What’s it like to learn with AWC?

The feedback I received from Angela and my fellow writers was invaluable in helping me to progress my memoir. Angela was very thorough and provided effective feedback on what was working and what needed attention and, more importantly, how to address any problems. She was warm and approachable as well as being professional which is a great combo.

I completely changed the beginning of my memoir based on the feedback of Angela and other writers. This has changed my course profoundly. I wouldn't have seen it if I was flying solo!

A great big thank you to Angela and the AWC for the wonderful experience that this course gave me. Much appreciated and best wishes to you all.

I'd say if you want to learn the craft of writing or you want to write a book, sign up with the AWC - it'll take you forward on your path.

I really wanted to have others read my work and help me to see where my strengths and weaknesses are as a writer. I also really wanted to make writer-friends.

I was worried about being able to give helpful feedback as this was my first time in a workshopping group, but as the course went on I actually learned from the others in the course how to give better feedback. It's given me more courage to share my writing, and also to just write!

It was seeing the different feedback being given by the other students; some were confused by aspects that others loved, some thought certain passages were too long whilst others thought they were just right. This course has really taught me that feedback/criticism is subjective and will always be affected by personal preference to a certain point. This revelation has actually made it less daunting for me to share my work and leave myself open to criticism.

AWC offers a range of courses suiting all stages of experience and interests. The course wasn't overwhelming or intimidating, and the lecturer was approachable and helpful.

I gained invaluable information about aspects of writing that I thought I already knew. The modules were easy to follow and I appreciated the reinforcement of some of the critical messages - it really helped me a lot.

Angela was very helpful and positive in her feedback. I appreciated the extra info she posted in the Course Chat regarding particular aspects of writing.

I enjoyed having a focus and developing a method to my process of writing.

It has made me realise I can write a novel, and given me some fantastic knowledge and tips to help me get there! I particularly appreciated becoming more aware that the self-doubt and problems writers face are universal (more or less). I've also enrolled in the Write Your Novel course.

This is a great course to gauge where you're at in terms of writing because others will read your work and critique it. You will learn techniques and tips to help improve your skills, and gain a better understanding of things you might've thought you already knew. If you're serious about writing a novel, this will really get you going.

Angela was a very considerate and kind tutor who gave excellent feedback and ideas on how to improve our writing without burying us in the ditch, so to speak. She encouraged me to keep going and I learnt so much from her about the craft of writing. I thought I knew how to write but I found out I knew so little. Thank you, Angela.

The most enjoyable thing about the course was that I began writing and found that I loved it. It sounds funny but I think I actually learnt more from giving feedback to others rather than receiving it. This feedback part of the course is possibly the most valuable part.

It has taught me to write every day. Even if you have nothing, sit down and write through it.

I would say that you will not regret joining one of these courses. You will learn a lot and also you could possibly make lifelong friends who can help you with feedback on your writing. I would say DO IT!

Thank you , thank you, thank you.

Angela is very knowledgeable and cares for us students and our writing. Feedback is thorough and constructive and there was always an extra link to an article or information on what we were struggling with - for example, POV for me.

I enjoyed reading my classmates' stories and learning a new skill - tracking changes in the document and giving feedback on a fellow writer's work.

At first, because I was nervous about people reading and commenting on my work, I submitted a story I started writing about 7 years ago and wasn't sure what I was doing with it but the feedback and writing practice has been invaluable and I'm strides ahead from where I was before joining.

I'm very conscious now about what I write, even if it's a text message! I'm not so blasé with just throwing words out there. I've learned so much about how to structure a novel, create scenes, describe characters, all these things that I was not aware of before. I feel excited to keep writing.

The AWC is a professional organisation with excellent content in their courses, great teachers and you will definitely learn something new. I highly recommend you do one of the courses that interests you.

Thank you and 8 weeks flew by!

Angela was great! She provided really thorough feedback, which struck the right balance between encouragement and constructive criticism. The extra links and resources she provided were helpful in giving extra context.

I was surprised at how much I learned from workshopping with other students, not just my work but from theirs. I also loved that this course gave me structure and accountability for my writing practice.

It's given me more confidence in my writing ability, more confidence in sharing my writing, and a brighter hope that I can actually finish this draft!

