What’s it like to learn with AWC?

Bernadette is well versed in copywriting, which shows. She was generous with her feedback and also any pointers to improve. I loved the sense of humour she brought to the course.

Completing the assignments and also reading the work of the other students was fun!

It has a pretty compact schedule and gives value for money. It has a great tutor and will definitely improve anyone's writing skills.

Creative writing is something I loved at school, but never pursued. With a month of leave from work, and having been told by others that I should write something, I decided to see if this was something I wanted to explore.

I wasn't sure what to expect really, but I enjoyed the course very much and learnt a great deal.

I really liked Margaret. I found her to be very engaging and knowledgeable. I took her feedback on board and was chuffed when she said I should be pleased with what I had written for the Module 3 assignment.

It's pricked my interest for sure. I'll admit to being super daunted about where to from here...but I think with some space for reflection I will find myself making time to write and revisit the lessons.

I found the length perfect, the pace good, the interaction with the tutor good, the content good and the assignments challenging but relevant to the coursework. Great course. Not only did I start my investigative journey into creative writing as an adult, but it kindled that love of reading a book - not just listening to one.

I was wanting to learn how to write a novel, and two friends of mine had completed and recommended this course to me.

I really valued and respected both the feedback given and the way the feedback was delivered. Margaret was realistic, kind and quite obviously knew her stuff!

I'm going to start writing my story!

Loved the presentation and layout of the web design - easy to understand and follow. Due to having not studied anything since I was 17 (now 54), I was quite daunted by the whole online experience.

I am so surprised at how easy I found it to complete the online study and interact with students and tutor. I labelled myself a technology dinosaur before this experience and now am very happy to report I am dinosaur no more!

Margaret is very observant, just and fair in her critique. Engaging and positive in all feedback, even the negative. I truly like her style.

It has opened my eyes to my own potential. Whether I decide to make a career of it or not, I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Just a big thank you to everyone involved. A great learning process that has unleashed a creative streak that has always been lurking in the background of my years, waiting for a chance to spring forth out of the shadows!

I've done two other courses with AWC and really liked them. This one was outside of my comfort zone, but something I wanted to try.

Zanni was great. Really awesome at constructive feedback! My story developed a lot each week based on her input and guidance.

It was great having the opportunity to keep developing/refining the same story over a few weeks. I liked the consistency and applying skills from the lessons each week into the assignment.

I had a vague idea for a story going into the course. Now I've written my first full draft of that story. It's come to life through the lessons, but mostly through Zanni's feedback.

I'd say AWC courses are a great resource to learn some basics, or if you have a story in mind, it's a great place to develop that story in a safe environment.

I had Scrivener for a few years and found it really difficult to navigate. I thought this course would give me the basics to manage my projects.

Natasha explained everything very well and it was easy to follow her around Scrivener. She was very likeable and made the content easy to understand.

I can now open a new project, start a new project, import files and organise my work.

All the courses I have done with the Australian Writers' Centre have been great. Easy to understand and they cover the information very well.

I thought the lessons were really well recorded and very easy to listen to. It was also helpful to have the content of the lessons itemised so it was easy to go back and listen to any part without having to listen to the whole lesson.

I was extremely impressed with the tutor. Her feedback was valuable and it was very beneficial to hear her feedback for all the students as I took something from each.

Every lesson has provided me with so much learning that I have already improved so much. (I think). Even my memoirs that I write just for myself have changed for the better.

A highly professional organisation. Great online content and support.

I loved this course!
- I liked that we could share in the assignments and feedback of others.
- The assignments and exercises are diverse and valuable.
- Valerie has a lovely voice to listen to for the presentations. Having the audio to embellish on the written notes is very useful (and some videos too).
- The handouts were very well set out and easy to follow.
- The feedback is very positive (strengths) and constructive (areas to improve).
- I feel like I can go out and tackle this now, and have enrolled in the masterclass.
- The course took the recommended time each week (usually 3 hours for me).
- I know what is involved now and that it is not an easy process that gets completed over the 5 week course.
- Yay!

I am more knowledgeable in teaching reading and writing for my job as a primary school teacher (year 2 - so lots of picture books!). I feel that this course should be part of teacher training!

More importantly, I am confident that I could turn some of my ideas into picture books and have benefited immensely from the content and feedback on assignments. It made me commit to the writing and spend my time in purposeful writing rather than doing random things!

I have enrolled in some of your other courses and am now motivated to finish them. I love writing so much more!

Zanni is an amazing tutor. I loved that the feedback was verbal and that she read our stories back to us. Her feedback was thorough and timely, always pointing out what is working well and what could be improved upon. She doesn't just tell you what to improve upon though, she tells you how and gives you an example of a possible change. It's great that she is a well-loved children's book author so you know that the advice you are getting is going to be useful. While I didn't ask anything, I noticed that she wrote back to others very quickly. Thanks Zanni :)

I can't recommend this course highly enough. I was turned off creative writing at high school, but since teaching primary school children, I realised the magic of picture books. This course reignited my passion for writing, which is a dream of mine that has tended to come and go. I now know not only why to write (I see that every day in my students!) but how to write. There's no way you could get this information delivered in such an engaging, fun and meaningful way through any book or through your own research. You have to do this course, even if you love it only half as much as I do then you'll be absolutely stoked!

Keep doing what you're doing because it's magic!

I was looking for inspiration to get me back into writing after quite a long period away from it. It's given me the confidence to complete the enrolment in a five-week course, and not just think about it.

I liked this course as it took me through a process of thinking through what was possible step by step. I also enjoyed hearing the stories of other students who had success with translating what they've learned through AWC into a part-time or full-time writing career.

