What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I enjoyed the voice and friendly manner of the presenter, the self-paced structure, and the regular pauses to write the next part of my story. So many learnings backed up by examples.

I know now how to structure the hooks, the planting of clues, driving the story with action, dialogue and the senses. I now read in a totally different way as well, and can see how the writer is 'manipulating' the reader (in a good way).

Go for it. Totally professional info that will change your writing.

My experience lies mainly in writing novels and when I started writing a short story for a local comp, I realised that I had no idea how to write a short story. This course came into my in-box, so I thought, "Why not?"

I enjoyed the way it was structured with a mix of easy (and personable) audio lessons and hand-outs.

I now feel confident to write more short stories off my own bat.

I have now learnt how to properly structure a short story and look forward to using these skills to enter into competitions in the near future.

Go for it!

I enjoy writing short stories and have had some competition success but also some unfinished short stories and wanted to know how to fix the ones that were not working.

A really practical course that was well paced. It has given me some new direction to improve and hopefully finish some more short stories.

I appreciated the amount of work that has gone in behind the scenes to prepare and record the material to such a high quality.

Of all the courses I have done in my life (on any topic), those offered by AWC are by far the highest quality. Each lecture is packed with relevant information. So much thought has gone into the material and pitching it at the right level. They seem to genuinely want to produce better writers. The passion and dedication shines through.

I enjoyed the level of detail about the different components of a short story.

I've found reading short stories a lot more enjoyable, and am improving at identifying the different elements. I feel that I can complete a short story now. I have started many, but never been able to finish satisfactorily.

AWC is very user friendly. The courses are relevant and on point. People are great.

I felt that all the topics and ideas presented in the short story course were clearly communicated, and the links made between the modules were sound and logical.

I enjoyed the warmth of the narrator of this course. It engaged me and maintained my interest. I was also impressed by the resources that went along with each of the modules. The range of examples provided, which amplified the points made, were easy to follow and learn from for my own writing.

Short Story Essentials is a comprehensive and detailed course. It is not overwhelming because the way the course is constructed leaves ample room for feeling guided and supported every step of the way. In the end, I have gained a greater level of confidence and faith in my writing skills, in having completed the course.

Thank you for a well-crafted course that has done so much in providing me the skills and techniques to keep on striving to become a better short story writer, now and into the future.

I was looking to increase my knowledge and skills in short story writing and the outline of this course looked like it would provide a helpful structure and guide. I love that it is a self-paced course and the option to submit a story and receive feedback was what convinced me to enrol.

Having a structure to follow has made writing so much easier and more enjoyable. Knowing what elements make up a short story has made me feel more confident with my writing as well as giving me the confidence to enter competitions.

The course is full of practical information, set out very clearly and was a joy to complete with all of the examples and tips included. The self-paced and online mode was so convenient and allowed me to complete the course in my own time.

Looking forward to completing other courses available.

I embarked on short story writing without any real knowledge at all about structure, plot, point of view etc. I submitted my pieces to various competitions but had no luck. I realised I was missing something and wanted a course where I could get feedback as well as learn the essentials.

I think absolutely everything in the course was indeed 'essential' and complemented some of the other AWC courses I have done too (like character essentials).

I really liked all the examples that were used from real short stories. This helped to highlight and understand many of the points being made.

I have been able to shine a light on a short story I had already been working on (and submitting) for some time but was struggling with. The course has helped me to understand structure and theme better so that I can hang my stories more constructively. At least I hope so, and that it now shows in my submitted piece for feedback!

AWC courses are really well paced and detailed, no stone is left unturned and the information is shared in an easy-to-follow way. If you are thinking about signing up for a course, stop thinking and just do it! You won't regret it and will definitely learn something, but likely many, many things!

I enjoy writing short stories and wanted to learn more about how to do so. I've completed a number of other AWC courses before and found them all excellently written and well presented. Didn't have to think twice about this one.

Great examples. Opportunity to develop your own story throughout as a way to reinforce learning and practice. Loved the chance to submit for feedback at the end. I particularly enjoyed the modules on style, story technique, editing, and polishing.

Helped me understand short form writing and refine my writing craft. I enter many short story writing competitions. This has given me additional encouragement and fired my enthusiasm even more. Who knows what lies ahead?

Short Story Essentials is a treasure trove of information about short-form writing presented in a well-paced and entertaining manner. It's more than nuts and bolts. It captures the essence, excitement, and joy of short story writing. By the end, you'll be up to the challenge of penning short tales. You'll be hooked.

Thanks for the ride. Brilliant.

It was very comprehensive and told you exactly what a good short story is and what it isn't, as well as the current trends in short story writing.

