What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I feel like this course gave me all the basic tools I need to write. It's also given me the knowledge to see where I need work. I've heard other people say they wish they'd done it sooner and I totally agree.

Pamela was a fantastic online tutor. She gave information in a way that was easy to understand and feedback in a way that showed me how to improve.

The module approach with pre-recorded audio broke down the different elements and I was able to listen to certain things more than once when I needed to. Doing the exercises and being able to listen to everyone's feedback was invaluable. Being able to comment on each other's work was at first a little daunting but definitely worthwhile and a bonding experience.

I had written a first draft of a novel but it just didn't feel right. After doing this course I can better pinpoint the (many) problems. I'll be doing a complete re-write - but feel happy about it.

A writer needs a good foundation of knowledge to properly craft a story. Creative Writing Stage 1 provides it.

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.

The content of the course seemed like just what I need to progress and re-edit my manuscript that has been 5 years in the making! As it is my first manuscript and I'm not a professional writer, I felt that I needed some guidance to edit to an acceptable standard before I look for agents/publishers.

I was initially concerned that I might not have been able to complete it with the personal commitments I have - but it has been amazing. I am proud that I have been able to complete each task before the due date.

It was simple and easy to follow along - the audio lessons were great and easy to follow. The assignments were easy and simple and not too difficult to complete.

Nat was amazing and spot on - I really enjoyed receiving her feedback.

Made me open my eyes to the style of writing I had used in writing my manuscript. It has definitely shown me that I need to re-edit it and make some major changes to the wording, style and POV I have used.

Really enjoyed it and feel I have the building blocks to get started now.

Nat's feedback was great - positive, constructive and enthusiastic. She's really given me the confidence that I can write and be creative. Thanks Nat!

I enjoyed the assignments - every Monday I'd read the brief and worry that I wouldn't be able to meet it. Once I started thinking about it, the ideas and words flowed and the sense of satisfaction I got once I clicked submit and again hearing Nat's feedback was well worth the effort put in!

Very informative, easy to fit it into busy schedules and value for money. Thank you!

I had written several books, but knew they were not of publishable standard. Mostly, I wanted to structure them better and to have a deeper understanding of just what I was doing when I was editing.

I am glad that we can keep accessing the material and refreshing what we have learned. I plan to continue going back over the tutorial sessions whenever I am at an impasse.

Nat is very knowledgeable and she is skilled at getting that knowledge and her ideas across. She is also personable and encouraging.

I enjoyed anticipating the next module release each week so I could learn more, and reading other people's submissions. I loved hearing Nat's feedback and suggestions for improvement, not just to mine, but to the writing of others. I learned a lot from that.

I have incentive and tools to sink my teeth into some serious objective editing of my work, tools which I will add to and polish through other courses when the time is ripe.

Nicole was funny enthusiastic and extremely engaging - she is a great tutor.

I most enjoyed workshopping with other aspiring writers and sharing my work. I can't wait to go home and write with the new tools I learnt.

Just go and do it; you won't be disappointed.

Thank you, and I can't wait to see what else I can do next.

I have had an idea for a story and, while I made a start on it a few years ago, I haven't got very far with it since then. I decided that I was going to have a serious go at it this year, so I thought I should begin with this beginner's course.

Petronella did a great job each week in summarising the material and giving us our feedback. She was both positive and honest, which was encouraging and helpful. I liked that she seemed to enjoy many aspects of the scenes we wrote. As students, that was also very encouraging.

I thought that the content was just what I needed at this early stage of taking writing more seriously. With the notes I took and the handouts I have stored in my folders, I have plans for the next 3-6 months to play around with all my story elements. In that way, the course has been extremely good value for money. I also enjoyed the flexibility of the course, combined with the discipline of having to put an assignment in each week.

I feel that the course has empowered me to take the next steps in my writing journey. I believe that I've been given the foundations of storytelling to work with over the next 3-6 months.

Well done AWC. Thanks Petronella.

I enjoyed Petronella's style of feedback. She was very honest and helpful and it really soothed my worries about feeling inadequate.

It's motivated me and encouraged me to focus.

Enjoy it, give it a go and let it motivate you.

I chose this course because I thought it was a good place to start. And I was right; it's far exceeded my expectations! Honestly, I just loved EVERY minute of this course! So so soooooo good!! Thank you.

Nat has been amazing! She's clearly a master at her craft and was so helpful throughout. Thank you so much, Nat.

I think each module had 'aha' moments for me. I took so many notes, wrote more than I have in a long time. I think it's opened my eyes and expanded my horizons as to what might be possible.

I have loved ALL of it. The chat, the lessons, the format, the assignments, the feedback, so many learning opportunities. LOVED the course! Thank you.

I'd say DO IT!! Just do it!! The course is brilliant.

Nat was great. Her comments were succinct and to the point. Her advice allowed me to understand where I had gone wrong in the basics and how my writing could improve. I believe I am on my way to becoming a better writer due to Nat's support and guidance.

The assignments really made me think outside the box and I loved learning how to show, not tell in my stories. I looked forward to hearing of the little things that I had missed that detracted from, or improved what I had written.