Previously I had some idea of what type of writing I'd like to focus on but had not really thought it through as thoroughly. This course was a great help. However, I still feel that I have a long way to go.

Probably, the main 'aha' moments were that I need to write what I enjoy and to believe in what I'm doing.

I would say that doing this course or any others with the Australian Writer' Centre is a gateway for anyone considering taking up writing as a serious hobby or even career. These courses offer writing knowledge and skills in a very practical and easily accessible way.

After completing Creative Writing stage 1, I was hooked, and found myself writing a story. The Novel Writing Essentials course felt like perfect timing.

Pamela's feedback was very useful and I found myself having many aha moments during her feedback. I enjoyed reading all the other stories from classmates and receiving their feedback. The audio lessons are fantastic!

I was using a lot of flashbacks in my story and, after the useful feedback from Pamela, I have re-written many scenes using story present. As a result, I am feeling a lot happier with those scenes and feel closer to my characters too.

I highly recommend taking a course with the Australian Writers' Centre. My understanding of plot, characters and individuality as a writer has transformed my approach to my writing and I feel very encouraged about where my story is going, thanks to what I have learned through the course.

I look forward to signing up to the novel writing course next, although I am going to pause to zone in on my story for a few months just using what I have learned from the Novel Writing Essentials course. I plan to go over the coursework again and continue to workshop with the group privately for the time being. But I will certainly be back for more courses.

I have been confident enough to put myself out there and to start making contacts. I attended my very first small business networking event and made some valuable connections

I only needed to step out into the world and start telling people that I am a copywriter to actually start my career.

Do it! Such great guidance, resources and mentoring.

Lesley is a wonderful presenter - a pleasure to learn from. I enjoyed her teaching and doing the assignments.

I'm keen to experiment and see if I can produce something publishable. The main thing is that I really enjoyed it, which hopefully means my writing will be enjoyable to read.

Tim is a legend. I loved it and all the info was extremely helpful. I enjoyed his quirky humour; caramel donuts; and farts.

It's helped me consider different ways of injecting humour into my work.

I loved this course and just wanted it to keep going!

My tutor was amazing. Pamela is an incredibly knowledgeable and encouraging facilitator. She inspired our group every step of the way. We adored her!

The homework tasks inspired us to write, collaborate and engage in critical reflection to improve our skills. Pamela was a wonderful guide and teacher throughout the journey. Pamela helped me to believe in myself. How does it get any better than that?

I cannot thank Pamela and the fellow students in my group enough. I learnt so much and felt supported along the way. The camaraderie was wonderful and the knowledge I gained was invaluable. Thank you!!

The course inspires you to reach your writing goals in an incredibly supportive environment.

It took away the apprehension I often have to start writing on a given day and made me write. It was gradual--something that built over the 30 days.

Just try it. It builds confidence that you can write. It’s just about doing it every day in some way.

I had been considering participating in this course for a long time but only now had the courage to test my skills in English creative writing. I was concerned if my skills in English language were sufficient to take part in a creative writing course.

Stephen was great. He provided feedback on different aspects of the writing after each module which I found really useful. I can put the lessons learnt to immediate action on my current manuscript.

I enjoyed the feedback from both the tutor and other course participants on my stories and reading other course participants’ stories.

I decided early on to use this course as a kick starter for my next manuscript.

I enjoy participating in courses, listening to podcasts and watching the webinars provided by the AWC. I listen to the podcast every week and the AWC graduates group in FB has become like a home base for whatever writing related information I am looking for.

Bernadette was well versed in the subject and added life experiences which allowed participants to imagine situations which they may need to deal with.

I enjoyed writing the content, and having to meet word counts made me really think about how I was writing and to make it more succinct. I have been able to use the skills learnt to improve my writing in the workplace (and have received positive feedback from my boss on my writing).

It has made me hyper aware of the way "advertising" content is written - I look at every email now with new eyes and think about why it has caught my eye. Also, it has helped me to hone my report responses at work.

Do the course, it will change your life.

A writing friend mentioned the course to me when it was first released and I purchased it straight away. I also purchased and completed a number of other AWC courses before I completed this one. As someone who found this course at the start of their writing journey, I was attracted to the course as I knew adding humour to my books was something I wanted to do and who better to be guide me in this than Tim Harris.

I loved how Tim was so open and honest about everything in the course. Made the course and material very relatable.

I have already used the techniques in a picture book I was working on and have submitted to an Australian publisher for consideration. Tim's feedback of my final assessment was the confidence boost I needed to just get in there and write my heart out. I can't even put into words how his critique of my assessment has made me feel about my writing.

If you are having fun, your readers will pick up on that. I think that's the major thing I have taken from this course.

I recommend AWC all the time. I am currently finishing my 9th of 10 courses through the AWC and I have taken something from each and every one of them. I know that my writing has improved dramatically in the last 12 months because of the information and feedback provided in the courses. If you are even just a little bit curious about exploring different avenues of writing, then give AWC a go.

Bernadette was fantastic: relatable, encouraging and deeply experienced. Her humility when offering assignment feedback - she would often pause and correct herself without making a big deal of it - was useful to witness. Rather than getting bogged in perfectionism, it felt like a demonstration of a productive mindset for doing quality work, getting paid and moving forward.

I enjoyed the consistently positive and encouraging tone. When you're nursing doubts about trying something new, the supportive voice makes a difference.

I'm confident I can make good on my goal to earn money by writing. That's a huge step towards my dream career switch.

The courses are focused, results-driven and delivered by lovely people.