If you want to take improving your writing seriously, go to the AWC.

I had no hesitation in enrolling for this course. I loved the idea of a self-paced course with AWC. No set time, 12 months to do the course. AWC sending the course outline before I decided to go ahead was very useful. I suggest to anyone wondering about doing a course at AWC: Give it a go and delve into the writing world. You will be amazed at how much you learn, giving you the motivation and skills to finish that story that needs to be told.

I really enjoyed all of the lessons and exercises, and found that I learned an enormous amount. Angela is very knowledgeable and supportive. The extra tips she provided were really valuable.

I enjoyed reading most of the other participants' work. As you predicted, I learned a lot in forming my comments on their work, because it also helped me to reflect on what that might teach me about my own. The comments from others on my own work was really useful because other eyes picked up all sorts of things that I hadn't seen. Angela's comments were also very valuable given her experience and expertise.

I made significant progress with the plot of my novel, and learned a huge amount about characters and plotting.

A great blend of incentive, inspiration and fabulous course materials.

Nicole's feedback was excellent. Her queries and concerns about my pieces were spot on. She was encouraging too and made me feel I wanted to continue writing my novel. The right encouragement is so important for an emerging writer like me. She also was extremely knowledgeable about the genre I was writing in (YA), which was very lucky for me.

I liked workshopping other writers' work, providing feedback from a reader's perspective and offering suggestions. The writers in my group were kind and supportive and helped me by providing feedback about my own writing too. Getting feedback from Nicole, our teacher, about my own work was also a highlight, and I learnt a lot from listening to what she had to say about the work of the other writers in the group too.

It has given me confidence and has motivated me. I know that I will continue to write this novel now.

Do an Australian Writers' Centre course! The teachers are wonderful -- knowledgeable, experienced and supportive -- and you'll meet fellow emerging writers that will keep you interested in your own writing and the craft in general.

I had completed the 'How to write for Children and Young Adults' course and it was excellent, so I was excited to continue on my writing journey with AWC.

Angela Slatter is very knowledgeable and provides real insight into the art of writing. Angela also provided constructive, direct and real feedback in a respectful manner. I feel like I learned a lot.

The course material was excellent. However, the part I enjoyed most was the actual writing, giving and receiving feedback to/from fellow writers and Angela.

Since I was 8, I had always imagined I would one day be a writer... that dream moved further and further away. However, this course has provided me with some real tools and I feel like it has finally kick started my writing journey.

If you want to write for fun, if you want to make writing your career, if you just want to kick start your creative side, there are a host of courses with AWC that might benefit you. This course could be the start of your writing journey.

I completed How to Write for Children and Young Adults and was impressed with the quality of the course and tutor. Novel Writing Essentials seemed to be the next logical step for my further education in writing a novel.

The course content made so much sense and was invaluable for developing a mindset of persistence in what is, for many, a very abstract or romanticized endeavour: writing a novel. The technical advice and feedback provided by the tutor and audio modules was exceptional in quality and delivery of information/education.

Angela impressed me with her professional communications (to me and other students) and critiques. Like other tutors at AWC, to be encouraged, educated and critiqued by someone who's established in the industry like Angela, gave me confidence to keep going with my writing and feel great about the decision of having enrolled in the course.

I thoroughly enjoyed and learnt a lot about how to refine and control my writing. Angela is generous with her comments and positive with her critique. Her comments were detailed and invaluable.

I am motivated and will keep going and am looking forward to writing my first story.

If you want to write you must go through at least the creative writing course - it is brilliant for putting you on your track to write.

I wanted to push myself to write more and to hit the 20,000-word mark. I also wanted constructive feedback from other writers. I was nervous about not being good enough but it ended up being a very supportive environment.

The feedback from Angela was extremely helpful. She opened my eyes to things I hadn't noticed and gave me some things to focus on. I felt she was very thorough. Her feedback is invaluable.

It pushed me to write! I am writing more than I ever have. It's motivated me to get a first draft done.

It's a very supportive, non-judgemental course.

Pamela was straight to the point with her feedback, in both what she liked but also in what needed improvement and why. I like that she would give examples to explain where and how improvement could be made and the impact this may have on the story.

