What’s it like to learn with AWC?

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!

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 has been a fantastic tutor. I found myself really looking forward to the assignment feedback each Monday and she was always happy to answer my questions. Her feedback itself has been thorough and detailed, and I always felt like my work was getting her full attention.

I most enjoyed the assignments as they provided opportunities to explore different aspects of my writing by focusing on dialogue, setting or the scene as a whole. I valued being able to use material from my own novel idea, and took the chance to re-write certain scenes or passages for the sole purpose of submission as assignments, which gave me some detailed feedback on my unique characters and world. I also enjoyed networking with some of the other students and reading their work and sharing feedback in the optional workshopping for Module 5; it's great to get several different viewpoints on your writing and gauge how it might come across to different readers, not just the tutor!

Doing this course has reinvigorated my love of writing and I've made more progress in two months than in the 5+ years prior on my novel. I feel confident in my writing ability and style after getting thoughtful feedback on my work, and for the first time really see writing as a career opportunity with a clear pathway to publication in the future.

I thought I knew a thing or two about writing - and I did - but getting the constructive feedback, the detailed knowledge and subject material from the tutor and audio lessons and the helpful handouts have given me a new perspective on writing and the idea I hold for my own novel. It makes writing a bestseller seem realistic (not easy!) and gives you the foundation skill set to get that first draft over the line.

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.

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.

So impressed with the quality of the materials, the structure and how far we were taken on our writing journey in only 5 weeks!

Nat was totally fabulous! I absolutely loved how skilfully she shared feedback in a way that was 100% encouraging. Nat made me feel like I can be (and am) a writer! I'm very excited about my writing journey now. It feels like it's shifted from being a vague wishful thought to being something that's completely real and in progress.

I found the whole experience enjoyable. If I had to choose one thing it would be hearing Nat read my writing out loud and then Nat saying something like 'Great stuff' followed by really practical and useful elements to work on or think about to improve it.

I now feel like I am already a writer and my journey is about continually developing my writing habit. I've realised I'm on a continual improvement journey to become a better writer. Which is exciting compared to before the course - when I thought being a writer (at all) was wishful thinking only. Such a contrast!

I've realised that the technical elements of writing can be learnt and are within easy reach. Then all I have to do is combine that with my imagination. It is that simple! It's still hard work but so enjoyable.

You will learn so much and be encouraged more than you can currently believe possible. You will have so much fun!

Nat did a wonderful job of giving constructive feedback. I feel like she really took the time to delve deep into our writing to give a proper analysis. Her comments were always insightful and highlighted areas to work on that I had never even considered.

The course forced me to be more consistent in getting words onto the page.

I felt that the pacing of the course and the nature of the feedback worked well to help the students improve in a reasonably painless way, over a reasonably short duration. I also found it to be well presented in terms of the course materials.

I felt that Nat did a great job of delivering appropriate feedback whilst also being tactful. I felt that she was personable and knowledgeable, and I felt confident in her ability as our tutor.

Having simple parameters and reasonable expectations ensured that meeting the deadlines wasn't too much of a challenge. It was also good to hear my writing read aloud.

It's helped me to become more certain of my own abilities; more aware of my own flaws; and more likely to pursue a future in writing. I discovered that I'm better at this than I feared I would be, while still needing to work on addressing the gaps in my knowledge and skillset.

It's a great way to develop your writing skills, and there is sufficient variety amongst the courses that you'll be able to cherry-pick the things you want or need to focus on.

Just a warm thankyou.

Nat was really knowledgeable and her feedback felt fair and actionable, which was great.

It was so cool to read other people's assignments to see how they responded to the prompt and also to learn more about how to write better. The course made me want to keep writing. It also warned me that writing a novel is no small feat.

The AWC is a great community connected to many amazing authors.

I really loved getting feedback from Jo - she was always really balanced and provided great insight into the work required to write a book.

