What’s it like to learn with AWC?

My tutor was insightful, gave good feedback, and made me feel fairly comfortable sharing my work.

I enjoyed deepening my understanding of creative writing and practicing my skills.

The course gave me a great understanding of a lot of flaws I have, and of things to think about while writing. As well as how to format dialogue and a document correctly.

The biggest learning moment I had was the explanation of how important fleshing out your characters really is, and the importance of using the type of vocabulary that your point of view character would, even when not writing dialogue.

I would say that it teaches the basics of creative writing very well and explains in detail many things to pay attention to, as well as good insight into how to continue improving.

I have loved writing for years and it is my life's dream to become an author and my school writing teacher suggested this course to me.

Jo is lovely and she helped me find plot holes in my story that I wasn't aware of. Her feedback has helped me so much and I am super grateful I got her as a mentor.

I do wish it was longer as this course was probably the highlight of my week for the past term.

My writing prior to this course was very short, my full stories were probably five pages long if that. But now I can write a scene up to five pages long, and I have noticed my writing is more interesting to read now than before this course.

The course helps you make your writing longer and more interesting to read and you will be learning things from the beginning. It is an amazing experience and I strongly suggest you do it! The feedback is also very valuable and will help make your writing better also.

Thank you so much for this course, I feel my writing is ten times better than when I first started!

I am starting a new novel and was feeling a bit stuck. I needed a scaffolding to hang my ideas on so that I could connect them into a story.

I am a bit of a plantser - I tend to write best with a sketchy outline and tend to freeze when I have plotted too much. It seems to stymie the process, or block my creativity. I still love learning about other writers' tips and tricks and techniques and found this course fascinating.

I would love to be able to plot in the same detail as Kate but must be wired differently! I still got lots of great insights and ideas that will elevate my writing.

I love having handouts that I can mark and refer back to. There are some great ideas about getting the creative juices flowing and lots of clever tools that I will use at various stages of writing my next novel.

Kate was very generous in sharing her huge experience and insights into the writing process. I will work through it all again and refer to her course notes frequently. It was very comprehensive.

AWC courses are filled with information, insights and writing wisdom. You don't always absorb it all right away but as you progress your writing career little snippets come back to you at just the right time. If you are serious about writing, you will definitely benefit from doing the AWC courses.

The handouts and exercises were incredibly helpful and I appreciated how many examples were provided throughout.

I feel a lot clearer on how to define and find my genre, and have so many tools to help me plan future novels.

I think for me, the focus on intimacy was incredibly helpful, and how to define the difference between romance and romantic elements made it very clear.

I have had many wonderful experiences in my life and have always toyed with the idea of writing a memoir. Working through the 6 modules confirmed that I was on the right track with my writing.

Nat is very fast. She reads and responds quickly. I was impressed with the prompt feedback which allowed me to move onto the next module in a timely manner. It was great to read the other course participants' writing and hear their feedback too, as this allowed us to learn from each other.

I enjoyed the challenge of writing a piece to submit after each module. It made me stop procrastinating and focus on my writing.

After completing one of my writing tasks, I read it aloud to my husband. When I finished reading, I looked up to see tears in his eyes. It was then I realised it is important to share my writing with others.

Completing a writing course you are interested in is a wonderful way to process your thoughts and learn and grow your writing skills.

It went into much more depth than I expected. It was so informative and I learnt so much.

I realise how much more research I need to be doing. I love that you covered so many options for research. Many more than I could ever have found on my own.

The information given in the handouts and answer sheets was incredibly helpful. This assisted me to consolidate what I had learnt during the modules. I found the constant reference to fiction writing so practical.

I now know to write shorter sentences as this gives the reader clarity.

The courses that the Australian Writers' Centre produce are so practical. At the end of the course, you have a real hands-on knowledge.

Nat was excellent. Very prompt with feedback. The feedback provided was positive but also provided guidance on how to tighten the quality of writing for the reader.

I looked forward to being prompted to write each week with a task to commit to.

It got me thinking a lot about the theme my book would have and what story to tell. I think it would ultimately be one of friendship. I also got into the habit of personal journalling somewhat regularly.

Trying to stay present in what I am writing, rather than alluding to what happened or thoughts I have today.

Definitely recommend as it was good to get started with prompts for stories.

It was all enjoyable. The teaching modules which included interviews with people who had written memoirs were interesting and informative. The feedback on our writing tasks was probably the highlight of the course.

Even though the concept of 'show don't tell' was not new to me, I think the writing exercises encouraged me to put it into practice. It is a challenge to remember the exact words of a conversation from years ago but by using a bit of creative license to include the dialogue does bring the story alive.

On at least two occasions while doing the Personal Pages, I sat outside to do them and by just writing whatever came into my mind I found myself so much more aware of nature and the environment around me. I was amazed at how the air around me was so full of life - so many birds calling out to one another, insects and even a spider running around carrying a web sack on her back. I also discovered by writing the first thing that came into my head I produced my true voice.

Pamela gave excellent feedback and general advice. She has a very practical and pragmatic approach to the writing business. Her years of experience ensured she managed our expectations while still providing great encouragement.

Learning to provide helpful feedback to others is an essential skill and I learned a lot about doing this. I also learned a lot about the commercial aspects of publishing which was helpful and gave me realistic expectations. It reinforced things I had learnt in other courses about writing craft too.

