What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I found it practical and easy to follow. Fast paced and practical. Common sense advice plus a lot of tips and information.

I am set to start now. No more mulling. I am going to write my book...maybe even a series!

Lesley was engaging. Her ability to offer first-hand guidance was beneficial.

I appreciated the real-life (current) examples used by Lesley throughout the course. Her use of her own series didn't sound like a sales pitch. The pace of the course was good.

I now feel more confident about writing for the 6-9-year-old age group.

I've done three courses through the AWC and found each uniquely beneficial to my writing. It doesn't guarantee publication, but the courses have provided the inspiration, professional guidance and encouragement needed to keep going. The AWC is unmatched in that regard.

I was interested in finding out more about the process of writing a book as this is all very new for me. I wanted to learn about writing more words than a picture book, but less than a middle school novel, so this particular course and age group was the perfect fit. I have three children (now mid to late teens) and remember all the wonderful chapter books in our home when my children were young and were starting to read on their own. I googled courses, and the AWC has received great reviews and had an impressive range of courses so I thought I would give it a go!

I wasn't sure what to expect from the course, however, it exceeded my expectations because of the great detail provided about the intricacies of writing stories for this age group.

I found the course tutor, Lesley Gibbes, extremely engaging. During the online course, she was warm, funny and positive and made me feel that writing chapter books may be an achievable goal.

Since completing the course, I am continually thinking about possible story ideas - who would my characters be? How do I think of an original, exciting idea children will love? Can I actually do this? And so on....

I had a lot of fun completing this course. I still need to complete some of the exercises / investigation of children's books and am looking forward to getting to the library soon to expand my knowledge and reading of this age group. I am looking forward to submitting the writing exercise for feedback and I will also look at other courses on offer for fiction writing.

I loved it: Lesley is SO comprehensive, professional and clear in her content and delivery. Her feedback was similarly helpful, structured and clear.

I realised that I am heading towards writing chapter books and junior fiction/middle grade. Also that there are clear and necessary requirements for vocab, structure and length that need to be adhered to for any chance of success or publication.

Great value for money - you really do get what you pay for... I LOVE that all the tutors are highly successful and professional in their own right. We are learning from the best. I love the podcast too.

Chapter books are so hot in the market right now. I write picture books so am clear on that structure, but was seeking clarification on the characteristics of a chapter book, and how to go about writing them.

It was so helpful that Lesley used real chapter books as examples to illustrate different characteristics. They were helpful in providing clarification and to build a reading list. I also enjoyed the comparisons to picture books and middle grade novels, which gave me insight into the market.

I've been wanting to explore chapter books for a while, and thanks to this course I have a clear idea of how to start. Rather than putting it on my 'one day' list, I'm getting started today!

AWC courses are clearly presented by industry professionals. They avoid 'fluff' and get straight down to business, respecting our busy schedules. The courses offer insights that are simply not available through individual or online research.

Lesley was an authentic and inspiring presenter. I'd definitely come back for more courses with her!

I had never written a chapter book and now I have a first draft completed.

This course motivated me to take the first steps towards my dream of being a children's author.

I liked that the course is self-paced and the content is succinct. This meant I could complete it quickly and note taking was easy. Lesley gave terrific summaries and specific guidance.

I was surprised by how short the 'word count sweet spot' is in terms of publishing for this age group. When I started writing, I thought I was writing a middle grade book, so it was substantially longer than I now realise is desirable for junior fiction. I'm trying hard to reduce my word count, along with the complexity at story and sentence level.

Now having completed ten courses (ten!) with AWC, I can say wholeheartedly that they've been the best writing investment I could have possibly made. All courses are led by people with genuine industry experience and success who know what they're talking about. The content has been interesting and super helpful, and the connections I've made (particularly in a Writers Group established post the EYN course in 2022) have continued to sustain and elevate my writing habits.

Thank you, Lesley, for the relevant and insightful content you presented.

The presentation by Lesley was great. I enjoyed all her examples, the technical knowledge she shared, the general tips about how to find a publisher and pitch, and the passion with which she presented the material.

I was already passionate about writing for children, but this course gave me more confidence to give it a go. I actually find writing for the early reader harder than writing for older children, so this course was terrific in giving me lots of insight into writing for 6-9 year olds.

I have undertaken a number of courses at the Australian Writers' Centre now. Having done a raft of other writing courses previously in Australia and overseas, the AWC courses really stand out for their specific, technical and practical advice. They are courses that really give you concrete skills. I've completed every course feeling like I have the knowledge and tools to write and to see a writing project through, rather than just engaging with the creative idea of writing (which can be fun but gets you nowhere!).

