What’s it like to learn with AWC?

The quality of information, clear presentation and extent of topics was amazing! Zanni seems really passionate about picture books and her feedback was on point, honest and positive.

How much more respect I have for writers of great picture books; I knew it was special but it really is an art. Also it gave me confidence that even though I am far from publishing a book, it is possible and I can start now.

It is a very complete course, very serious and professional. Worth the money.

Just, thank you, it was a great experience, and to do it during lockdown it helped to keep the creative juices flowing.

The Zoom meetings each fortnight were excellent and really helped me to learn. Having helpful comments made about everyone’s writing in a Zoom format - much more useful than just written feedback.

It got me going so I am going to write that book. That it’s ok to keep learning and I can write no matter how good or not so good I might be.

I looked forward to the course each fortnight.

I enjoy the stimulation of your courses, and this one being fortnightly seemed not too onerous while I'm busy writing my novel.

The way Pamela structured this course was excellent - I learned as much from hearing her critique other people's assignments as I did from hearing my own. Pamela's ability to see and clearly communicate the faults in or suggestions for a piece of writing, and do it quickly, was excellent. She allocated her time between all the students equally so that no one felt left out.

Pamela sprinkles her assessments with absolute gems which hopefully I'll remember the next time I'm tempted to make the same mistake. I learned to trust the reader to fill in the blanks.

The Australian Writers' Centre tutors are not only highly successful authors, but they're able to communicate the 'how' of writing. Thank you for such well-organised, well-staffed courses. The Zoom platform is brilliant.

This is the best writing course I have done (and there have been a few); all those skills the previous courses taught actually coalesced into something so practical I actually felt myself improving.

Pamela is a gift. Her ability to identify how something works, why it works, how to make it work better is just amazing. Even better were the incidental gems she dropped along the way that gave the most brilliant insights into writing.

The Zoom format had the group of students developing a real rapport and interest in each other's work as well as the immediate feedback that could be shared between the students and Pamela.

I feel I might actually have a book in me after all. That a book is not written in one draft and that it is okay to not get it absolutely perfect first time.

Do it. Just do it. Even if you never do write The Book simply giving yourself permission to put words out there is a bonus.

I thought the course sounded like the boost I was needing to improve my writing.

The tutor was great and I was given the help I required. I enjoyed the opportunity to interact with other people to gain feedback.

Do not hesitate to enrol in a course. There are plenty of opportunities.

I wanted to develop skills in writing for a younger market, with a view to publishing a work eventually. It seemed like a rare and unique opportunity to learn about a niche market.

The video sessions were fantastic. I valued having Zanni read out the stories in her lovely tone; it put me right back in the child's seat. It's a rare honour to have my fledgling stories read aloud by Zanni, with her warm and considered feedback.

Finding out that I could pen a children's story and have it not be half bad. It's a brief step into a vast new world. It opened a door and showed me a new way of wading into literature. I only wish perhaps it was longer, but with more practice I'm sure the impact will be profound.

I've written several picture books but was keen to get practical advice on how to progress them and get them published.

I thought the course was excellent. It provided so many practical tips and resources and will allow me to take my writing to the next stage.

Zanni was very responsive, helpful and positive in her feedback. She is clearly a highly experienced writer and teacher and I was very grateful to learn from her.

This is a really high-quality course with an excellent teacher and course materials. I would highly recommend it to anyone!

I absolutely loved it. Pamela is a fantastic teacher and mentor. She is patient and gives you constructive feedback that is useful. The exercises, the teacher and classmates. I have some tools to start writing my novel.

In the last section, the exercises enabled me to summarise my story in a way that pulls out the key elements. I will find that very useful in planning future stories. Can't wait for Part B!

Pamela is very knowledgeable and went to a lot of trouble to give feedback to each student which was relevant to the individual but also translatable to everyone in the group.

The regular technical exercises, set time for Zoom meeting each fortnight, no need to have a story underway. The discussion of broader points of technique. It's made me come up with a story.

Pamela saying we all have the ability to write a story, but we have to sit down and do it.

Well-organised and knowledgeable teaching leading to tangible improvement.

I thoroughly enjoyed these 5 weeks. It has given me a lot. I'm going to carry on with my writing and may do a follow up course in the future.

I gained a lot of practical knowledge from this course. Very helpful positive critique. Writing the assessments and listening to the audio lessons, and feeling that I had found a familiar tribe.

It's given me a much better idea on how to go about the writing of a novel. Also, it was a liberating moment to be told to "give yourself permission to write." To keep writing and not remain stuck going over and over one piece.

I would say the AWC is an excellent source of knowledge and experience. It is very helpful to anyone wanting to begin writing a novel.

I'm not working at the moment due to Covid, and wanted to do something constructive with my time. A friend had 'liked' the AWC on Facebook so I googled and was impressed with how professional the website and courses sounded so signed up.

I was a little anxious about posting my assignments in a shared environment as I haven't received feedback from my peers before, however I actually found the feedback to be beneficial so got over this after the first week!

