What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I have struggled for a while with knowing the 'rules' of picture book writing, since I come from the point of view of an illustrator who creates characters and worlds visually. I was itching to be able to write the stories to accompany my own illustrations so I signed up!

I was really happy with Cathie's approach to giving feedback. Her honesty is really essential as it helps you cut out bad habits from an early stage in the course. She offered some invaluable insights to me as an illustrator too which I was happily surprised by.

I enjoyed the opportunity to learn at my own pace and to be able to receive individual feedback from a professional in the industry.

The 'show don't tell' concept has been my biggest revelation. I had heard of it before but now I understand it better and can see how it's an entire world to be studied. The lessons about using potent verbs and active tenses, and about what to cut out were absolute gold to me.

The course has given me the confidence to approach publishers and a newfound self-belief that I CAN write impactful picture book manuscripts.

If you are wanting a real industry-centred writing course then definitely enrol with AWC.

The commitment of a few hours a week for 5 weeks seemed achievable as a first step for me, with two young children and a business to run. The cost seemed reasonable, and since completing the course I can confirm that it was good value for me.

This was a great introduction to writing picture books. I didn't expect to learn so much about pitching and how to establish my online presence as a writer. The 'Bonus: Insights from an industry expert' was really useful, in addition to the course content.

Cathie provided useful and meaningful feedback. This meant a lot coming from someone of her background in the industry.

I enjoyed the writing, and seeing my stories improve with practice and applying Cathie's feedback.

Since completing the course, the idea of publishing picture books has gone from a vague dream to something within my power to achieve. Although it will require plenty of work (I won't pretend it's easy), the path forward is clearer.

Whether you're a complete novice (like I was) or have been practicing the craft for a while, there is something in this course for any unpublished writer curious about writing picture books.

A big 'thank you!'

Cathie's feedback was really good. She was encouraging while detailing what I should improve. I enjoyed seeing my writing improve over the different assignments.

I was already a writer of fiction but I had never done any course and felt that I learned a lot in this course. I want to go back to my published book and use what I learned, even if it's not a picture book.

If you want to improve your writing with professional advice, don't hesitate and register with the Australian Writers' Centre.

Lots of great content to revisit, mull over and practice practice practice.

The tutor was very succinct, clear, knowledgeable. I enjoyed learning the content and hearing positive and constructive feedback from the tutor. Reading submissions from other students.

It has opened my eyes to what is involved in creating a picture book. I have learnt to persevere with something that I am not automatically good at. Good for the brain and new neural connections. I feel motivated to keep working on creating a successful picture book.

My AHA moment was during assessment 4 when I kept working on successive drafts and practicing implementing different elements of what we were learning. That 'polishing' is a practical process and a mystical (inner) process too.

I had stalled with my writing in recent years but this course has reignited my love of writing and again I feel the joy of creating new manuscripts.

I loved receiving the feedback in such a timely manner and always edited my text while the feedback was fresh.

This course is well paced and very informative. It will help you polish and fine tune your work.

Thanks to everyone involved and I am so glad I did this course.

Loved gaining the knowledge. I was very pleased that I enrolled. I know I can do this now. I can take the next steps; that inner critic has quietened down.

The course removed doubt from my mind that I could do this. That my stories could be written so others could enjoy them too.

I had a couple of children's stories which I had submitted to publishers but never received responses. I saw this AWC course advertised, and it sounded practical.

I feel that I have a greater awareness of direct language, economising with words, punctuation, showing rather than telling and revealing feelings. Cathie looked closely at my work and provided useful feedback.

This is a practical course which offers useful writing tips for children's picture books.

The tutor was very knowledgeable. Great and specific feedback that was helpful and with examples to show me how to go about making the changes also.

I enjoyed receiving the feedback from Cathie. I felt the written support material was comprehensive and helpful also.

I think I have the skills now to adapt my writing for children's books and I definitely have the knowledge to take my writing further if I wish.

