What’s it like to learn with AWC?

Louisa was encouraging at all times but with constructive feedback. Everything she passed on to me/us helped me to improve each week.

I really liked creating the characters and describing a setting.

I feel ready to write more and maybe enrol in another course down the track.

I enjoyed this 5-week course and learned so much. It was relaxed and I didn't feel any pressure to succeed, just enjoyed letting my mind create.

Feedback was the most important part for me, as the whole imposter syndrome is rife for me as a fiction writer. I think I might be on the right path now, and the lessons brought structure to my fumbling.

I enjoyed the assignments and they made you think a lot about the different styles, sense etc. L. A. Larkin was awesome as well. Not only was she supportive and complimentary, which was nice, but she also explained well what might be improved in a piece to make it better. I loved this positive reinforcement.

I am now writing every day.

Brilliant tutelage and, more than anything, direct feedback from real authors helps give you both inspiration and drive to make your own work better.

I really loved all the feedback that was given. Not only to me but to everyone. Being able to learn through everyone's feedback.

I really liked how it was structured. Through the audio lessons, and the handouts. Being given bonus exercises that we could complete whenever we liked. The assignments were all really interesting too. I liked being challenged and seeing what I could come up with.

I truly loved every aspect.

I would definitely recommend Creative Writing Stage 1. The layout is really well structured, it allows time for the work/life balance whilst also pushing you to complete the course in a set time parameter and it's just overall lots of fun to do.

It was great to be a part of a group of people engaged in the same activities and see how everyone interpreted things differently.

Nat was great. She managed to provide constructive feedback in a way that made you feel that you could write.

Writers are not just naturally able to write, but you can learn the craft. I actually feel that it may be possible for me to write.

Go for it. You have nothing to lose and everything to learn.

Nicole was a wonderful presenter who built a safe space for discussion and fostered a very supportive environment for our group. Her tips were clear, practical and delivered with empathy, kindness and understanding. Based on her advice I was able to revise my work and now have a plan for how to take it forward. Three thumbs up from me!

I loved that it was in person, covered two days and was in a convenient location. The tutor, the venue and the other attendees were great.

It is a very practical and accessible way to improve your writing. It made it easy to understand where I was going wrong and how I could improve things.

I really enjoyed it and highly recommend Nicole as a tutor - she was just fantastic!

I wanted to write a book and I had lot of story ideas, but zero knowledge on how to go about writing a novel.

Nat was awesome and really funny. Her feedback was amazing. I learnt so much just from hearing her talk through what students had written. I felt supported and very motivated each week. The best part was listening to her read out my assignment on the feedback videos, because the story sounds even better when she reads it.

The tutor feedback in this course is invaluable and really interesting. I was shown a repeating pattern in my writing that I need to be conscious of, and the amount of information packed into this course has given me the confidence and knowledge to start writing my own book. I feel like I am one more step closer to becoming an author.

I had no idea of the amount of hard work and effort that it takes to write a good story. I now have a new appreciation for writer's and the craft. I feel more confident in knowing how to write a story that is engaging.

I want to write a book but wanted some guidance on writing and improving my way of storytelling before starting.

I enjoyed the assignments. I appreciated Nat taking the time to provide feedback; each time it came out, I was overly excited to hear what she had to say. She didn't just rush through; she gave everyone a fair amount of attention.

I'm not a perfect writer, there's still so much more to learn. But I feel ready to start my book and know what to watch out for when editing.

This course was a good use of my time. I'd say that it gave me a boost of confidence and helped get me out of my little rut.

I am looking to write a manuscript for publication, and figured this was a good place to start (and I was right!)

Nat has a wonderful knack for giving just the right advice. She was always encouraging and curious, and didn't overwhelm students with stacks of feedback or constructive criticism. She also focused on the positives, so we felt inspired to continue our writing practice. I always looked forward to Mondays, knowing I'd get to listen to her read my story out loud and share some real gems I can put into action right away. Having to 'publicly' share my creative writing for the first time and reading the work of other students was also very rewarding. We all learned a lot from each other's feedback and discovered the Furious Fiction challenge together, which I've completed every time since starting two months ago and will continue to do so.