Reading the raw manuscripts from my fellow authors was such a privilege. It was a glimpse into the writing journey of people I had come to know well and now regard as friends and taught me a lot about what an extraordinary and complicated, yet joyful thing it is to write a novel.

If you want deadlines, feedback and to learn the nitty gritty of writing, sign up for one of the AWC courses. Your writing will improve so much, it will even surprise you, and you will make some great friends along the way who will cheer you on.

I really like the weekly structure of the course and the information provided, the chance to read the work of other students, the weekly feedback, Valerie's lectures including comments from other writers.

It has allowed me to broaden my thinking around particular aspects of writing including structure, settings, character and time frames.

This course really helped me plan my idea and it gave me the confidence I needed to keep writing even when I doubted my own idea or skills. It was easy to follow and it gave me the knowledge/understanding to work towards writing an effective story.

As a historical fiction author who likes to blend a little bit of the otherworldly into stories - spooky mermaids, witches, ghosts, time travel - History, Mystery and Magic was the perfect course.

I enjoyed the style of learning as well as the resources. And the fact that Kate Forsyth is teaching the course is of course a huge added bonus: she's such a deep well of knowledge. Listening to her teach is like being told a lullaby - the way she weaves her knowledge of history, myths, narrative craft, storytelling, and creativity, is so soothing. It feels like sitting around a campfire listening to a folk tale.

I found the structure of the course and the sample texts to be most useful. Kate Forsyth did a superb job at explaining a certain concept and then showing how to use it, through carefully chosen examples from the sample texts. It illuminated the core learning concepts in a way that allowed me to think about and apply them to my own writing.

When I shared on my social media account that I had enrolled in the course, two other writers reached out to tell me that they were also currently enrolled in the course.

We set up a little group chat as a way to connect, share our experiences and support each other. The course not only helped me refine my ideas and make progress on my writing projects, but it also allowed me to meet other writers in the community.

AWC provides consistently high-quality writing courses from experts in the craft.

It appears to cover everything. So much information! I have developed a number of manuscripts from these courses, and even had the confidence to write a few in rhyme (contrary to the course advice haha!)

I like that we get to submit a completed manuscript at the end and receive feedback.

AWC courses are perfect to start your journey, and even better to develop your writing skills.

I found Bernadette to be an excellent tutor. She had lots of enthusiasm for the subject and obvious expertise. I found her feedback to be fair and relevant.

I enjoyed learning about advertising copy the most, especially older examples that are still the benchmarks of advertising copy today.

I will be able to write copy for my website now, so that's a big plus.

There were a lot of great points in this course. I was happy to learn how to talk to AI, telling it what role it had, such as a PA, or copyeditor, before asking it for answers. Thanks, Bernadette, you've taught me a great skill here!

I would say AWC's copywriting course is well worth the effort. You can gain a lot of valuable insights from this course.

I learned exactly what I wanted to learn. It was simple and straightforward.

Vivienne was great. She was clear and personable in her delivery and feedback. Including her own published work as examples gave me confidence that getting published is achievable. I can do this even though I am not a full-time writer.

The courses are relevant, easy to follow and practical.

I loved Kate's delivery - I felt like I was listening to a story. I was swept away.

Every video/module was an 'aha' moment for me. I feel like I'm in a much better position to begin!

Bernadette Foley provided inclusive tutorage and had a happy demeanour throughout the six weeks. She kept the Zoom meetings flowing and there was lots of constructive comments and suggestions made. Great presentation and format.

I finally realised that by starting a regular writing routine, utilising so many exercise options, putting characters into different scenarios or looking from a different POV character, the stories started to unfold naturally.

That adage 'write yourself into the story' rings true to me now. Until participating in the WW, my characters have been swirling in my head and not progressing. By completing the exercises, my characters now have a voice and a backstory and there are scenes written on the page. I have content to work with for my story to move forward.

The Australian Writers' Centre is an absolute one-stop shop for anyone who enjoys writing for fun, or if you want to take your writing more seriously, there are so many wonderful courses to choose from. The resources and expertise made available through AWC are second to none that I know of, in Australia.

The online tutor was excellent and inspiring. Her feedback was honest and helped me to understand where I was going wrong.

I enjoyed working with other writers who were all moving forward to achieve the same goal. Also, the feedback from other students and the opportunity to read three completed manuscripts was most enjoyable.

It's really motivated me to finish my manuscript and have it ready for publication by this time next year.

Go for it! The Australian Writers' Centre offers inspiring, hands-on training that really lifts your writing to the next level. The tutors are knowledgeable, approachable, and generous with feedback

Thank you for such an inspiring course. I finished feeling motivated, more confident, and ready to move onto my next draft.

I am writing my second novel, and being historical fiction, I thought Kate's advice would be helpful.

I loved Kate's presentation, especially her use of art and examples from her own books. Her manner is very endearing and her wealth of experience is obvious. Both the content and the structure of the course were great, and the side interest in art appealed to me. I love Kate's manner and charm.

I enjoyed it so much, I was disappointed when it finished!

Embarking on a new novel in a different genre, I feel I will be better prepared by following Kate's advice.

I regularly recommend AWC courses, and I say they are easy to access, have excellent content, and are professionally delivered.