The most enjoyable part was realising that writing a book is within everyone's grasp - even mine! Given me confidence, and also the skills and knowledge to get started.

Great practical steps and support to help anyone get started in writing a book.

It really sharpened my skills and with the feedback helped me see my writing in a fresh way! If you want to get serious about your writing, this is the course for you!

Thoroughly enjoyed the course! Fun! Educational, inspired and 'on song'.

I was drawn to this course by the fact that it was beginner friendly and so open to anyone and everyone. I also liked the idea of being accountable, with weekly tasks to complete. My only concern is the one I have every time I sit down to write, which is 'Am I good enough?' This course reminded me that in some ways that doesn't matter. I love to write and the main thing is to be in it and doing it.

I loved Jo's kind but constructive approach. Her video feedback was warm, personal, humorous and gave us plenty to consider.

I enjoyed it all! I loved learning through the recorded modules, I love that I have the handouts to refer back to repeatedly, and I loved how we could see the diversity of one another's work. I just wish I hadn't been travelling as I would have liked to have more time to reciprocate and feedback on my classmates' work. I do intend, however, to use the bonus exercises to extend this course and keep flexing that writerly muscle.

I want to keep going and do more courses. It's also forced me to finally start writing the story I've been daydreaming and making notes about for a very long time. That can only be a good thing.

Don't hesitate or wait for the right time. If you want to write, scratch that itch immediately and just make it work. The AWC teachers are kind, constructive and established authors who know their stuff. They will provide you with the guidance you need to propel you along whatever path you may end up following.

I have loved this course so much it's made it hard to even like my day job that much anymore! Working through the lessons and assignments has unearthed a passion I knew I had, but I had relegated it below several layers of everyday life and responsibilities. There's no way it's going back into its hiding place now!

I think this is a good, solid start to thinking about and practicing creative writing with a group of aspiring writers. It is a good length and value for money. There is a lot of material to digest, so I want to spend the next month going back over it and completing more of the optional exercises.

I liked getting the assignments each week and completing them. It activated something in me; I respond well to deadlines. I loved seeing what other people had done and I started to gain confidence that my work was okay. I loved it when Jo said, 'time for feedback', and I would rush to the video link to see what she'd said.

The course has shifted my internal mindset of fantasising about becoming a writer to imagining it. Writing scenes, showing classmates, showing close friends and relatives has triggered something positive. That I can do this. I print out my words and I imagine them in a book, 500, 1000, 10,000, 50,000. The building blocks. I have a regular writing ritual, I am reading more and critiquing what I read in terms of what I have learned. Your course has contributed enormously to my self-belief.

Just thank you. I feel I have found a community. I am more open to workshopping ideas and putting them out there, I want to give more feedback to my classmates' work and I intend to, as analysing is a great way to grow and I really appreciate when people take the time to read my words. I feel energised and excited, and I want to keep up the momentum. Something that seemed unattainable before feels a little bit more attainable. It is a comforting, absorbing pursuit. Thank you all.

My tutor was Jo and I thought she was wonderful. She had a lovely, lovely style. Always very positive in her feedback as well as constructive criticism for each individual student as well as for the class as a whole. When I work my way back through the course, I intend to take notes on all the feedback that Jo provided for us all to make sure I have captured it. I also liked Jo's appreciation of different genres and her ability to connect genre conventions to tone and style. She also is extremely well read and made lots of suggestions of similar books to read depending on what each of us was aiming for. Jo made the writing assignment process very nonthreatening, welcoming and inclusive. I enjoyed it very much and looked forward each week to Jo's feedback.

I really enjoyed the accountability of the writing exercises and then receiving the feedback as well as listening to other people's feedback. I enjoyed seeing how other people interpreted the instructions and produced their own work. I really enjoyed the audios; they were easy to listen to and packed with a huge amount of useful information presented in an enjoyable way with lots of explicit examples. I loved how the course unpacked the technicalities of writing from the characters to their dialogue, then to scenes and structure. I had been floundering in some of these technical aspects (e.g., around POV, tense, structure) for some time and the course offered me excellent guideposts.