The excellent, thoughtful, finetuned course that was exactly what I needed to hear at this time. And then having great assignments to put those ideas right to practice, finished off by excellent tailored feedback. I absolutely loved it.

It has made me think more deeply about some of the small details I take for granted because it is in my head. I loved the way Nat pointed out tiny details that may have the reader question a scene. Her comments were really useful.

I liked learning about how to get inside a character. I had made a vision board but I hadn't gone into the full background of my character in order to know her inside out. I will have to repeat this with my minor characters as well.

Doing this course is a good way to dip your toes into the creative writing stream. It will give you the confidence to take the first steps but it is up to you as to how deep you are willing to go.

I looked forward to reading everyone's submissions and found the lessons really helpful when trying to get my head around plot and story lines. Nat provided insightful feedback on the work submitted.

A good structured approach. It has made me feel that I can write that book that we all have inside us.

I found the course was very well put together. It was very organic in how it introduced us to creative writing and I could see how the various topics and their assessment really helped in building up to the final task of being able to write a scene. Having small, manageable assessment tasks that we had a week to complete was very helpful and having the course chat meant that if I ever felt overwhelmed I could discuss any concerns with my peers and our instructor.

Nat Newman was fantastic. They appeared to approach each submission with the same level of enthusiasm and genuine care. They offered both positive and constructive feedback while giving very intuitive suggestions on how to not only improve on a specific assessment task, but also how we could go about improving and developing our writing in general. I think they were also very good at recognising themes for each submission. They not only adapted really well to our unique writing styles but also our skill levels and how and when we needed feedback on any issues we might be experiencing. They were encouraging and prompt with any questions in the course chat. They also posted and shared a lot of helpful videos and anything that might help improve our writing in general.

I enjoyed listening to the modules and being able to learn in what felt like a very safe and inclusive space.

I think I have a lot more confidence in my writing. With the knowledge I have gained I feel that I am better equipped to worry less and write more.

It's amazing and worth doing if you wish to get serious about your writing.

The tutor was experienced, concise, helpful. I enjoyed the course handouts and audios.

I am a beginner, so it gave me the essentials and a very realistic idea of the process of writing a novel.

Great course for all levels of writers, comfortable workload, valuable feedback.

Content, delivery and course management was delivered in an encouraging but non-threatening way - important for those of us who are still unsure and self-conscious about writing creatively, even for ourselves.

Nat's awesome! Great at the feedback sandwich - positive comments-constructive criticism-positive comments. A wonderful tutor for people who are tentatively starting out on their writing journey. She helped create a warm, positive and supportive learning group.

I enjoyed the writing assignments! Particularly those that gave parameters in which I would not normally write, eg the detective scenario, developing purely descriptive passages.

After so many years of corporate writing, it's opened up the possibility of creating something from my imagination - something I hadn't done since I was a child and to which I didn't think I'd ever return.

The Australian Writers' Centre is the only resource I could find that offers a range of courses for all kinds of writers at all stages of their journey. The courses are extremely well-researched and professionally presented but still accessible in content and welcoming in approach.

Valerie's audios on this course have been invaluable. Nat's feedback was practical as well as encouraging. She gave me a lot of confidence.

Today, I 'slam' down on Draft 1 of my historical fiction novel. I've set myself a writing goal (a la Stephen King) of 3 months for an 80,000 word draft. I thought I had it going along nicely, but I was procrastinating! But I'm glad I didn't get into it too far, even though I'd already done extensive planning, because I realised my protagonist needs to be another character. The one with more at stake, and incidentally the one I like more.

Do the tutor-led courses. Getting qualified feedback is essential.

I've always loved writing, but hadn't been writing creatively (i.e. fiction writing for myself) for some time - I had worked as a B2B journalist for a while and that work had become my focus. I wanted to reconnect with the more creative side of writing that I fell in love with when I was younger and possibly look at a different way to write for a living.

Pamela was amazing! All her feedback was highly constructive and motivating. She helped me look at my writing in a more critical way and always had something good to say about everyone's assignments - it was very encouraging having her as a tutor.