The course is worth it for the money and what you get out of it. You will gain knowledge from it you can't get anywhere else.

It was very comprehensive and covered topics I did not realise I needed to find out more about.

The tutor was very knowledgeable and gave good constructive criticism. I learnt a lot: how to structure a story, look at tenses, show not tell, be concise, point of view and consistency.

Just a big thank you for all the structured feedback, this is where the learning happens. The feedback each week was crucial.

I thought it was time to invest in my passion for writing after listening to some of the presentations at AWC. I liked the fact that Cathie Tasker had so much experience in publishing.

This course helped me realise how much I didn't know about writing, even though I have always considered myself a good writer!

I loved being challenged every week. I also felt that the course was presented very well. I liked the fact that I felt I was actually learning how to write a better story. I appreciated Cathie's honesty when evaluating my assignments.

I now look at every book I read in a completely different light (including adult novels!) I notice obvious things that I had previously missed.

Cathie is clearly very knowledgeable about the industry and I really valued her insight and feedback on my assignments.

It gave me the confidence to write not one, but two picture books that I can now work on polishing. I'm definitely going to pursue writing picture books and am really looking forward to the next steps!

I highly recommend the Australian Writers' Centre as the tutors really know what they're talking about and give great insights into the industry. The workload for this course was very manageable (even with two small children!) while still keeping me accountable and pushing me to finish drafts.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course, thank you :)

I just learnt so much. Every aspect of picture book writing was covered in great detail. I loved the opportunity to submit assignments and receive feedback each week. I was able to write three complete picture book texts simply by doing the assignments.

The course and my tutor have given me the confidence that publishing a picture book is a real possibility and not just a dream. It is worth putting in the work.

If you are serious about publishing a book, do not approach any publisher until you have invested the time and money in a course like this with AWC. You don't know what you don't know.

I hope you will see my book on shelves and grab a copy!

I have always loved children's books. I have a 3-year-old who has been through some challenges and I found it hard to find the right book to help her to understand her situation. I thought, if I can't find one, maybe I could write one just for her!

Judith was fantastic! She is a great teacher and I felt heard and I learnt so much. There are so many ingredients that make a good picture book… I had no idea!

I loved the words of encouragement, and I also loved Judith reading to us. I also loved hearing other people's fantastic ideas. The group was warm and supportive.

I am now inspired to write something and try to get it published. This had only been a very vague idea in my mind, but it has now become a reality!!

Thank you so much Judith. I loved the course. You are so knowledgeable, kind, and encouraging. Your passion for children's books is inspiring. Your kindness to our group of aspiring writers won't be forgotten. Thank you!!

You must do it! It is wonderful, and creative, and inspiring.

I wanted to learn how to write picture books using ideas from my own experiences raising three boys. Stories that send positive messages to other kids. I also wanted to give them to my kids as a sentimental gesture and then they could pass them on to their children. AWC was recommended by my cousin.

I enjoyed learning the structure and details needed to write an effective picture book. Also, improving my writing each week after each module and Cathie's feedback to see my story evolve!

The course has increased my confidence and inspired me to complete the Writing Chapter Books for 6-9 year olds course as well. It helps knowing I can get advice and feedback from AWC and also connect with other writers.

Thank you very much for all the content and feedback! I look forward to learning more and more and more!

The course exceeded expectations largely due to the practical experience and professional skill that Jude Rossell as the presenter brought to the course. She made everyone feel at ease and provided positive and helpful feedback. The group of attendees were delightful and a pleasure to meet. The venue was great with enough amenity to support the classroom experience. The many children's picture books that Jude brought along and read to us to demonstrate various aspects of the process, structure and style of writing a children's picture book were not only helpful in developing understanding but absolutely delightful to hear and be the 'child' in the moment. I thoroughly enjoyed the two days and can't wait to refine my story and see where it takes me. Big thanks to Jude.

