What’s it like to learn with AWC?

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.

Pamela is a wonderful presenter and knows her stuff. Also the questions time was helpful.

It assured me that I am doing it right and gave me ideas about what to watch out for in my scenes.

If you want to write and do it well, do a course with the AWC.

Pamela is so knowledgeable and engaging. And her enthusiasm is contagious. *rubs hands together* 'Right let's get started!'

My story has been like a surly cat glaring at me from the corner of my office for too long. (I'm a dog person.) Now I really want to get to it again!

Take a look at AWC. There are answers to whatever size question you have.

I need to shorten my novel. When I wrote it I thought I needed all of the words, and didn't know how to go about a restructure rewrite. This seminar provides a useful tool. Pamela is really good at getting the messages across.

Don't hesitate. The AWC is a good motivator - it helps to get past the slough of despond. The passion of lecturers and speakers is great and the online materials are excellent. Thank you!

Pamela Freeman never fails to provide value for money with a richness of content, generosity and depth of wisdom, and content that is understandable and so actionable.

I finally understand all the elements of pacing!!

Go for a Pamela Freeman class. She is not only a successful multi-published author but she has great communication skills in imparting her knowledge on so many aspects of writing. She is also generous with her time.

I love the way Pamela presents her material plus it is always so informative. I now understand the pace required in completing a successful novel.

The AWC is a fabulous and necessary resource.

The Q&A session at the end is fantastic. While the questions are sometimes only slightly linked to the topic, Pamela is always ready with some excellent advice. I think I take as many notes during the Q&A as I do during the seminar itself!

I was reminded how much fun working with words can be. After a day filled with bureaucrat-ese, it was a joyous moment!

If you feel that you have a story inside you that needs to be shared, but don't know where or how to start, go and do a course with the Australian Writers' Centre.

Just thank you! I appreciate the Focus On seminars so much because they remind me why I love writing.

Bernadette is amazing - so knowledgeable and easy to relate to.

I enjoyed that the course was easy to follow with so many useful strategies, as well as the very constructive homework feedback.

I learnt so many skills and techniques from the course, and from Bernadette's constructive feedback.

I enjoyed Pamela Freeman's passionate, informative, and entertaining style. She paced the presentation perfectly.

I'm far more confident about editing my work to control its pace. I now know that pace is about a reader's perception of the story's speed of progress - and how this perception is affected by genre expectations, macro elements, and micro elements.

The AWC's extraordinary writing courses, run by experienced authors, have helped me refine my craft and network with like-minded writers, some of whom have become dear friends. Their online writing seminars are nuggets of pure gold.

Thanks Pamela and all the AWC team for taking the time to make these seminars - and all the courses - a reality.

Pamela's knowledge is AMAZING. And her clear concise presentation skills made the information easy to digest.

I'm going to edit my draft specifically for pace, now I know it's an element under my control. I actively control the pace. It's not a wafty thing that happens instinctively.

AWC presenters are fantastic and the courses contain heaps of easy to apply content.

It was very enlightening to learn about the many types of writing. I enjoyed the encouragement from Valerie that anything really is possible.

I now know that to be a writer is not just a dream anymore; it truly is a possibility for a successful and flexible career.

The AWC environment is a supportive one, where there is a genuine desire from Valerie and the tutors for the graduates to succeed.

I enjoy writing and wanted to explore the romance writing genre. Wanted to learn how to write romance.

I enjoyed listening to the other authors and their stories. I learnt a lot throughout the course.

A great place to learn about romance writing, with exercises and helpful handouts. And the presenter explains well. During this course, I came up with a story idea which I started writing.

Jo was really engaging, helpful and encouraging. Her feedback was cast at the right balance of empathy and constructive criticism. She had a warmness that encouraged all levels of writers in the class.

I enjoyed the Zoom calls with feedback and discussion.

By providing opportunity to workshop with the tutor and other students, I got to see a range of ways to improve my writing.

The AWC offers well thought-out structured courses with knowledgeable tutors.

The handouts are thorough and the videos are good quality sound and lighting. The content was excellent.

When Pamela said the first draft is where we learn about the character's internal struggles, as we write, was an 'aha' for me. I am writing a middle-grade novel and have been beating myself up for not knowing my character better.

The courses are an excellent resource and are all designed to a professional standard. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

Thank you for creating the smaller courses. I really appreciate being able to do short cost-effective courses.

I have previously completed a course with Pamela and found it incredibly informative and inspiring. She is a wealth of information and I have so much to learn from her. I am partway through writing my first novel and am absorbing as much as I can learn about the art of writing :)

The course has clarified so much about my novel in my own mind and helped me move forward with writing in a more structured way. I now understand how narrative tension really works and what techniques can be applied to increase narrative tension.

There is such a wealth of knowledge to be gained from undertaking these courses and I have not yet undertaken one course that hasn't vastly improved my writing.

When I was given Scrivener as a gift, I was really daunted by what appeared to be the complexity of it. I was recommended to enrol in 2 Hours to Scrivener Power and it has proved to be a fantastic low-cost investment, saving hours of struggle and time. Each video covered off the basics and, by the time I had finished the six modules, I was looking at my own complete manuscript uploaded, utilising the various functions and tools covered.

Scrivener makes everything so much clearer in terms of an umbrella view on the manuscript - combined with the ease of accessing and moving information around within the document itself.

The course presenter, Natasha, delivered the information in a clear, concise and easy to follow format. I have already recommended it to the other members of a writers group I belong to.

The tutor was great - personable, empathetic, gave helpful practical tips and ideas.

I enjoyed the audio lessons. Such useful material and delivered in a very professional and humorous, relatable way.

It's given me the confidence and structure I needed to move forward to the next level.

I wanted a detailed explanation of the three-act structure and was happy to also get information about other types of structures. The handouts were really useful for me. It enabled me to plan the novel I am trying to write in a more considered way.

If you have never been taught about story structure, or need a more in depth explanation than you have had previously, then this is a fantastic course.

I knew this short course on dialogue would be packed full of helpful information that I could easily consume and apply to my work in progress - (I've done a previous course through AWC and was very impressed and knew this would be to a similar standard).

The handouts and audio format are very digestible and easy to follow. I feel more confident when it comes to writing dialogue scenes and all they involve (so much more than spoken words!)

The AWC provides an incredible amount of helpful information within each course. Lasting knowledge - I have notebooks full of tips from the courses I've done. Great value for money, and a worthwhile investment for any writer looking to improve their skills.

I really enjoyed all the lectures: perfect length, easy to understand and great downloads.

Bernadette was truly awesome! I loved her presentations, humour, kindness and generosity of spirit. What a remarkable woman. I am so grateful to learn from the best! She has thought of everything, her knowledge of the industry is second to none and her feedback on assignments was always so encouraging and constructive. I am hoping to do more courses with her in the future. A massive THANK YOU Bernadette!

I feel that I now have the skills and confidence to start a new career as a copywriter! I've already got my first client!