What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I enjoyed learning aspects, techniques and theories I would have never thought of before.

The course has given me more arrows in my quiver as a writer. A broader knowledge base.

As a reader, I have enjoyed dual timelines since childhood - 'Traveller in Time', 'People of the Book', and in many genres. I am interested in quantum ideas of time all being present at once.

An enriching seminar! It has given my imagination a bit of a 'kick in the pants', at the right time (that being the continuous present and not the past historic). It has reminded me of so many previously enjoyed stories, over the decades, and refreshed my appreciation of those stories and how some were dual timelines, though I didn't consciously categorise them as such at the time. In genres of sci-fi and fantasy, for example, the initial suspension of disbelief may make the dual timeline aspect less noticeable to a reader.

The standard is high, and resources are good quality. The teaching is thoughtfully designed and presentations are well-structured.

I am looking for a career change and wanted to (finally) explore my passion for writing that has been with me since childhood. Similar to Valerie, I didn't listen to that voice and pursued accounting which my heart also wasn't in either. I want to know what it's like to enjoy and find my working life meaningful.

I enjoyed the warm tone that the course was delivered in and how casual yet effective it was. The case studies were intriguing and diverse, getting me to think about my situation outside the box.

I have a plan now to start making a career change and it's helped me decide that it's what I want to explore. The brief introduction into the different types of writing also helped me decide where I wanted to explore first.

You don't know what you don't know, so if you've been thinking about pursuing a writing career of sorts, then start with the Reinvent Yourself course like I did - it's a small time and financial commitment to work out whether writing is for you or not. You don't really have anything to lose - just more knowledge to gain.

Vivienne was wonderful. I really appreciated her feedback. She is a skilled teacher with fantastic insights and an incredible ability to tweak her feedback to suit all the different levels of experience of the participants. No small feat!

I loved all of it. The interface was great. The structure was perfect. And I could listen to Valerie's voice for days! So clear and articulate.

Thank you so much for a wonderful experience, Valerie and Vivienne! And I really enjoyed the 20th birthday event the other night too! Really inspiring.

AWC's Freelance Writing Stage 1 was brilliant. The content was so practical, well-designed, and of such a high quality, the interface was fantastic and easy to use, and the classes and tutors were wonderful. Loved it!!

I had various unfinished picture book manuscripts and thought it would be beneficial to learn more about writing picture books in order to finish them and give them the best chance of publication.

I felt Margaret was experienced and gave useful feedback. I liked that she was very specific, so it was very clear me what my issues were and how to go about correcting them.

I have a better understanding of picture book structure and how to remove unnecessary words.

I did not appreciate how much technical knowledge is required to craft a children's picture book. I have learnt so much in a short period of time.

Margaret's knowledge and review of each of our stories seemed so effortless. Her constructive feedback was always encouraging.

I found the feedback to our assessments very helpful. It was also useful to listen and learn from the feedback given to other writers.

The course is a compass for writing children's picture books. The destination and the journey are now mine to map. I am beginning to believe it could be possible.

Do it! You will learn so much. I had no idea about the structure of a picture's book and now I have some great tools for my future stories.

The course has given me the blueprint and way forward to continue with my memoir, particularly will use the writing and editing tips.

Excellent courses with loads of useful, practical advice, written and delivered by writers - i.e. people who know what they're talking about.

I always thought that if I were going to write a book, it would be YA. But when my daughter started bringing home chapter books from school and we'd go to the library together to pick out more, I found myself completely drawn to them. That's when I realised how much I wanted to write chapter books for 6 - 9 year olds. Being able to create stories for children feels so meaningful. I just had to give this course a go!

I enjoyed the positivity throughout the course, the message of 'finish what you start' and that 'you're never going to get better at middles and endings if you don't finish'. That really stuck with me, it's very true.

If I hadn't taken this course and started writing specifically for 6 - 9 year olds, I wouldn't have done it properly. I didn't realise how important things like short sentences, avoiding pronoun strings, and using strong chapter hooks really are for this age group.
This course gave me the tools and awareness I needed to write stories that actually work for young readers.

I've been eyeing the courses at AWC since I was 18/19, I'm now 32! I wish I'd done one sooner, but I'm so glad I finally made the push to do it. The experience has been incredibly motivating, and it's only made me more excited to continue learning and hopefully, become an author one day.

Good insights on the traditional publishing route, and an honest warts-and-all view of what it takes.

Margaret is amazing. She is honest and encouraging to all students. She answers our queries promptly.

I was able to create 3 different stories that I can work on in the next few months.

If you want to tell stories and write them, the courses at AWC will help you to get started. The tutors are very knowledgeable. It is worth the money and it's so convenient for busy people.

After finishing the course, I have this hope that someday my story will be published. I want to keep writing and do more AWC courses.