Everything was enjoyable! In particular, having both the tutor and classmates reviewing my work and looking at it through their eyes. Also, having assignments due each week both prompted me and encouraged me to get things done.

Although I feel quite far off from publishing a novel, this course has given me the confidence and techniques I need to make a start on planning and writing one.

Just wanted to thank Pamela and the AWC for what they've put together in CreativeWriting Stage 1. It's a great course (which is obviously why it's so popular!) and has helped me a lot. And thank you for committing to motivating and encouraging so many people in pursuing writing as a career or a creative outlet - long live literature! :-)

If you're sitting on the fence about whether to enrol, consider this a sign to do it! Once you know which course is right for you, the AWC will lead the way. There's so much knowledge at your fingertips, and if you love writing it's well worth it. The content is interesting and easy to understand, and getting feedback on your writing is very encouraging.

Pamela's feedback was valuable and appreciated. She was knowledgeable and skilled in offering constructive criticism.

My confidence has increased and I learned a lot with respect to the technical aspects of fiction writing.

AWC courses are delivered professionally by skilled presenters that provide important information from their lived experiences. You don't know what you don't know and AWC courses highlight the problem areas and teach you the solutions.

I just loved this course. I found the content interesting and well-paced. I really liked the mixture of audio and physical handouts. The audio ones I especially loved as I have been able to go back and listen to them a second/third time in the car, in the shower etc. Valerie has a lovely tone and you can tell she is smiling as she spoke and I really liked that.

Pamela was fabulous. I felt she was fair with a great balance of positive and 'what needs to improve' feedback. She could really get to the nuts and bolts of your writing so quickly and insightfully. Even when giving the 'what needs to improve feedback' I always felt invigorated by these and not upset. I think this was because of her non-judgemental tone which she used for everyone. Thank you Pamela.

I really enjoyed connecting with other writers. I loved reading people's work and commenting on it for them. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Pamela's feedback not just on my assignment but on everyone's work. I picked up so many hints and let go of quite a few bad writing habits.

The feedback was very important to me. It sounds reward driven but it wasn't just that. It was the icing on the cake after a great week of writing myself, reading others' work and giving the feedback to others. It kept me writing to meet the target each Sunday night.

This course has pointed my pencil or maybe 'finger on the keyboard' to just get writing. This course has given me the tools to do this now and not put it off another moment.

JUST DO IT! You can't lose with this course. Fabulous content. Wonderful audio. A group of budding writers like yourself to connect with. Weekly valuable feedback from an industry great. WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK FOR!

Thank you Pamela, Valerie and AWC.

The course gave me the opportunity to step away from my manuscript and consider some other stories and ideas. It also gave me a great foundation ... a toolbox full of tools ... that will help me in further drafting and writing.

The tutor was great. Pamela is extremely proficient in identifying the problems with a scene and generous with her feedback.

Apart from the actual writing, listening to Pamela's feedback was amazing. I appreciate her feedback not only making the scene better, but also the lessons I learnt for subsequent scenes. I also enjoyed the feedback from the other students.

It helped me to identify some bad habits in my writing, gave me the tools to redraft my manuscript, and opened up for me a community of great fellow writers I am excited to learn more from.

I was quite daunted at first. Pamela has quite a CV, however her patience and exceptional skill were clear right from the beginning. She managed to challenge and develop us with kindness and honesty.

I really enjoyed the content. It was great to be able to listen to it on any device or print out the materials. The opportunity to read other students' work and the feedback we all received was fantastic.

Learning to write with others is not terrifying or something to be embarrassed about. Turns out it is a great opportunity in so many ways. I didn't think I could write fiction at all - now I am wondering if I might give it a go instead of non-fiction.

Pamela is a great tutor - the feedback she provided was always easy to understand. I especially appreciated that she delivered her critique as a feedback sandwich :-)

Thank you AWC! It's great we can relisten to the content for 12 months. I think that will be really useful to revisit in a couple of months.

PS. I've also been listening to the podcast which is really good.