The course has given me a sense of confidence that I do have something to say that might be of interest to small children. This makes me feel more encouraged about trying to write a story for small children. Having spent the two days learning about structure and style and the various approaches to these has given me useful frameworks that will support my writing practice.

I am still smiling and can't wait to get back to the pages...

Give it a go, you will be surprised.

The discussions with participants, who came from every age level and lifestyle, was extremely helpful and interesting.

The tutor was exceptional. Jude not only shared her immense knowledge and information, she managed, so well, all of the varied personalities present.

The course has given me knowledge that I needed to be able to proceed in a positive way.

This is an excellent way to go; you have nothing to lose, but everything to gain.

Perfect location, good pace to the course and everything made sense.

Judith (Jude) was exceptional. She engaged with all participants and made everyone feel part of the learning. Her experience, guidance and attitude all sparked the group members. Sincere gratitude to Jude.

Clarified my thinking, gave me confidence and impetus to get a PB published. See, I even know the slang now! (Thanks Jude)

Register now. Don't wait.

I'm an illustrator and have always had a love for learning and picture books. I think they're a brilliant vehicle to address complex and difficult subjects while providing tools for learning how to cope, inspire curious thinking and encourage a deeper understanding of our emotions. To understand the manuscript on the writer's side will ultimately help me to make better decisions when illustrating for others. I also would like to tackle both roles for stories I'd love to tell.

I did research other courses on the market, but found this to be a better fit for what I was looking for. The bonus content for illustrators was a big draw for me, in addition to the background and experience of the tutors for the Australian market.

Cathie has been wonderful. She has been direct in her feedback and comments to my assignments to help guide and support my learning and I've found this to be invaluable. Cathie's insights have been incredibly helpful and I feel more equipped to pursue submissions to publishers.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed the writing the most. I know that's odd to say given this is a writers' course, but I thought I'd struggle much more than I felt I have. I think that's due to the delivery of the course and feedback from Cathie and my peers.

I'm focusing on developing one of the stories visually in a focused picture book drawing class next term. I wasn't sure I'd have a manuscript polished enough to be able to jump right in, but I've been able to pull a story together that's been buzzing away for some time, so I'm very grateful and optimistic for the future.

The Australian Writers' Centre has been invaluable to my learning as an aspiring children's book author and illustrator. The content in the Writing Picture Books course was informative, easy to understand and flexible so I can learn around my other commitments. I have a new appreciation for the format and, as an illustrator, the bonus content has clarified the working process in the event I'm working with other authors. I have found the content and tutor engagement so invaluable. I'm looking at enrolling in other courses to continue my learning with AWC in future.

Great feedback, very constructive criticism - I believe the feedback given by the online tutor is what makes this course stand out from all others. Learning is so much more intense when we can see our stories grow and blossom, and I have definitely experienced that with this course!

I enjoyed the possibility to revisit the video classes at any time. Handouts were also very helpful. The community within the course is very supportive, and makes a world of difference to be in a supportive learning environment :)

Definitely the place to start for someone new to picture book writing!

I had several story ideas that had been building in my head and somewhat on paper for years, and to have the tuition and feedback to be able to craft layers into those stories is so exciting. Cathie has such a wealth of experience and background of knowledge of the industry and her feedback was always clear and so productive.

I enjoyed the opportunity to read each other's stories and see their ideas build and evolve throughout the course. And of course applying myself to the course content and listening to valuable feedback in order to build on my own writing skills. So excited for myself and the other participants for what may lie ahead.

I've been reading picture books to young children since I was a child myself, and selecting books for Play School for over 20 years, so I felt pretty confident in understanding what makes a really good picture book from a reader's perspective. Thinking through the complexity of the layers and probing deeper into the rhythm of the language has been such a bonus. And of course, learning more about the role of the illustrator and how the publishing industry works, plus the involvement of all the other stakeholders, has been so informative.

The time flexibility is great and allows you to fit the modules in around your other work. I've learnt so much - beyond my expectations!