I enjoyed the fact that I could work on a project during the course and see how much better it was at the end compared to the start. I really liked that I was able to get feedback from Cathie Tasker as well.

I feel like I have a good grasp of the short story form and can make an impact with my writing.

I most enjoyed the detailed nature of the audio presentations and the helpful handouts. I was especially attracted by the opportunity to receive feedback on my completed story from the course designer, Cathie Tasker, who is so well respected in her field.

It's great to learn new skills after spending months (okay, years) writing my first novel. The change of pace and the satisfaction of seeing a completed work so quickly has really refreshed my writing - and my enthusiasm to keep going.

AWC courses are good value, high quality and great fun. Just sign up and get going!

I found the breakdown formula presented was easy to understand and mould my own work around. It took the guess work out of crafting a great short story.

I now have a checklist to go back over after I've written something. Not being a huge plotter myself, I can finish now and then edit with confidence knowing what points I'm looking for at what point in the story, and if it's not meeting the formula I can go back and change it.

I'm so happy I found you guys. You'll never regret your choice to do an AWC course.

I love to write creatively and have been curious to learn more about how to sharpen my skills in storytelling. There's so much advice on the Internet that I wanted to do a course and be exposed to professional advice that went through the process of writing a short story from start to end. I write short stories for friends and wanted to learn more about the technical parts of crafting a short story.

I've never done an audio course before, but it was really great and I appreciated all the handouts. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to keep up with a self-paced course within 12 months, but the course being broken down into modules really helped.

I learned how to structure a short story and some of the technical devices that I've been curious about and have since employed in my own writing to make it tighter. I appreciated the breakdown in editing and how to attack a story from several different perspectives.

I like the flexibility of being able to do a self-paced online course. The examples provided and the analysis of those examples was very helpful. The audio lessons were short but detailed enough that you could fit them into a busy day, and the instructor was easy to follow. I did like the exercises and intend to do them again.

I'll definitely be looking at other courses! I enjoyed this one and was grateful I did it.

Though an experienced writer for government, I am relatively new to creative writing and felt that a short story course would be a good stepping-stone into creative writing

I found the list of suggested reading very helpful, and discovered many good short stories and writers as a result. I found it a practical course as well, with good advice about structuring a short story and formatting and submitting manuscripts to publishers, as well as writing techniques.

It was really useful to submit my final short story to Cathie and receive some valuable feedback and positive comments!

I am motivated to write more short stories now as I can see that they are a genuine art form in their own right, and that some of the world's best writers regularly complete short story anthologies. Short stories are good practice for the would-be novelist - I think that I may stumble upon a story idea for a full novel through this form of creativity, and it is certainly a more achievable and less daunting prospect that can keep writers writing and gaining skills.

This is something I CAN do, and enjoy!

The AWC is a good avenue to help you bridge the gap between dreaming of being a published author and making it a reality.

Thanks Valerie. And thanks Cathie for your positive and useful feedback advice.

There was so much to learn about short story writing! Valerie Khoo also has a very relaxing voice that was enjoyable to listen to.

I now know what has been missing in my writing and what techniques to use when it is going nowhere.

Even if you're not interested in short story writing, many of these techniques can be used to enhance teaching skills and writing submissions or job applications.

I am still building the confidence to get started, so this course was a great introduction and gave me a lot of useful information to help me on the road to writing.

I enjoyed the handouts and exercises which reinforced the learning in the audios.

The AWC has a great range of courses to suit all needs. Most importantly, the courses are quite in-depth which some other courses are not.

Thanks very much! I've enjoyed this course and it's given me the confidence to write a lot more short stories and enter competitions over the past year - I won one and have been listed in others!

The course is really thorough and made me work hard!

I enjoyed the complexity - and being able to go back and review. Also, the up-to-date nature of the course with modern trends and styles taken into account.

Thanks for a terrific course. I'll be reviewing modules from start to finish.

I've really enjoyed my progression from Creative Writing 1 into Short Story Essentials. I feel my writing has improved exponentially. I invented a character for an exercise in CW1 and at the end of that course wrote a short story about him as a test of the skills I'd gained. I submitted that story to a competition (I'm still yet to hear how it went). But I struggled to find someone who could give me expert feedback before I submitted it. I felt Short Story Essentials would be a great way to get that personalised feedback and hone my writing skills at the same time. Now I feel my second short story with this character is even better than the first one. But even if that first story bombs in the competition, I know I can improve it!

It made me feel good about doing some things right by instinct alone, but it made me aware about how often I was lazy and would tell instead of show.

If you want to write better short stories - do this course.