What’s it like to learn with AWC?

Charlotte was a great tutor, providing rich and constructive feedback along the way. I am now inspired to keep going on my journey to writing a children's picture book and will enrol in the Masterclass.

To be honest, I completely underestimated the complexity of writing a children's picture book and now understand how tricky it really is.

It was fun and brought my creative side to life. It was also good to read the suggested books again and to read the other student's work.

The information about the course was well structured so that you really understood what was going to be covered. Being self-paced was a drawcard and knowing that I would get feedback on assignments was important. I also loved seeing the number of people who have completed the course who have become published authors.

Charlotte was lovely. The feedback that she gave on assignments was constructive and made sense. I felt I could take her feedback and rework my stories, so they were much better.

I enjoyed learning all the tools and techniques and then seeing those being used in published books. It helped cement what I learnt.

I feel that I have the skills to write a great picture book. I started the course with nothing, from a writing perspective, and have ended it with 3 drafts that I can keep polishing.

Do it. It really opens your mind and gives you confidence.

Charlotte provided fair, constructive but also enthusiastic and supportive feedback. It was also always timely.

I enjoyed learning about prose, rhythm and the technical ins and outs of the publishing world / making pitches / writing manuscripts.

I know a lot more about creative writing and picture book writing than I did before. Everything taught was a big piece of learning for me.

Do it! It's crucial.

It was a timely recommendation by a friend to kick start my writing interest. Also, the tutor profiles came across as experts and the course structure appealed to me.

Fantastic content, right pace and high-quality audio, videos and handouts.

The tutor was experienced and encouraging in all interactions. Thanks Charlotte.

Not a 'Nice to do' but a 'Must DO'.

I had a manuscript I wanted to present to publishers, however recognised I had limited knowledge about writing and the children's literature industry.

I learned valuable language skills, that my manuscript was not ready, and that I have so many stories in me to develop.

Charlotte was very skilled in providing feedback on our submissions. She was encouraging and positive.

I enjoyed learning the new writing styles and applying them in the weekly assignments.

I have learned how to structure a story, what's important, the language to use. What to avoid and how to be a creative.

I have already recommended the AWC to my father. He has spoken about writing his memoirs for years, and I shared the AWC website and told him how much I was learning and enjoying the course.

Learning more about how to write a children's picture book had been nagging away at for me for a long while. One day, while leafing through some new titles of picture books in an independent bookstore, I struck up a conversation with the lovely person who worked there. I told her that I wanted to write, and she suggested searching for the right course on the Australian Writers' Centre website. The course description matched perfectly to what I had been yearning to discover. I took the leap of faith!

The course delivered what I expected would be covered; i.e. it explained how to break down theme, genre, ideas, characterisation, plot/story structuring, pace, use of poetic devices, editing and polishing, etc. But, I was especially pleased at the minute detail the course covers in terms of understanding the publishing industry, and most importantly, how to write, edit, format and submit a polished manuscript.

Charlotte is a friendly facilitator who supports and celebrates up-and-coming writers. She was always upbeat and positive in her delivery of feedback, and her joy for children's literature would shine through when she read aloud the stories written by members of the course. Her written posts/comments and her audio feedback following an assignment were always delivered in a bright and upbeat manner, offering practical suggestions for how to further develop our work.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the weekly modules, as the course content is the right mix of engaging, rigorous and inspiring. Perhaps what sparked the most joy was finally allowing myself the time to write freely and creatively; to let ideas flow naturally and to apply my newfound knowledge in working towards a deadline each week.

The course has helped me to improve my focus on creating child-centric narratives that are grounded in themes and ideas that are relevant in a contemporary context. The weekly tasks have forced me to be more considerate and deliberate of my word choices to make my writing 'sparkle'. The experience has encouraged me to stop and listen when creativity calls, and to quickly scribble that new idea down!

The course is bountiful in revealing the best resources, practical avenues to pursue and skills new writers must master in order to have a fighting chance of their work being published. It lays down the roadmap for writing and inspires you to drive!

I am very grateful to Charlotte for her generous feedback and her positivity towards our raw stories. What a joy it has been to participate in this course! Thank you!

I love writing stories and it is a dream of mine to write a children's book, so I thought it would be great to take the first steps towards it.

I was wondering whether I would even have ideas to write stories or whether I would even create a story. Surprisingly, all the ideas and stories came to me organically through the course.

I now know that I can write children's book stories and the course also rekindled my passion for storytelling.

I've been self-publishing picture books but would like to take the next step and delve into traditional publishing. I've read a lot about this course and I wanted to give it a go.

I loved the structured courses and the ability to listen in my own time to fit my busy schedule. I loved the weekly challenges and the instant feedback from my teacher and peers. I loved the exercises and tips too!

Charlotte was a great tutor and provided useful feedback!

I now know the tips about showing not telling, using senses more and potent verbs and the power of three!

Amazing tutor, flexible learning and weekly tips and challenges that will boost your writing and creativity.

I was amazed by how much content was packed into the course. It covered far more than I expected.

I really appreciated Cathie's insights and found them valuable. She has such a wealth of experience to share. She was also good at honing in on some key points such as keeping texts simple, using the senses, and showing character emotion.

I enjoyed listening to the content every week, being able to submit a whole manuscript for feedback, and the extra homework exercises.

I've often been told my picture book texts don't have a picture book voice, ie that they sound more like junior fiction. This course finally helped me understand what that means and to put it into practice.