It has given me the self-confidence to keep going. I have been accepted into the 12 month Write your Novel course next year.

Just do it, don't hesitate, you won't regret it and you can only go forward.

Two of my friends were doing the course and highly recommended it. I just love to write and find hurdles in getting through the editing and keeping inspired.

The tutor was great and the feedback really intricate and helpful. I do like how our characters and writing are taken seriously. I enjoyed the reading of others' work and the interaction and receiving feedback on my own work from tutor and peers.

I have novels in drawers (files on my computer) that are only first draft and now I feel excited to be able to revisit them with more knowledge around structure and character development and plotting. I don't have a problem with getting the words down; it's all in the editing. I feel more confident now to tackle that.

The course helped change my perspective about me being a never published writer - it has given me hope!

I got a lot out of this course. I tried out a lot of the new techniques (e.g. I wrote one scene in 6 different voices) and used the templates to help me figure out more about my characters and structure my work. I also valued the feedback I got and was surprised what I learned when commenting on others' work.

I like that Pamela chats with us in the comments section, and for my synopsis I very much appreciated the feedback on my work. I'm looking forward to further comments tomorrow.

I enjoyed reading other people's stories and meeting like-minded people.

If you're stuck creatively and want some direction, go here.

Angela gave great feedback on each submission and generously shared her knowledge and experience of the industry throughout the course. It's reignited my commitment to the novel I'm working on. It's also changed the way I look at my writing as well as any other printed material. Thanks to Angela and her highlighters of doom! :P

AWC provide great courses. I've done two online and the time commitment was very do-able. The tutors are knowledgeable and supportive and the format encourages a nurturing environment for participants. What's more, the modules are available for a full year so you can revisit them to keep you on track if you want to finish what you started - which I do!

Thanks very much!

I liked that it was a mixture of theory and workshopping. A previous course I did was just workshopping which I felt didn't cover what I really needed. And the theory modules were wonderful. Very practical and also very encouraging. I liked that they addressed exactly the type of fears I have about my writing.

It's really encouraged me to believe that I can and will finish my novel and that it will be worth reading.

I found the course really helped with my writing. The flexibility of doing it online and at a time that suits you is great.

I've been wanting to write fiction for years, but have always got caught up on the 'how to', so the 8 weeks of content and the accountability of getting 20,000 words done in two months were the major draw cards for me.

I was worried that my perfectionism would kick in and I'd get caught up on making my submissions "perfect", before missing my deadline and giving up. (I've done that before!) But the structure of the course and the invitation to share imperfectly really did allow me to move forward in "good enough" mode, which was a massive relief!

Angela did a great job. Her feedback was practical and actionable, and she was happy to share resources that she thought would help, in addition to the coursework. I found reading her feedback on other students' work super helpful as well.

I enjoyed the writing habit that I established, and the lessons themselves. I've discovered that I like to learn and work in a particular way, so the coursework combined with uncovering my own process were my highlights.

It's given me the regular creative writing habit I've wanted for years, and the confidence to just let my first draft be a mess. I've written nearly 70,000 words since we started the course, and the momentum feels fantastic. I've also got a much stronger idea of structure, plot and character development to carry into the rest of the book, as well as the (many, many) subsequent drafts to come.

Consistency is key. Getting up and writing my 1000 words a day is literally the only way my book will get written. Recognising that sometimes those words will be terrible, and it ultimately doesn't matter, has been really liberating.

If you're looking for a nudge (or a friendly push) to get your writing underway, then do it. Every course I've taken with AWC has given me some kind of important discovery about my own work and I've now got an almost completed manuscript to show for it.

The communication from AWC has been excellent, and the coursework has been brilliant and I'm so grateful to everyone who works at AWC. Thanks!

I had completed the How to Write for Children and Young Adults course as I was curious about writing. I've always wanted to write a novel, just didn't know how to go about it. During that course I discovered that I really enjoy the writing process and gained some insight on how to go about it. I came up with a rough idea for my novel and then enrolled in this course to continue and learn more.

Angela was great - insightful and helpful feedback, which I will put into place in my subsequent drafts.

A great course that got me inspired to actually write a novel.