What’s it like to learn with AWC?

What a wild ride for the year - from the lows to the highs, from thinking I'm no good as a writer to the positive feedback and encouragement from Margaret and all my fellow students. Thanks. I found this course so helpful, especially the critiquing from Margaret and everyone.

I cannot thank Margaret enough for her kind words and encouraging critiquing. She assisted me with her feedback and gave me great insight into the areas I needed to improve.

I enjoyed checking in via Zoom meetings. Although most of the group was not into children's or fantasy books, their feedback was beneficial. Coming from a different perspective, they picked up things I hadn't noticed. The suggestions were great and helped improve the manuscript. The friendships will continue on the Facebook page we have created to stay in touch and continue to assist us in achieving our wildest dream of a published book.

I would never have finished the first draft of my novel without this course. The Discord program was great for connecting with the other students. Hearing there were times when it felt too much. We supported each other.

There was no real 'aha' moment for me. The whole of the WYN course was a major learning curve. I have now enrolled in 'Fantasy Fiction' with Pamela Freeman to create the world-building I needed.

The AWC is a great start to take the journey towards bringing your finished book to the shelves of bookstores. From the 'Essentials' course to 'Write Your Novel' and onwards. There is something within each course to assist you in your writer's journey. The feedback from your tutor to your fellow writers during each course is amazing.

I really would like to thank Margaret. Her tutorship has helped bring my book to life.

Margaret was dedicated and provided excellent feedback. She was very encouraging and engaged deeply with my work, which was greatly appreciated. I really loved that Margaret was an editor rather than a writer herself - she knew what she was doing!

The weekly modules were excellent - I'm going to go back and listen to some of them again as I finalise my last draft for submission.

I've finished four drafts and am feeling like a real writer!

Just do it, you won't regret it!

Margaret was great. She's so knowledgeable about writing and the publishing industry, and was happy to answer questions at our Zoom meetings and on Discord. But she was also keen to get us talking and exchanging ideas, rather than just talking at us. Her feedback was amazing! She always noticed things I could improve that nobody else had pointed out, and her suggestions always made *so much sense*. She also inspired me with her comments, entering into the spirit of my story and suggesting ideas that really fit. I feel very fortunate to have had her as a tutor.

I loved the audio modules - they were fun at the same time as being educational, with lots of really helpful examples. And I liked being treated like a writer - AWC is so good at boosting its students' self-belief, and encouraging them to see themselves as writers, rather than wannabes or imposters.

I feel like I have the tools I need to edit my manuscript and get it ready to submit to publishers. I've overcome my terror of showing my work to others! And I've gained more confidence about my story, that it is worthy of persevering with.

Your first draft doesn't have to be perfect! Have fun with it - play around, experiment, overwrite and follow unexpected plot pathways. Don't beat yourself up. Just get it all on the page and then refine.

The AWC makes writing accessible to everyone, and more than that, they make it fun!

This course is fantastic. Kudos to AWC!

I've learnt an enormous amount about my writing from my tutor and the other students.

They'll teach you everything you need to know about writing.

Thank you so much for welcoming me into this wonderful community.

The group pushed me to improve my writing. And getting a full manuscript done was incredible. Editing novels at the end of the course was an important part of the course.

Margaret was a great facilitator. She was very encouraging but also gave clear feedback.

It made me start writing properly and finding that I can write.

If you a serious about writing, doing a course like Write your Novel is like going to school for writers. You go from year 7 to 12 in a year.

I had already done Creative Writing 1 and Novel Writing Essentials and so Write Your Novel was a natural progression. On top of that, I had a draft manuscript that I knew needed a lot of work and this course sounded like the ideal way to make those improvements.

Pamela was excellent. Her feedback was incisive and super helpful. I am very grateful for and appreciative of her comments on my writing.

I enjoyed the workshopping! Not just receiving my own feedback but having the chance to read a rich variety of genres and writing styles. I enjoyed being able to help other writers.

I discovered that what I have written is worth reading by a professional tutor and writer, and by other writers on the course whose opinions I have come to value.

If you haven't done any writing courses before, start with Creative Writing 1 and progress from there.

THANK YOU!

Pamela was highly knowledgeable, and all of her feedback felt like it was on-point.

The progress in my manuscript and writing was certainly the most satisfying part of the course.

Given how time poor I often was during the course, it pushed me into squeezing in writing whenever the opportunity presented itself. That may be as short as 20 minutes when the household quietened for a moment.

It is a very demanding course (unless you have lots of free time), however the learnings are highly valuable. The community aspect of doing the course with a group of aspiring, motivated writers was also enjoyable.

Pamela was insightful and helpful. Her experience within the industry and into the writing process was invaluable.

I enjoyed getting feedback on my work.

I am encouraged to write and keep on writing. I realise how much more there is to know, and how much further I have to go.

In writing a YA novel, I shifted from writing in third person to first person and changed to shorter paragraphs and more white space on the paper. I am thinking more about the audience and the specifics of the genre.

It'll help you finish your novel, learn how to give and take feedback, and change your thinking on the process.

I loved it, really loved it, but it was hard work!

I didn't think I would enjoy the writing community as much as I did. It was so much better than doing it alone. I have formed some writing relationships that will extend well beyond the course.

Pamela is genuine, personal, knowledgeable, interested and invested. The perfect writing tutor.

I enjoyed the discussions, feedback and being part of a community.

It has shaped my writing journey to be one of community and connection, rather than isolation.

After receiving feedback on my conclusion from Pamela, I realised that my writing can have an impact and that my first draft style and structure seems to be working.

AWC know what they are doing. Enrol, now!

I think I received more information than I was expecting! And I learnt a lot more about giving feedback. And it's helped figure out how to tackle problems I was having with my story.

