What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I enjoyed being in a group of like-minded people who are all sharing their personal experiences. It felt like we were all in the same boat, here to express our unique life journey and learn how to do that effectively.

Nat is a very experienced writer and gave direct, straight to the point direction and feedback. She also has a good sense of humour.

The course is definitely worth doing. It helps with self-confidence, gives you the essential basics of personal story telling and is great to be a part of a group of people who are all learning and sharing openly about their life experiences.

Thank you so much. I didn't want the course to end!

Throughout the entire course, Nat's feedback has been incredible. I think it's an art to be able to take people's vulnerability in sharing their life experiences, and their method of exposing how that made them feel, and honour it - while still being able to critique the work, without critiquing the person or the situation. Her feedback made me a better writer overall, and her positivity inspired me to write far more than I intended to.

Valerie's method of explaining ideas and her pace of teaching creates a wonderful energy leading into each writing task. I loved the tasks because they offered a true learning experience (not a feeling of right or wrong) and the feedback made that learning possible. Being able to hear the feedback on everyone's work was enlightening and helpful. Given the personal nature of this course, I was amazed by the vulnerability some students showed in order to tell their story. Overall, it was a beautiful gift, and I think everyone should learn to write, or speak about their life experiences as they are what makes us all unique.

I knew writing was cathartic, but writing with confidence is even more healing. Knowing I am now writing with a purpose is more inspiring than I imagined.

I've done many courses with AWC and I think they are very powerful and designed in a very clear and concise manner. The staff are also so helpful. After graduating from the Real Estate Copywriting course, I was able to start my own business in this field and I have found all the courses to be helpful in a myriad of ways.

I love that I have become energised from doing this course and keen to keep writing. The teaching modules are so helpful. I am very grateful for the opportunity to do the course.

Nat was great! Very constructive and positive in her feedback, and always offered suggestions of things to try out to improve our writing. Conversational and self-disclosing at times made us feel we were all part of one big family.

I most enjoyed listening to the modules and getting the gist of each week's writing task, along with the satisfaction of submitting something at the end of each week. Experiencing the odd moment when a line or phrase just flowed during the writing task was pretty special too!

It's inspired me to write a memoir about my life which is providing a whole new focus for this time in my life (I'm 76).

If you want to learn the craft of writing in a short course, this course is excellent.

I enjoyed it all. Nat was excellent, very thorough on her feedback and relatable.

The course encouraged me to keep going and that I was on the right track.

If you are thinking of finding your voice this is a great starting point.

I wanted to learn some of the intricacies of writing. I want to tell my story. Regardless of whether it would ever be published, I felt it would help me to make sense of my crazy life. Initially, I was concerned about the expense, but the price is actually very reasonable. And in hindsight, so worth it! I wondered about the online lessons but the tutorials and honest feedback have been amazing.

Nat is amazing. Warm, smart, funny, insightful and incredibly helpful. Thanks, Nat!

Valerie's lesson package is very engaging. I enjoyed the process of attempting to embed the techniques and strategies into my writing.

The course has given me the impetus to start taking my writing more seriously. And to strive to find better ways of expressing myself. Thank you for helping me get started.

I really enjoyed the course, in particular, I found the videoed feedback of all the written submissions from Nat Newman really worthwhile. I'd like to have a glass of wine with her one day - maybe when I'm published!

The AWC courses on Historical Fiction and Memoir Writing are really worthwhile doing if you want to have a go writing in these genres.

I share our life on the road, living in a caravan as we travel around Australia on Facebook. It's been suggested I write a book about our adventures, so when I saw this course was about personal storytelling and memoir writing it appealed. It felt like it would help me improve the stories I share on Facebook, and how to write a book too.

Nat was amazing with the feedback she provided to all students. Each week I would take her feedback and rework my assignment, then ask Nat if it was better in the chat, and she always gave feedback on areas I could still improve or if I had done a good job.

The feedback was definitely the most valuable part of the course for me. I learned so much by submitting assignments and then hearing the feedback on how I could improve.

I feel like I can now start writing my memoir, and I feel more confident and comfortable writing interesting content for my Facebook page. I have also started getting up thirty minutes earlier each morning to write before work, and I plan to increase it to an hour slowly over time.

