What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I enjoyed the small tasks each week. It broke it into manageable chunks.

Very good and practical feedback. I liked the way it was served up to everyone at once.

The course has made me look out for stories and ideas for characters and also more aware of techniques being used by other writers.

Do it if you are curious to see if you can write something.

I was looking for tips and guidance on how to level up my book reviewing and this course seemed to be the best fit.

Vivienne was very generous with her feedback and adapted as much as possible to fit my particular focus. She's terrific! Her feedback was enormously helpful, and deftly offered.

I enjoyed the immediacy of it. How keeping future weeks locked meant that the participants all stayed together as we worked through the material.

I'm so happy to be feel like I'm part of the AWC community. The courses are great and it's good value for money.

The tutor was good. Vivienne has real life experience. I appreciate the honest feedback.

The writing exercises were somewhat therapeutic for me. I don't mind a rant 😅 Although I didn't necessarily follow the structure as well as I should have done, it was good to get words out on paper. It felt good to express some emotion through writing.

I think everyone has an opinion but doesn't necessarily know how to articulate it in a way that can be read or heard easily. If I was feeling unheard it could be the way I was expressing my opinion.

A fun and worthwhile course.

I was curious about whether to use a dual timeline for my story (rather than flashbacks and memories), and the best techniques for using dual timelines.

I enjoyed learning about the tips and common pitfalls, as well as how much flexibility there is in how the timelines unfold.

Now I want to play with timelines for my next story! Although this course confirmed that flashbacks will better suit my current story.

Thank you! I learned a lot in this course.

I can't explain how grateful I am that these courses exist. The feedback is invaluable.

I enjoyed learning the structure of a story. I had so much fun that I restructured my finished manuscript and I look forward to breaking down my writing further to meet the structure I learnt through this course.

I have a lot more confidence to write my stories. I love reading epic fantasies, and writing my own has made me feel accomplished in my own space. It's a whole new feeling.

The course is invaluable. I can't recommend it enough. Especially if you are thinking about writing a book or have already finished a manuscript. This course has helped me grow as a writer.

Thank you to everyone involved in the AWC. Having these courses online have allowed me to grow, become more confident in my writing and has helped me feel safe in this space, even if it is just for me right now.

The range of material provided was outstanding. I enjoyed the depth of the presenter's knowledge and ability to explain.

AWC courses are amazing. I've done a few!

The course material and tutor feedback were brilliant.

Pamela is knowledgeable, insightful and an excellent teacher who is able to identify key learnings for each student and explain them effectively. And she is a nice person!

I thought the course was fabulous. Understanding the mechanics of writing a novel, and having the tutor answer my questions, which kept me moving forward over the speed humps.

It is clearly set out and broken down into smaller parts. I like the breaks for actionable content, so I don't try to get ahead of myself and take on too much at once.

I loved the timeline. Such a simple idea 🤯 but so useful for seeing what's missing to get from one event to another.

Take the course you're thinking about. You won't be disappointed.

The tutor had a great knowledge of the genre and was very generous in sharing her expertise and feedback and encouraging us with our own individual stories.

I liked being able to ask and get helpful, well-thought-out answers to any questions I and other participants had.

It made me think about the best way to introduce my characters, gave me more confidence in writing action scenes and helped me with tips to develop my setting.

Margaret was knowledgeable and genuinely wanted to help us improve our writing.

I enjoyed reading other people's work and seeing the difference in my assignment after editing it to take on Margaret's feedback.

Gives you a real sense of achievement when you have completed your assignment and feel like it is something you would like to read.

Louisa was very genial, knowledgeable about the subject and had a good balanced lesson plan

I really appreciated the comprehensive notes that accompanied the class so that I have an easy reference/blueprint going forward.

I feel very encouraged that this is a new-to-me genre I can write and find very enjoyable.

I wasn't fully cognisant of the blueprint for crime novels but now feel like I'm armed with the 'cheat sheet'.

The lectures were so helpful! I listened while doing other things around the house, but often paused to write notes.

Useful feedback. Useful to listen to feedback about others' work as well.

A great first step and now I'm writing regularly.

I would say do it! It's great! You learn so much and have exercises to practice what you have learnt. There is so much to learn and this course is the best first step - all round discussion, information, practical writing exercises and useful tips and tricks to get you started!

I really enjoyed the format of the course and the depth the content went to. The feedback on my assignments was so informative and constructive that I feel my writing has improved immensely.

The feedback was great. It gives you a different perspective. It lets you see how your ideas are perceived and it's sometimes surprising

This is a really great course. It gives you the discipline to get the draft finished and the feedback to improve it going forward.

We had a knowledgeable tutor who provided helpful constructive feedback on our work.

The course made the idea of writing a book into a skill and a tangible goal. It's an art form. It is possible.

I put off doing this course for close to 20 years. I should have done it much earlier.

Vivienne was a great tutor. Her feedback was generous, and she was clear, concise, responsive and approachable.

The learning experience was fantastic and the exercises gave me a better understanding of what editors were looking for. The step-by-step approach helped me get organised!

If you're looking for a learning experience that is skill-based and super efficient, AWC courses are it!

Cathie knows her stuff. The literary device she suggested to me, made for waaaay more work, but made the work sooo much better. It was fascinating listening to her suggestions and reading her feedback for everyone.

I got sooo much more out of it than I expected to. The weekly courses were stuffed full of writing craft. Reading other people's work was great - not just their stories, but reviewing their work taught me a lot about my own writing and about writing in general. Getting others' feedback. The deadlines (harsh but necessary).

Over the six months I went from 85k words of a first draft desperately searching for an ending to a relatively polished third draft of my manuscript. I wrote 160-170k words all up, ditched a truckload of them along the way and ended up with a story people really liked. Even better, at the start I struggled to call myself a writer, despite having written most days for 25 years as a content writer/PR and uni writing lecturer (I know, go figure). But by the end of the course, not only had I become a 'writer', I'd actually morphed, in my own head at least, to being an author - of books, plural. I. AM. HOOKED. I've already plotted out book 2 while waiting for feedback. It's too much fun not to continue.

If you've got a book knocking about in your head that won't leave you alone, and you're truly ready to commit to doing the work to finish, the Write Your Novel course, gets it out and onto the page in a way you just won't have imagined.

Cathie was very good. Her feedback was always insightful and to the point. No sugar coating. She was also very good at working with the dynamics of the group and widely differing writing projects we were undertaking.

I enjoyed the interaction with other aspirational writers. The effort everyone put into the feedback - trying hard to make it constructive and supportive.

AWC provides the insights, structure, discipline and supportive environment that will enable you to progress your writing goals.

It's an excellent course. There are a lot of smaller details that Pamela goes into regarding the world building aspect, details that I probably would not have considered if not for the course. It was enjoyable thinking about these and applying them to my own story.

It has made me realise that I need to put in the time and effort to be a much better writer.

If you are interested in pursuing writing but are not sure where to start, then AWC is the perfect place. If you are already past that point but needing some help, then AWC is great for that also.

I love Kate Forsyth and her books but beyond her books she is an incredible teacher who has the ability to take complex concepts and break them down into understandable achievable tasks and lessons.

This felt like a college-level class and I know my writing will be better because of it!

I have a better understanding of the power of words and text and the way it comes together to form a story. I enjoyed the breakdown of genres and the style of writing found in each. I also enjoyed narrowing in on the styles I'm drawn to and how it can influence the stories I write.

All the AWC classes I've taken have such amazing content. Well worth the cost. And my writing has transformed because of it!