The ability to chat with others in the group was good too. Overall I enjoyed it all but the assignments, the feedback on them, and the group chat were tops.

Not only has the course broadened my knowledge of writing but it is such a confidence booster as well. There was no way I would have considered entering a competition like Furious Fiction beforehand. Now I find I am looking forward to the next one and actively searching for other similar competitions.

I wish I had found the course earlier. Go for it; you will never know what you don't know until you do the course.

Jennifer was amazing! Always cheerful, providing accurate, professional feedback each week and suggesting areas for change that were positive. She had clearly read each piece we submitted thoroughly and was able to highlight the areas she was 'speaking to' instantly.

I just didn't want it to end! I feel as though I've walked into another world - where writing my own novel is no longer a ridiculous dream but an actual possibility!!

Thank you xx

Jo is very considered and logical. She gives clear feedback, in a constructive manner.

I am clearer about the limitations of my writing style. I don't see this as a negative thing but rather something that requires work.

The course does what it says it will do - it gives a good introduction to novel writing.

The course was very encouraging for the beginner. The tutor gave sensible critiques of our work. Very down to earth.

I especially liked the step-by-step explanation of how to approach a first draft - print it out! Read it out loud. I have been asking this question for ages.

The course is pretty comprehensive for beginners. It has re-focussed, made me want to continue writing.

I really had fun and have learnt a great deal. The tutor was excellent. I really enjoyed her feedback; it was very helpful.

It has just made me look at my writing in a completely different way and I already know what improvements to make on the novella I have started.

It's a great course. Do it! You will get so much better.

I loved it and am already enrolled in the Fiction Essentials: Grammar and Punctuation course and have my eye on Novel Writing Essentials.

I really loved the assignment/feedback structure so you were able to learn from everyone's submissions and see how others approached the task.

I thought Jo was great. By chance I had recently read her book and loved it, so I already had a lot of respect for her standing in the industry. I found her feedback really insightful and thought her suggestions made a lot of sense.

I enjoyed the final assignment. It was definitely the most challenging, but putting it all together to write a whole scene was great. From the course material I felt like I wasn't as stumped on the structure side as I would have been in the past. I can't wait to hear everyone's feedback for it.

Do it! The course delivery made it achievable, the content was easy to digest and hugely insightful and the tutor was friendly and helpful and brought a lot of knowledge.

I am incredibly grateful for the confidence and opportunity your course has provided me. I can't wait to enrol in the next one!

I wanted to learn about the structure of creative writing. I have an idea of a book, but I didn't really know where to start.

I like the structure this course provided as well as all the practical, pragmatic tips. There is a lot of very actionable information.

I liked the practical handouts and tips. Especially around details of characters and scenes. I hadn't thought about these things in this much detail. I also liked the exercises each week. They weren't too big and I liked the clear actionable feedback in a video form.

The course has made me more confident and has given me practical tools to support my creative writing journey. I hadn't realised how complex or structured writing a book is. This course is a fantastic foundation.

If you want to understand practical foundations, this writing course is an excellent start. It delivers a great model to underpin any creative writing or book journey an aspiring author may have. It provides self-paced learning in a supportive environment, with lots of helpful information in handouts and videos that are good to review, re-listen to, and re-read as you write.

I always thought I had the imagination to become an author but lacked the skills. When looking at writing courses this one stood out to me as a superior.

LOVED the tutor; no matter how many times I proofread it Jo gave me feedback to improve my writing.

EVERYTHING was enjoyable; it has changed how I read books now but for the better. I can now identify what is wrong rather than just wonder what is off.

I feel so much more confident in my skills now and I can refer back to the content when I'm feeling lost.

AWC has an incredible reputation. The people who work for the AWC are professional, knowledgeable and exude positive energy.

Petronella is knowledgeable and warm, with a wicked sense of humor. The feedback was interesting. She provided feedback and lessons more broadly so that no individual felt under the microscope. I was prepared for my work to be ripped apart and more than ok with that, but it didn't happen. I had to shift my expectations and learn from the feedback given to others, in addition to what I could glean from that provided on my own writing.

I enjoyed the feedback the most for sure; it's what I'm craving at this point. It was also interesting to read other people's work. I think it made me a more patient reader.

I have more confidence to tell the stories I want to tell. I'm putting my work out into the world as often as I can moving forward. I've entered the Peter Carey Short Story Award. I wouldn't have done that if not for this course. Thank you for the motivation and inspiration.

This course is a great introduction to writing a story from beginning to final draft. There is a lot of learning and some fun assignments. The time commitment is only a few hours a week but the learnings will stay with you well beyond those few hours. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Just...thank you. This course has helped me find my (new) purpose.

I've been struggling to write for years between work, and I knew I was very green, a total beginner, so I searched the net for courses that would teach me the basics. This course had everything I was looking for, a tutor and other beginners who could give me feedback, and at the same time I would learn all of the terminology that goes with writing.

I loved the weekly assignments and having the other students to do everything along with.

Doing this course has made me realise I've got a lot of work do, but it's a positive, because I know the direction I now need to go in. I was writing aimlessly, which was fun but I wasn't getting anywhere with it. I've now been taught the basics to realise where I need help and what I can work on.