What’s it like to learn with AWC?

The explanations and examples are clear. I know this is a weakness in my writing and it gave me the opportunity to focus on this technique and to pull out some key steps and ideas I can use to improve my writing.

Some feedback suggests that using 1st person or 3rd person limited POV is the only way. The course shows how other approaches can be used to enhance your story. For instance, it can be OK to move from omniscient to limited POV, and there are pointers for managing this transition to great effect. I love having guidelines (some stronger than others) that show ways of applying technique according to what you're trying to achieve with the story - not one set of rigid rules.

AWC offers a huge range of practical, accessible courses that feel genuinely targeted at helping you become a better writer.

I was attracted to this course after receiving professional feedback around needing to go deeper re. POV with my characters.

It helped me understand how non-negotiably important deep POV is for contemporary fiction, and how to do it. Worthwhile.

I need help with POV. I tend to head-hop or write with the omniscient POV.

I enjoyed all the examples and the exercises. I am more conscious of POV now. It's something I will work on in future.

I have already recommended the AWC to a few friends. I told them it was great and that I learned a lot more with them than I did in the University courses I took. I think the tutor's feedback in these courses is so good and it really helped me improve my writing.

Excellent course. Very thorough. I enjoyed the detailed examples and Valerie's lively narration.

I like the fact that example books are listed; I have intended to read Ulysses for so many years and this has reminded me 😉.

I'm sure I'll come back to the handouts. Good to have them as a resource.

These essential courses are invaluable, and the concepts are explained clearly for those who are unfamiliar with the terminology.

I think I have a better understanding now and can see rules are in place - which you can break if that's what works for your story. You do have to know you are breaking them!

I enjoyed being able to do it in short bursts around other tasks.

I feel far more confident in my POV choices - and see that I can use more than one in a story.

Well priced, well presented and useful.

I enjoyed being prompted to think more clearly about the way I write my novel. I can now see the obvious way to improve my story. I'll be revising this course a few more times. After the first two modules, especially, I wanted to run straight to my story and fix it. But I think I have a few more mistakes to work through before I get it right.

I have enjoyed the longer courses I have done with AWC, especially since I did not begin as a writer. But their shorter courses (eg. POV) help me to slow down to take in information that I haven't always understood the first time around.

This seminar allowed me to further explore my characters and check the POV is deep enough to serve them and the story best. POV is a choice you control and a skill you can master. Be brave enough to fully inhabit your POV character!

If you want to improve your writing, AWC courses are the best! With high quality content, exercises and examples and the flexibility of self-paced online learning, I highly recommend Fiction Essentials Point of View.

I am editing my novel with a focus on sharpening the POV. I have had feedback about my use of deep 3rd person POV and I couldn't explain it well enough to convince my critique partner that I knew what I was doing by using this technique in critical parts of my story. I needed a refresher, and when this course was offered along with Kate Forsyth's course, it was serendipitous.

I enjoy the ability to access the material when it suits me, and having access to the course for 12 months is also handy when I need to remind myself of some of the theories as I apply the techniques.

I am now more confident with my understanding of POV and when to use specific POVs in my writing and editing.

The flexibility of AWC's online courses is fantastic. The content of this course covered the basics for beginners, then covered the more complex application for writers who want to level up their craft.

I have enrolled in many of the Australian Writers' Centre courses now. They are enjoyable and full of great advice about writing. I am doing all I can to learn how I can improve on the skills and knowledge I already have.

No matter what stage of writing you are at and what skills and knowledge you have, these courses will teach you new skills, tell you what is most popular and accepted currently and it will give you confidence to keep going if you need encouragement.

I really loved how you structured the course. I wanted to learn about the three main points of view. It is so important to get the basics right.

I had a load of fun with Module 3. The examples of the different versions (same scene) taught me a lot. I could imagine each character vividly: their gestures, their voices, the way they look.

I feel more confident when I write a scene. I learned a lot about proper structuring. Things have become clearer about third-person limited narration and omniscient narration.

I can highly recommend this course. The course has taught me a lot. I feel so encouraged to continue on this basis.

Valerie has an engaging speaking style and the course was well-designed. I liked learning in 12-15 minute chunks so I could go away and think about what I'd learned, practice, and apply to something I was writing.

My current novel (a sequel) should be a lot stronger than its predecessor. There are multiple characters and I have a much clearer idea how to handle scenes. Although I didn't do too badly with the first one, it was luck more than technique!

AWC provides practical yet inspiring courses for every type of writer and for all levels of experience.

The explanation and examples have really helped me with my next novel. I hit a snag and doing this course helped me to clear up which POV I could best tell this story.

I now have a set of questions to ask myself before beginning to write to know which direction I'm heading in.

The courses are prepared by people who have been where you are now and are where you wish to be in the future. The information they impart is from their writing experience.

I realised I was lacking an understanding of the intricate aspects of point of view and my basic understanding wasn't going to be enough to complete my novel. This course appeared to cover everything that I needed, so it's the one I chose!

I feel far more confident with creating characters that my audience can connect to in a meaningful way through POV.

The information around depth and discourse were probably the biggest learning curves for me. I now feel far more equipped at navigating POV after considering these aspects.

The courses and resources at the Australian Writer's Centre truly are made for writers by writers. The information is engaging and relevant and you leave with actual tangible resources in addition to new skills and understanding.

Learning all the tips, hints and so on of how to bring a character's POV to life was a lot more involved than I had imagined and I loved getting into the nitty gritty of how to do it properly.

One thing that has stuck with me is the comment which came up several times about how there is no real right or wrong way, but what is right for you and the book you are writing in regards to first person, third person limited or omniscient.

Just do it. It really will pay off in the long run. No matter how much you think you know, if you want to do well you will make the effort to learn more.

I had completed Fiction Essentials course on Characters and loved it. I wanted to continue the series of courses.

I've been experimenting with POV in several stories and novellas. It's really given me skills and confidence.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! I am so much happier. The previous writing courses I have done have been quite structured but at the AWC you give every writer room to breathe. I also find it really helpful doing these Fiction Essentials courses as I near the end of this draft. There is so much to fix up but I want to get some more tools in my kit before I take this to one of your longer novel courses. Great value for money too!

I really wanted to understand more about POV. I was about 70,000 words in to my novel in first person and was really interested in understanding the nuts and bolts of POV better. I was hoping I would come away with a better understanding as previous writing courses had not unravelled the mystery of POV as I had hoped.

I have switched from 1st to 3rd person POV and I feel like I have a stronger voice now. I am far more confident with POV. The depth and layers of each POV was really insightful.

Amazing resources, I guarantee you will enjoy it and learn something. Exceptional value for money.