This was a fabulous experience. Finally, all my thoughts and ideas seem more organised. I only wish I had done it years ago.

Margaret was wonderful. Her feedback has been invaluable. If she offered editorial services for hopeful picture book authors, I would absolutely jump at it :)

The course was so well structured, it covered so much. Things I thought I already knew and so much more. It was clear, concise and thorough.

Its amazing!!! A game change for any writer!

I found Michelle to be supportive, for myself and others in the group. Their feedback also helped my words.

It gave me more courage to keep writing and trying.

The tutor was very helpful and open. I loved the feedback.

I feel motivated to continue my journey.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the content and found it easy to follow.

Vivienne gave timely feedback that I could work with, and improve on.

The audio modules taught me everything I needed to know and enlightened me on freelance feature writing. I enjoyed learning the terminology associated with feature writing.

It has made me think about ideas and act on them straight away. No staring at a blank page.

If you want to learn in-depth knowledge everything about freelance writing then start with stage 1. It will put you on the right track.

I have already been writing content for a local, online family magazine and I wanted to build on and refine my skills. I was also recommended AWC by the owner of the site, who has done many AWC courses herself.

The tutor had a lovely manner, wonderful feedback. Loved the mix of online video feedback as well as the written feedback.

The content, handouts, delivery, assessment and feedback were all fantastic.

It has inspired me to branch out with my writing. I am inspired to pitch to a larger range of publications than I first had in mind.

I can't wait to complete more AWC courses!

The information provided by Valerie Khoo in the audio lessons, as well as the reading materials, was very helpful in getting a solid idea of what freelance writing was, how to focus your efforts for particular markets and publications, and some really practical guidance on reaching out to editors etc. within the industry.

Vivienne was lovely; her feedback was useful and practical - a good combination of critique and encouragement.

I enjoyed the written assignments. They were really challenging at times, but were really good ways to test your understanding and level of engagement with the course content.

I came into the course knowing that I want to pursue writing as a career, but unsure of how to pursue it. This course really helped me understand practical and approachable ways of engaging with the freelancing industry and provided some really useful guidance on expectations and likely challenges. I now feel way more confident about pursuing freelancing as a career.

AWC provides practical and effective guidance and teaching, from people who are already working successfully within the industry. They are a reliable source of education.

I have been reading crime thrillers for years and for the last 2 have had ideas to write my own. I was struggling to structure it and get it down on paper so googled courses to help.

I was a bit nervous that some people would have more advanced skills than me and I would struggle to keep up, but my hesitations were unfounded and everyone was very supportive.

Louisa was fantastic. I loved every minute and looked forward to the weekly sessions.

The course:
Gave me structure
Gave me confidence
Gave me ideas on how to build characters.

Do it! You won't look back!!

Our group as a whole was hard working and conscientious.

Cathie T gave detailed and thoughtful feedback. On rare occasions when I privately emailed her, she was very helpful.

Our Discord group is continuing and helping each other; I admire a number of talented writers in my group who inspire me.

Keep writing draft one; you can refine after finishing this. But just get whole first ms done - which I have!

Wide variety of courses; meet terrific people in your course; facilitators experienced and helpful; relevant resources provided.

My sister suggested it and it sounded like exactly what I wanted. I didn't want to do journalism at Uni, and I like the bite sized videos and assessments.

The tutor was great!

I liked the short videos in the modules; it helped to keep me engaged. I prefer that to long drawn-out lectures. I also liked being able to see/hear other students' feedback and found it really helpful.

I feel like I have the confidence to start writing and pitching my work. I wouldn't even know where or how to start without having done this course. I'm also keener and more motivated which is great.

I never knew how to start an article, so working on the 'hook' was extremely helpful. Also, learning not to put myself in the writing makes a lot of sense now. A lot of previous writing I have done was opinion based or written from my point of view, but I always felt like it sounded really tacky.

I did this freelance writing course, and it was so good. It was really helpful and not too intense. It really put things into perspective for me and made freelance writing more simplified. I don't feel like I'll struggle with writing like I have been, now that I have done the course.

Just a big thank you!

Michelle was a great facilitator. Feedback was always quickly delivered a day after assignment close. It was good to listen to all feedback to pick up on tips as well as the feedback specific to my work.

The content on scenes and structures was very good. Not many courses really focus on the details of summary vs scene and decision making on structure for scenes and novel overall. All of the content was very clearly and concisely delivered as an online format. It was easy to follow and delivered in right size chunks.

It has helped me get a better understanding of writing scenes and working with POV to develop stronger scenes as a storyteller (not just a writer) which has shifted my perspective a bit.

Fantastic course to start your writing journey. It gives all of the core building blocks of writing to springboard straight into writing or onto the next course. Great value for money and the online format with weekly assignments and feedback is a good balance between flexibility and interaction for those wanting to learn online.