I valued Stephen's feedback; he knew the subject matter and picked up on things I had no previous knowledge of. I enjoyed learning about the 'technical' side of writing. I enjoy writing but have never studied it so learning about structure, scenes, etc, was very interesting. It's made me want to write more.

The AWC Creative Writing course will teach you how to turn your idea into a story. Thank you, I've really enjoyed this course and it's made me want to continue writing in some form.

I was interested in learning more about how to construct a picture book. Zanni was very knowledgable. Learning how technical picture book writing is, more specifically how books require a theme. That picture books require themes, they aren't just stories.

It has made me want to write more.

If you think writing a picture book is easy, you need to take the AWC Picture Book course!

Zanni was fantastic. She spent a lot of time looking at everyone's assignments and gave really great constructive feedback. The way she delivered the feedback via Zoom was great as it was like sitting down and talking about it, as opposed to just reading her response.

It has started me on my writing journey. A lot of the info in the course, such as tight writing and show don't tell, is not just relevant to picture books but other forms of writing as well.

The tutor is a published author and that the course is online so easy to complete when juggling work/kids.

I would say don't think about it, just do it.

I've been wanting to learn how to write humour for a while. I need a lighthearted break from the usual genres I write.

This course was absolutely brilliant. It's cleared up some massive issues I was having with my middle-grade projects. Thank you

I absolutely adored the information given and the activities.

It's revealed that I can actually do humour. And my story ideas aren't actually as out there as I expected. It's given me the confidence to try my hand at something I thought I'd never be able to succeed at.

I want to thank AWC for the wonderful opportunity they have given to me, moulding me into what I had been dreaming of.

Because of this course, I am now confident that I can put my writing in the right way. It was incredible!

It is the best place if you want to be a writer.

I needed to start somewhere, and had had a good experience with an AWC weekend course, previously.

Louisa was very supportive and helpful. I should have "used" her more :-) She was very positive and helpful.

The most enjoyable part was getting over the fear factor, putting words on "paper" and sending them out. The realization that what you put down will not stay that way. The first write is just that, the first of several re-writes, just get it down! The obvious nature of writing: it's a genuine skill. It needs practice and sweat.

I'm gearing up for the next course, Novel Writing Essentials. The AWC pathway is very helpful for a novice, and suspect it's helpful for fleshing out subsequent ideas, too.

If you genuinely want to write, if you want to prioritize writing, this course is a great start.

Fabulous, more than expected. The ability to listen to the lessons and follow the handouts. I personally learn better by listening.

I submitted my first manuscript to Austen Macauley publishers (after much editing and many drafts!) 'The Shaky Cactus' has been accepted and is currently in house styling. I have written another two manuscripts, including 'Purple Bananas' which I will submit shortly.

There were many 'aha' moments, so here's two - learning how to 'kill your darlings' and when the concept of 'show don't tell' finally clicked!

If you are passionate about writing, but you don't know where to start, the Australian Writers' Centre has an extensive range of inspirational and educational courses. Even if you're trying to discern whether you'd like to pursue writing as a hobby or career, this is the place to start.

Awesome course, really enjoyed it. So many hot tips on how to work the Dark Arts of copywriting. I loved Bernadette's dulcet tones and storytelling style :)

This course was really easy to manage, coordinate and complete. The pace, the handouts and the exercises. Mostly, I really enjoyed Bernadette's example storytelling style. It tightened up my end game for online content.

I'd say (and have done) that this course is a content creation game-changer. #loveYourWork Bernadette!

I had completed Creative Writing Stage 1 and wanted to keep my momentum going and some of the other courses I was interested in didn't suit my schedule. I was a bit worried I wouldn't be able to keep up with the word count, but when I realised there were only 2 x 3000 word compulsory submissions, I felt relieved.

I found Angela quite direct but very personable as a tutor; you can tell she has a sense of humour. Her feedback is specific and it is encouraging to have someone of her expertise take your writing seriously; I felt she was invested in my work.

I actually loved reading my other classmates' work; so many great ideas in varying styles! It was also very helpful for me to practice receiving feedback; not take it personally or suddenly doubt my ability to write. I can really see the value in having a variety of people workshop your writing; there is so much you don't pick up on!

I still have a lot to learn, but, through AWC, I can see that it is a process and it just begins with writing! Just vomit out a first draft! Get down and write it!

AWC is definitely the place to go to if you are looking for the motivation, encouragement and confidence to begin writing. Just take the first step! Sign up for a course - you won't regret it - and it will open up a whole new world and supportive community!

I thought it may not be very practical - I was wrong! Lots of very usable content. In particular, I found the last section useful... how to pitch!

I actually enjoyed the discipline of weekly assignments (its been awhile since I have studied - so I was very scattered to start with). It has encouraged me to keep going. I am very time poor with two businesses and midway through another course but I am encouraged to get my writing out there... to make it a priority.

Do it. It is practical and will set you up to not only write your first feature but have it published. Thanks - really great course!