Pamela's feedback was fabulous! So, so encouraging! Because of her I feel inspired to keep going with this story. She understood what I was trying to do, when so many others didn't.

I found the teaching satisfying. Actually, I was encouraged because so I often I learnt I wasn't completely off-track! I enjoyed getting to know some of the other writers better. (I hope we can keep in touch.) The most enjoyable, of course, was Pamela's feedback.

I managed a mangled first draft!!!! Which was better than where I'd been before.

One of the things I've loved most about AWC is that you give a very structured outline. I have never wanted to be a pantser. I love the idea of knowing what is happening in each chapter before I write, even if I don't stick to it. (Even my friends, who claim to be pantsers, are beginning to talk about the benefits of plotting!) It's going to take some practise figuring out how to do that, but AWC has given me a lot of clues and I will always appreciate that.

The courses I have done with AWC have been really fun. I have enjoyed getting to know other students, and reading their stories. And now I have a plan to finish my story. (Although I might do another couple of AWC courses before committing this one to the rest if the world...)

Really enjoyed the feedback (both giving and receiving) as well as the chat. It was so exciting to read what other people thought of my work!

The tutor was experienced and realistic, but very encouraging.

I feel like it's been a step in the right direction. I would definitely like to continue with the editing course.

A great, encouraging course and community with the added effectiveness of clear deadlines.

Very much enjoyed it, thanks!

I learned as much from analysing the writing of my colleagues (fellow writers) and trying to make my comments as insightful as possible, as I did from the course materials. It was, however, vital to have engaged with the course materials to be able to do this. I felt the course materials gave me the metalanguage and conceptual framework to do this as well as to apply it all to my own work objectively and metacognitively.

I enjoyed the accountability---having to get those words off the handwritten page, typed in and submitted. I found by the end that I didn't need to handwrite everything first. There was joy in that.

I feel like a real writer. I have confidence.

WYN is a fantastic course. It is a great way to finally finish the manuscript you have always wanted to write with the support of your tutor and fellow classmates. I would highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to write a novel.

Pamela was great and gave feedback that was detailed and actionable.

I now have confidence that it is possible to write a novel and continue working towards my dream of being published.

Worth every cent!

Pamela Freeman is fabulously enthusiastic and knowledgeable. She knows when to praise and when a thorough (and necessary) critique is called for.

Fantastic and assorted feedback. Pamela's was the most useful but everyone contributed in some way. A good, hard critique is jarring, but it is enjoyable in the long run when your novel improves.

If you're serious about writing, do Australian Writers' Centre courses.

Thanks for everything! I'll be doing more courses!

Pamela is wonderful. The feedback she gave me nearly always hit the nail right on the head for what needed to be addressed in that submission. The zoom sessions with her were also brilliant - being able to ask questions and bounce things off her is fantastic, given her incredible experience and depth of knowledge both of writing and the industry as a whole.

I love the Discord chat! Also the zoom sessions.

I finished a first draft of a novel. Even if it is never published, I wrote a book, and I think that is pretty profound. I have hopefully found a writing group (thank you for setting up Discord!) that will help me moving forward also.

I have recommended it, many times! The AWC courses are worth the investment. Getting feedback from experienced industry professionals is invaluable, especially if you are writing commercial and genre fiction - what we learned in school doesn't begin to help us with this type of writing.

Just thank you to Pamela. She's amazing. I learnt so much and had so much fun.

I enjoyed having an expert help me to improve my manuscript through their guidance and suggestions, especially when I'm not experienced enough to work out how.

The tutor was excellent. Fabulous. Knowledgeable. Knows what works and what doesn't.

I like seeing how other writers have grown through the process of feedback by others and tutor. I like seeing everyone on Zoom. It makes it real. I like the diverse questions, which I hadn't considered. I like the diverse suggestions to improve my manuscript when I was at a loss, but then after tutor feedback especially small changes make a difference in giving me confidence in myself.

Seeing me improving over numerous courses, helps me believe in myself.

The AWC courses are back by a truckload of experts in their field.

I had completed Novel Writing Essentials and I wanted to get a complete first draft of my novel. I work well with deadlines etc. I was also attracted by the tutor feedback as well as workshopping.

The tutor was very experienced and helpful. Her feedback seemed spot on and direct which I really appreciated. Her expertise shone through.

The most enjoyable part was typing The End and submitting a rough, but done, first draft. I can't believe that! I loved the course - everything about it - the participants were great and supportive and I really, really appreciated Pamela's feedback.

The fact that I have a first draft has shown me that I can do it and I think I can get my novel to publishable standard. That is gold.

Huge thanks. The course was fabulous and very worthwhile.

I was excited about having a deadline, a community of writers to work with and the expertise of an instructor.

Pamela did a great job. Very helpful. She delivered exactly what the course promised.

I most enjoyed collaborating with the other writers, most especially The Sapphires in our final group.

My two biggest takeaways were the idea of the "head, heart, body" and keeping the scene focused on the visible action.

I'm glad I did this course.

It was enjoyable to learn in this environment with so many lovely people and a helpful tutor.

Bernadette was a lovely tutor who had very helpful advice in the zooms. Her feedback was useful and gave me a different perspective.

Critiquing others' manuscripts has made me see errors in my own. The modules have helped me improve my writing. The feedback I have received is invaluable.

It's been a pleasure and I hope to return! Definitely do it! It is worth the time and money.

Bernadette was amazing.

I enjoyed the camaraderie formed amongst the group as we move on to the next stage. I now have support and I have guidelines to use to get work done.

You will never regret it. The course was so inspiring and helpful. It's better than those Masterclasses you see ads for on Instagram.