A huge thank you to Lesley for a wonderful course!

Lesley was a great presenter. Everything was clearly presented. Pace was good. Notes were useful. Great use of practical examples. Each module was clear and concise and a good length.

Can't wait to start writing my first chapter book!

I have a 7-year-old who loves to read. To encourage his love of reading even more, I will either read with him or read the same books as him. It's given me an interest in writing for his age group.

The video lessons were great. My past courses have been audio lessons, so video was new for me and I think it enhanced the content. It's always good to put a face to the voice!

I'm more keen than ever to write for this age group.

The self-paced courses are great. I don't have time at the moment to commit to regular live learning sessions, but I can fit in self-paced learning.

I had an idea for a chapter book and wanted to develop it further. Although I read them a lot to my kids, I didn't really understand the 'official' distinctions between picture books, chapter books, middle grade books etc.

Great presentation, very clear and easy to follow. The tips about what booksellers are looking for are very helpful, as are the tutor's comments about how a book deal might look, as well as the fact that a two-book deal is not the be all and end all and can have an impact on creativity.

As a course by someone in the industry talking about writing as a career it has everything you need to know. I like that it is very practical and tells you what not to do as well as what to do.

The Australian Writers' Centre is fantastic for writers of all levels, from aspiring to published. Because the tutors are authors themselves, they give solid industry advice as well as writing inspiration, which is essential for building a long-term career as an author.

I enjoyed the video presentations by Lesley. There is more to writing chapter books than I had expected and Lesley was able to break it all down and leave me with the notion that I could actually achieve this!!

I have a stronger belief in my own ability to write a chapter book now.

I have previously completed the Creative Writing Stage 1 course which I totally loved as well. Thank you Lesley Gibbes for inspiring me further!

I really like the idea of a self-paced course. I have been writing a chapter book, but needed to make sure I was following the right path.

I really enjoyed this course. I realised my language I was using for my chapter book was too old and my sentences too long. Lesley provides information in an easy-to-follow format which makes it easy to put things into place for my own writing.

I have amended my chapter book to suit my audience more. I am now able to finish this book and move onto my next idea.

The AWC has lots of great information available on a huge variety of courses. Some are self-paced and others facilitated by an online teacher. There's fantastic value to be gained from the Australian Writers' Centre. Just take a look!

Excellent content - went beyond what I expected and covered some very pertinent points.

The presentation was easy to follow. It was well signposted so I could always follow the topics.

The course has bolstered my desire to write and made it seem achievable.

I found Lesley to be very clear, encouraging and practical in her delivery of the course.

I enjoyed researching chapter books from the library and being able to then relate Lesley's modules with those same chapter books.

It has inspired me again to go back and rewrite one of my series ideas.

For the first time I understood the importance of considering how difficult it can be for early readers who are working hard to read without assistance. I loved reading as a kid and can't remember the work involved. It has shifted my thinking back to a space of making the stories accessible to early readers.

These courses are a great way to discover or rediscover a love of writing. They provide a framework for growing your craft at a reasonable price.

Lesley's lessons are clear and she breaks the process down so that it all seems very possible.

I am excited to continue to write Chapter Books. The encouragement from the feedback is invaluable.

A great course that is self-paced with fantastic audio feedback.

I loved how this course was broken down into sections with many examples. Lots of information to think about.

I am an emerging writer and currently taking in all of the information. My "aha" moment is all of the topics to think about (i.e. language, format, characters etc ) when writing chapter books. It is rather tricky, and yet I am amazed by the creativity.

I absolutely love the Australian Writers' Centre. I shared with my friend something that I had written, and she replied, "OMG! Where did you learn that?" Of course, I told her about AWC.

The information was delivered in an easily accessible and understandable format.

It has inspired me to start writing again.

I'm interested in writing for this age group and think Lesley is a fabulous writer so wanted to learn from her. After completing this course, I feel as though I'm ready to start working on my chapter book.

I was attracted to this course as it was such a specialised area within the broad children's book writing world. Many writing courses focus on picture books or young adult books and skip over this age and it was for this reason that I wanted to learn more about it.

It has made me see how important it is to engage readers at this age and nurture their love of reading. I am now writing stories for my 6- and 7-year-old and the lessons I have learned from this course are influencing the stories I create.

The Australian Writers' Centre has a wealth of knowledge about the world of writing and the Centre is generous about sharing this knowledge with others.