes writing less of a lonely endeavour.

I wish I had done this course years ago!

The exercises were really great for getting my writing going. It actually felt like I could do this thing!

It's given me confidence, but also a really effective tool kit of all the things I need to consider to get started.

What a great way to learn the basics of creative writing! It will give you a sense of how it's done, and allow you to test your own writing ability if you're not sure whether you can do this.

It was very enjoyable, even paced and incisive. I enjoyed finding out new things. The course blew away self-doubt that I'm not good enough to write.

Do it as there will be something in it for you.

This course is so practical and highlighted elements that I could implement immediately to improve my writing.

Nat was fabulous! I have never had so much feedback from a tutor in the past. I loved the video feedback and watched all of the videos as you learn so much listening to Nat critique each piece. You can see she loves her work. Her feedback is insightful and helpful. I now have Nat's voice in my head when I am writing and have almost declared war on adverbs :) I can see the improvement in my work and am surprised that this happened over what is a relatively short period of time.

I enjoyed the practical modules that I could implement immediately. Having work reviewed, not only by Nat but also by others in the class was helpful and it is great to hear how others perceive your work. The exercises are all relevant and the handouts are so useful.

I think I finally get it! I mean - I have a much clearer vision on what I need to do to complete my first draft and then what next steps to take. I have more confidence to keep writing and to be brutal with my editing process (which I actually enjoy). Finally, and probably most importantly, I know that I will now complete the work.

There is no right or wrong way to approach your novel. You find the method that works best for you and keep writing. Don't keep going back over what you've written again and again as the novel will never be finished. Make some notes and leave these changes alone until the first draft is finished.

Fabulous program that gives insight into the process of writing. Personal feedback and guidance from authors who really do know their stuff. All done in a collaborative and supportive environment that gives you the confidence to keep writing.

Just thank you!

Very professionally and well-thought-out course materials. I love listening to Valerie's tutorials. What a wonderful speaker she is!

I was very impressed with Petronella and her attention to detail and her lovely energy. The feedback was valuable and I think will help a lot moving forward.

I enjoyed the writing exercises. I loved the interaction and reading the others work as well. A highlight, sitting in my office listening to the tutorials.

I am more intent on writing a novel than I was. My passion and confidence have been ignited.

I thought the feedback was kind and constructive. I learned a lot from it. The handouts and voice recordings were very helpful. I have a feeling I will need to refer to them for a few weeks before I decide to move on to a new course.

I would say that AWC provides courses for every level of student, and that the notes and practical advice will come in handy in your preparations for future courses.

The modules were fantastic and so were the assignments. I really appreciated Pamela's constructive feedback. Lots of great advice that I will carry forward with me in my writing.

The course has provided me with more motivation to just get writing. Doesn't need to be perfect, just get the ideas down and keep going. Then go back and refine and edit.

The AWC is a great centre; you'll definitely learn something and won't regret the decision to invest in your writing.

I was happy to find an online writing course created by practicing and published writers in Australia. The lesson plan looked like it would give a comprehensive introduction to the elements of good storytelling. I also liked that I would be starting with a group and that we would receive individual feedback.

While the course is reasonably priced, I was worried that I would be wasting my time and money if I couldn't start writing. I am so happy that this wasn't the case!

Pamela is a professional with years of experience and a lot of knowledge that she's happy to share with everyone. She provided insightful personalised feedback to everyone in the class. The constructive criticism she gave me for lesson 2 really improved my writing for the next three lessons. She's a delightful teacher and I'd be happy to learn more from her in the future.

Mondays excited me. Not only would there be a new lesson, there would also be feedback on my assignment. I worked hard on my assignments and knowing that someone (Pamela) was there to read it and help me improve was a great motivator.

The course has unlocked my story for me, so that I'm more able to write it. I now know that it's an idea with legs and I have the tools to develop it further. I feel empowered to write my stories.

If you want a comprehensive introduction to writing a story, take Creative Writing Stage 1 from the Australian Writers' Centre. Created by published authors; the course provides practical exercises to help you develop your characters, settings, and scenes. Your instructor will give you feedback that will really improve your writing and boost your confidence!

See you in a future course!

For a long time it felt like I was just going through the motions of life - no goals, nothing to look forward to. I looked up writing courses just as an idea of something I might like, mainly to kill my boredom. After finding your website and looking through the list of courses you offer, the pathways you set out, my inspiration sparked. The feedback from previous students - and the promotion of their published work - really made AWC seem more like a supportive community than a rigid monotone classroom. And I was correct in that assumption.

No hesitations at all enrolling in this course. It is the quickest I signed up to anything in a long time. It really got the creative juices flowing and I can't wait to be able to enrol in another.

Pamela was freaking amazing! And Valerie's recorded lessons were also freaking amazing! They were so easy to listen to and easy to follow. She speaks clearly and in a way anyone could understand her. The terminology she uses and even the jokes helped me learn more, I think because I was able to relate to what she was saying. Instead of having to focus on every single word to understand.

Pamela's feedback was so much more than I expected. I have so much respect for her for how she is able to provide constructive criticism but never once coming across too harsh. The suggestions she also provides on improvements if something isn't working or recommending an alternate way to portray something has inspired so many more ideas.

This was my first writing course so I had no idea what to expect. The course was easy to follow. The platform the course is delivered on is super easy to navigate. If I had to pick one thing (and I'm not entirely sure if you'd constitute this as part of the course or not, but) it would be the inspiration it sparked. From both the recorded lessons and Pamela's feedback. The way they explain things and give examples really had the right side of my brain in overdrive.

I feel like I have a purpose now. Provided everything goes well, I will be able to leave something behind. And hopefully leave a mark on my readers. Maybe help them in a way other authors have done for me.

Just enrol. The courses speak for themselves. You won't regret it.

Thank you so much to everyone involved with AWC. My life has changed because of you. I can't express the gratitude I have to AWC for transforming my outlook on what I am capable of.

I found the course engaging and enjoyed receiving the feedback from Pamela. She was fantastic and I felt that she explained her feedback well. She is obviously very knowledgeable but never made you feel silly!

I most enjoyed receiving the feedback. I do think that sometimes you can't get out of your own way and you think that you are doing something but in reality you are not. So to have that outside eye pointing things out to you is great for your development.

I now have more of an idea of where to start, instead of just having these ideas floating around and not knowing what to do with them.

Pamela gave constructive feedback and shared her wealth of experience and knowledge freely. I really enjoyed having her as a tutor.

I feel more empowered to stick with writing. The repeated message of just getting words on a page as your starting point makes it feel like a more achievable goal.

The content is practical and useful, and the facilitators are very knowledgeable and helpful in sharing that knowledge. Recommend.

I was attracted to this course because I've been wanting to take my writing seriously, and I finally decided that now was the time to take the plunge. Creative Writing Stage 1 seemed like the perfect course to start with at the AWC.

I was worried that the course might be too impersonal, as it's an online course. But I was pleasantly surprised by the personalised video feedback, which brought the feedback to life and offered some human connection.

My tutor was clearly an expert in their field, so I valued every piece of feedback they provided. It took a little bit of practise to get into the mindset of receiving feedback, but once I was there I was able to take it on board and it has strengthened my writing considerably.

I enjoyed interacting with other students in the course and reading their assignments each week.

This course has both humbled and inspired me. I can now see how daunting of a process it will be to write a novel, but I am also more inspired than ever to get it done.

My eyes were opened to the significant impact of your choice in narrative perspective and tense - I never realised how much magic could be weaved with these powerful tools!

The AWC offers high-quality writing courses to suit the learning needs of all writers.