If you want to write better stories definitely give the Personal Storytelling and Memoir Writing course ago.

Personal Pages have been a great exercise. They're the key to making time for writing each day, plus simply practising and narrowing my writing focus. An excellent takeaway from this course that will continue into the future.

Nat is SO knowledgeable. She gave concise, targeted advice that was easy to put into practise. She took on the spirit of each story and discussed associated feelings with the writers so all our assignments felt truly valued. Her genuine interest and engaging manner made every student's feedback valuable for all of us to hear - not just our own feedback. Her approach made assessment time exciting, not dispiriting, and she pushed us to think beyond the course to our future writing plans.

I enjoyed the small, manageable assignments with simple guidelines to follow in each module. Valerie's modules were tight and informative without information overload.

Hearing Nat say one of my pieces could be submitted to a flash memoir publication or competition has given me confidence to pursue this genre and try submitting a piece! Nice to hear I'm achieving what I hoped for in exploring memoir work.

I trust AWC's courses because the approach is rigorous but also manageable, flexible and enjoyable. You provide a positive learning experience with excellent tutor support.

Thank You!

I really enjoyed the modules and each of the tasks. Nat was really helpful and gave great feedback.

It has given me direction and much thought as to how I would need to consider writing my story.

The modules were all very step-by-step and the writing tasks were very thoughtful and enjoyable.

Nat was great. She made me laugh. Her encouragement and constructive feedback helped me improve my writing. I will keep her voice in my head as I write my memoir.

I enjoyed interacting with fellow students and Nat. And writing the assignments.

I now know I CAN make time to write, and write well. And the positive feedback I received is further encouragement that people want to hear my story.

I have always struggled with 'show, don't tell.' It was good to have a whole module on it with real examples and to practise with the assignment and feedback. Also learnt that my story matters and I'm determined to write it.

I liked how the tutor provided feedback to each of us participants in a very clear way and gave advice on why and how to make it better.

I enjoyed the sharing of stories and the feedback.

The course and the feedback gave me confidence that I am a good writer. I just need to upgrade my skills. It brought me back to writing. I started free writing again which also encouraged me to take out my old work and start working on it again.

I would say the courses are a good place to start if you want to find your way in writing and publishing your book.

A good pace, achievable. Not too overwhelming. I enjoyed reading other students' work.

Nat was great. She has a wonderful informal style and a positive way of delivering feedback.

It's given me more confidence. Everyone's story is valid simply because it is unique to them.

Do it. It is a supportive environment and you will learn a lot.

As I have said to anyone who will listen, this is such a great course. It's so important we all look inward and reflect on the lives we've led, and doing it slowly and deliberately through writing allows us to more fully process events. Honing in on specific aspects of our story (aspects we have chosen), can be so warming. The perfect way to congratulate ourselves on all we have seen and done, and the mundane events and wild adventures we have scraped our way through. It also made me realise that the best way to write someone else's story is to start with my own.

Nat was the ideal combination of firm/fair/encouraging. She managed to fit in the perfect amount of personalised feedback each week, and even for those pieces (mine and others) where there was a bigger list of "things to think about", Nat wasn't all doom and gloom and discouraging. She was particularly diplomatic with my final submission (one I ran out of time for, and only submitted half of), and absolutely spot on with her feedback. Appreciate her recommended "next steps" for us all also. If I took on another AWC course, I would be very happy to have Nat as tutor again :)

So much learning packed in to very manageable bites each week. The beauty of it too is that no matter how much time you have available, the course caters for you. Less time (ie me) = time for module + assessment task. More time = opportunities to practice the techniques more, or put more into personal pages, or review the module again. As I have said to friends, the course has made me look at my life differently, and look at books differently - particularly the techniques and formulas used by authors when creating scenes.

I went into the course planning to write other people's life stories, and while this is still something I'm hoping to do, it's made me think I could/should put together some anecdotes about my own life too. Not necessarily for broader release, but at least for my family.

Thank you for coming into my life at the right time AWC, and for giving me such a "treat" each week. I loved this course!

One of the biggest takeaways for me was getting back into journaling, particularly the three pages each day that were suggested. That simple practice brought a surprising amount of clarity to my day and was a really powerful reminder of how effective writing can be.