I have often recommended AWC courses! They are excellent value for money, packed full of information, easy to access, and a great way to get feedback on your writing.

I enjoyed being kept accountable for my writing and challenged to look at things in different ways. Cathie gave helpful feedback.

It's encouraged me to keep writing and pursuing this dream.

It's an excellent place to kick off your writing goals.

The amount of information was good, and there was enough time to do each module , I felt a little pushed to get it done but surprised myself with what I did manage to come up with. All first draft stories I had not previously considered.

I thought the tutor's feedback was all fair and relevant. She was honest and that's what you do need otherwise it's a waste of time.

After finishing the course I looked back at some of my first draft stories and could see how bad they were. And with my new tool kit of information I can improve them somewhat with a bit more confidence. It's still going to take more time as I haven't had time yet to process all the information properly. I do want to re watch it all.

Very informative. Thank you. I really enjoyed it.

Since childhood I've loved writing. I'm now a primary school teacher and most enjoy teaching literacy.

The tutor was timely - helpful feedback and very knowledgeable.

I enjoyed the variety of communication and learning options - self paced videos, pre-reading material, online chat forum and sharing writing with peers.

This course has given me self-confidence and valuable information of how to approach the children's picture book writing world.

If you have ever thought about writing a children's picture book, this course well and truly plants the seed for practical growth!

I wanted to challenge myself to learn a different style of writing and have always valued children's' books and reading. It was a big change from the type of writing that I usually do for work!

There is an amazing amount of information in this course and the industry-specific information was very useful for me. The structure of the course is very cleverly thought out also. Thank you for all the information and resources provided.

It's great to have a tutor with industry experience providing feedback. The comments received were valuable and insightful - thank you.

I enjoyed the challenge of having to come up with different stories for a few weeks. I also enjoyed listening to the recorded modules.

I think the course was great value for money and provided amazing insight into the world of children's picture books. It's provided me with a lot of things to think about and I am keen to keep working on my story/stories!

This is my third course at AWC - I have been very impressed. Thank you.

I look forward to the next course!!

I was hesitant because of time commitment but I was at the point of needing direction to take my stories and ideas to the next level. Really glad I took the plunge and enrolled!

I looked forward to Cathie's weekly feedback. I like the fact she was tough - her own words! Her feedback was constructive and helpful. She gave me confidence that I could resolve the story to the next level while providing valuable insights into the publishing world.

I enjoyed listening to respected children's book experts; the feedback; and of being challenged - using a different story idea each week.

At the end of the course it felt great to have presented a correctly formatted manuscript with two pitches and a blurb. While some elements need work, it was satisfying to understand the whole process of writing and submitting a children's picture book.

The course has improved my writing and made me more efficient in the process. My increased understanding of the synergy between author and illustrator has helped me to focus on writing well, with an economy of words.

Several 'aha!' moments were - understanding how emotion is the driving force of fiction, discovering how helpful storyboarding the text is, and the importance of killing your darlings.

Do it! The course is enjoyable and there is so much to learn.

Thank you AWC, Valerie Khoo and Cathie Tasker.

The information provided was easy to digest. The written material and the fact that I can now review learning tasks again is a real bonus.

I found that Cathie was approachable, gave constructive feedback and looked for positives. I liked that she didn't sugar coat feedback; it was robust and enabled me to review my written work and improve it.

I feel justified in spending time on a creative pasttime. I also feel that I have something worthy to work on and hopefully publish one day.

AWC courses give you a great starting point, a structure to learn and feedback to hone your craft.

I work full time and have a primary school aged child, so I was a little hesitant that I'd be able to fit the course in, but finding the time to complete the course wasn't an issue. I enjoyed it so much I MADE time :) The 5-week structure and weekly assignments worked well.

My tutor was knowledgeable. She answered all my questions thoroughly and provided plenty of helpful advice and insights.

I enjoyed writing in first person perspective. I loved being creative when writing the weekly assignments.

You should definitely do a course at AWC. They're online, so can fit within your schedule, and you get valuable weekly feedback from your tutor, who's an industry professional!

A big thanks to Cathie for all her advice.

Cathie obviously has a lot of experience behind her and her feedback certainly helped shape what I am trying to write.

It's a great starting point and, never having done a course for writing, this was great.

I had no idea how complex becoming a writer can be. Definitely challenging me to push myself to continue my dream.

As an introduction to writing, this course will definitely open your eyes.

Cathie was great! So encouraging and supportive. Her feedback was honest and really, really helpful. I learnt a lot from her.

I enjoyed the process of writing that we developed over the 5 weeks. Feeling like I now have some solid skills to get practising.

I've always been writing but never sure what to do with it. Now I have some clear direction.

Go for it, you will learn a lot!

Cathie was fantastic with her explanations on editing or proceeding with different parts of the story.

I enjoyed the challenge of making my idea real.

I would say give it a go. You never know what small piece of information is missing from your story. That might just be the word you needed.

I had done a course with Cathie before and I wanted to work with her again. I also love picture books and read a lot of them in my job as a Teacher Librarian.

I loved how comprehensive it was. Cathie is an amazing tutor. She is super knowledgeable and her feedback is always spot on.

I learned I could write a picture book and it has given me some new writing goals. Before that I had written 2 YA novels and did not see myself writing anything else.

The AWC has excellent courses and I regard them highly.