I have been working on a novel project for 12 months. I was deeply mired in many possible choices about the POV character and the structure. As a result, I hadn't been making much actual writing progress in the last couple of months. I was stalled. This course changed two things: first, the enjoyment of sitting and working on a scene each and every week (and often every day as I worked towards each deadline); second, the understanding that I should be focusing on the character who changes the most and whose actions bring about the resolution to the climax, especially related to the main theme of the book. Until now, I was focusing more on the character I felt I knew best and could most easily write. Although she was going to change, her change wasn't really about the theme I originally wanted to focus on (the experience of ambiguous loss and the question of whether we ever gain closure on heartbreak or grief). I feel like this course realigned my compass and gave me a map to follow. I feel reenergised as a result and keen to continue learning with AWC and to continue with my novel project!

The AWC gives you the technical tools to bring a writing dream to life. And, especially for those of us with dreams of writing a novel on the side of our working lives and full time desks, an AWC course can drip feed the inspiration as well as motivate the perspiration to ensure genuine progress towards a complete first draft!

Victoria was fantastic, really amazing. I would like to do more courses with her.

I enjoyed the chance to creatively stretch my mind, and reading what everyone else wrote. Helped me think more about my writing.

I wanted to start writing a book but wanted a solid base/beginning course to understand the fundamentals and instil confidence in me that I could go ahead and do it.

I liked coming up with scenes and reading other people's scenes. I really liked the feedback; it opened my eyes to what I could write. I figured out that I could write a whole lot better in first-person.

I would say to give it a go.

I was attracted to this course by the fact that it is so highly regarded by people who have gone on to get their work published. I really valued their testimonials.

Victoria Purman is outstanding. Her feedback has been pivotal in my decision to want to continue on down the writing rabbit hole. The course has convinced me that I can do this for a living.

The Australian Writers' Centre would be the first place I would recommend to any friends who are interested in going to take a look at writing either as a leisure activity or profession. I found this extremely worthwhile.

The course has made an incredible impact in my life! The decision to become serious in writing as a future career and knowing the nuts and bolts to it is vital.

The step-by-step instructions help me think and plan the writing efficiently and a better sense of direction in the process. Encouraging to see other graduates gone on to publish their work.

Anyone who's interested to begin a proper writing course, AWC is the sure place to start without a doubt! Simple and self-paced, enjoyable and most importantly educational.

Thank you so much to all the staff, trainers, tutors, authors and their professional contributions to AWC! I love the course and even the enquiry phone line customer service had been most helpful in course selection. Keep up the great work; much appreciated!

This course has helped me gain confidence in my writing and I have learnt a lot about how to develop characters and scenes.

I found Louisa extremely professional and her constructive criticism was always helpful to assist us in developing the skills needed to continue our passion for writing. The feedback from Louisa was the most enjoyable for me and reading the other writers work was also very enjoyable.

It was very insightful to be able to learn from not just Louisa but the other writers as well. The feedback given to the other writers helped me in shaping my work accordingly.

This course has really helped me to understand how to develop and construct my stories. Being exposed to other possible novice writers is inspiring and helps to feed the desire to continue.

I look forward to doing more courses with AWC.

I've heard good things about this course online from graduates and felt that it was a general good overview to writing, seeing that I was a bit confused as to which styles of books I wanted to write (middle grade, YA etc). I love that there was feedback provided to the exercises which attracted me also.

Louisa was fantastic! She has great insight into writing and provided very good constructive feedback to my writing. She was honest, straight to the point and gave us emotional support through her responses when we as a collective would ask how do we keep pushing through with writing when we have self-doubt etc.

I feel strong and confident in my writing and have used the knowledge from the course to start writing a few drafts already.

Thank you Louisa for having faith in me and my writing! I feel confident in my abilities and thank you for accepting my quirky and silly style of writing!