I genuinely feel this course could have a place in supporting veterans as they transition out of defence. It offers a practical and accessible way to process experiences, rebuild routine, and reconnect with their voice. For me, it was a really meaningful experience.

My feedback from the online tutor was incredibly positive. The level of detail in the feedback-even the small one percent changes-made a real difference to my writing and helped me improve in a meaningful way.

I especially loved the video feedback. Being able to watch my work being read and responded to in real time made it feel so much more personal than written comments alone. It created a real sense of connection, and I felt supported by the tutor throughout the entire course.

What I enjoyed most was going back to the basics of writing and really focusing on the skill itself, without the pressure of large or overwhelming assignments. It felt like a space to refine and rebuild my writing in a manageable way, which made it easier to stay consistent.

I also appreciated that the modules weren't long or heavy-it was something you could engage with, enjoy, and complete without it feeling like a big task. The videos and guest contributors were a highlight as well. Hearing different perspectives and insights added a lot of value and kept it interesting throughout.

The biggest 'aha' moment for me was realising I don't have to write the story I think I should tell-I can write the story I actually want to tell, in my own voice. That permission shifted everything. It took away pressure and made my writing feel more natural, honest, and sustainable.

There are many pathways available to support veterans and first responders, particularly around recovery and diagnosis, and many of these are deeply centred on the veteran experience. What I valued about this course is that it offered something slightly different-it created space to step outside that framework and build personal tools through writing. It wasn't about labels or limitations; it was about learning how to process thoughts and experiences in your own way.

Overall, the course struck a really good balance between structure and flexibility. It gave me enough guidance to keep moving forward, while also allowing space to explore my own style. For me, it wasn't just about writing-it was about reconnecting with it in a way that felt achievable again.

I have been trying to finish my memoir for several years, and now that my story is being told at the War Memorial, it is the perfect time for me to finish it.

I enjoyed the writing exercises. I wish it was longer! I don't want to stop now - I need to find another course.

Nat was fantastic. Her comments were very constructive and she has set me on the right path.

It was therapeutic to get my story on paper. I now feel like it is worth telling and it could help others.

Nat was kind, energetic and welcoming. I actually felt that she understood my pain from PTSD and the challenges that come with it which was reflected in her careful and empathic comments. Her feedback was encouraging and for the first time I began to believe that I could write a memoir. Nat was approachable in messaging too.

I loved the format, Valerie's presentations and explanations, and Nat's insights. PTSD has turned my brain to mush, especially when crippling anxiety enters the space and I loved the simple examples and explanations. I loved the writing exercises and although it was anxiety-inducing at first, sharing the writing was actually helpful.

Sounds cliched, but this 6 weeks has changed my life and given me back my voice. Being a broken Ambo and tossed aside by the Ambulance Service when I retired meant that I have struggled with my self-esteem and felt that I didn't belong in any space. The course has shown me that I do have stories and I matter.

Just a heartfelt 'Thank You' to Valerie and Nat. You will never know the difference that you made to me by offering the course and including me in it. The course has opened my eyes and heart, allowing the light to shine for the first time in decades. I will continue to write and tell my story, slowly but steadily. I can't thank you enough.

Choose a course and jump in. The centre is a wonderful place to start the writing journey.

I really enjoyed the discipline of writing every day and loved the requirement to use pen and ink - now I must find my Parker Fountain Pen...

The tutor was very experienced and friendly and easy to relate to.

I am ready to go. I have rented a lock up and I'm preparing to set it up as a "writing den".

Do it now, not tomorrow.

Nat was great. I enjoyed her enthusiasm, her worldly adventures and literary concepts. Nat's guidance was spot on and very helpful.

I enjoyed the videos that Valerie Khoo starred in. The process of listening to her tutorials was easy and the content was informative. Then doing the set task for each module was enjoyable. I'm looking forward to joining another course.

Give it a try. it's great value for money and very informative. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It definitely gave me the encouragement to write my book.

The course has galvanised my plan to write that memoir.

The tutor was great. Gave practical feedback and advice.

I enjoyed the weekly writing task.

Just enrol if you want to get on track with your writing.

I loved the lessons. Valerie has a beautiful clear way of explaining concepts and ideas. I enjoyed hearing from published authors about their approach. It was so helpful to learn that memoir needs to incorporate traditional story structure and not just be a recounting of events in life.