What’s it like to learn with AWC?

Bouquets to Bron, her feedback was incredibly valuable to me. To have the opportunity to be assessed by a published historical fiction author was helpful and eye opening. I enjoyed reading the work of others, as well as their feedback to me, and being motivated to get behind my desk and continue writing!

I felt my story was validated by all who gave feedback. Initially I'd been afraid it could have been ridiculed as it is lightweight compared to most. I now accept that a mix of writing is needed to cater for all types of readers.

If you have a great story in your head but are struggling to move beyond the first few chapters, this course can help by providing constructive criticism (and praise) from a peer group and tutor. I found it was not only motivational but it also gave me the confidence to navigate what I expect will be a frustrating and fantastic road ahead!

I appreciated the care and attention Bernadette gave to all of us, the opportunity to read fellow classmates' writing and the feedback given to them. The support of an encouraging yet discerning tutor stayed with me all week.

I enjoyed the weekly deadline as a motivator, as well as the opportunity to work alongside my classmates.

The course material is so interesting, I will relisten and reread it as I feel it really enriched my writing. I have extended some of the exercises, e.g. imagining fully the location & setting before writing, character building and using POV, and have found them incredibly useful to improve my writing.

The effect of the course has been both practically and emotionally supportive. The structural guidance has been delicious! I wish I learned these techniques earlier. Surprisingly, I felt encouraged by the creative 'risk' taken by my classmates. The way we were gently upheld and firmly guided has been a revelation.

The course material is informative, helpful and never patronising. The course is structured well. Each week you have the opportunity to apply new techniques and receive supportive feedback. If you are keen to learn the fundamentals of creative writing then this is the course for you.

A heartfelt thanks to this organisation. I have already signed up for one of the Fiction Essentials and plan to do more.

Thank you for providing a wonderful course with a spectacular, insightful and supportive teacher. Zanni was very knowledgeable, fair and supportive. I enjoyed the creativity and the challenge.

I definitely feel that this is an avenue I wish to pursue and that I may have some success in.

I look forward to enrolling in more courses.

This course was fantastic. I thought the structure was brilliant and every Monday morning the dog got a particularly long walk, while I listened to the lessons.

The tutor was brilliant. So helpful and motivating. I feel like everybody on the course learnt so much in such a short time. Between the first submission and the second, you could see the improvement in their work... particularly in 'showing not telling'.

I enjoyed the lessons and the personal feedback, especially from the tutor.

Due to the course, I set myself a deadline (before I was procrastinating and kept going back to edit). I learnt that I need to keep moving forward and now I'm writing from 5.30-6.30am each day and have to write 1000 words. I hope to have my first draft finished by November/December. Fingers crossed!

I'm a writer (was a journalist and now a teacher, specialising as an Instructional Leader in writing) but I learnt a lot and didn't realise how much I needed the motivation. It's a great course for a busy person.

I definitely enjoyed the practical content of the course. Explains the nuts and bolts of the craft and in an order that makes sense. Each week builds on the knowledge of the previous week in a seamless fashion. Liked the combination of audio lessons and handouts. I'd rewind the audio, listen again, and move on when ready. Liked the encouraging tone.

Sue provided thoughtful and constructive feedback.

It's given me confidence in my writing abilities and the belief that I could be a freelance writer if I apply all I've learned in this course. It's now up to me to get on with it.

'Wear out your shoes and luck will follow.' Like most creative endeavours, it's 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration!! in other words, don't sit around waiting for inspiration, just get started and the ideas will come.

It's a very supportive environment and it's very practical. The tutors are experienced professionals.... oh and it's a lot of fun! A bit challenging of course, as it should be.

Thank you to Valerie and Sue for your generosity in sharing your knowledge and experience with us. Thank you for taking the time to put together a really practical course. Thanks also to the team behind the scenes who responded quickly to my emails. By the way, the learning hub is very user-friendly.

I was interested in learning a new skill which could potentially provide a source of income. Bernadette was incredibly knowledgeable. I would have no hesitation in recommending this course to others. It's a stepping stone to your new copywriting career.

It was a good valued introductory course to learning how to put together a children's picture book. The feedback was useful and succinct.

I enjoyed reading children’s books again, haven't done that in many years. Learning about all the little intricacies of this industry.

It's inspired me to write my book, and I'm enrolling in the Masterclass for that assistance.

The Australian Writers' Centre provides courses by people who have been there and done that, and will guide you to achieve your dream.

I wanted to understand the steps to be able to pitch, find stories, and get them out there. This was only 5 weeks which was a perfect short course.

I enjoyed being able to access all the student's contributions and found this to be a good learning. I enjoyed the thorough comments from Sue and her constructive feedback was helpful in pointing me in the right direction. I enjoyed being able to choose my own story and apply all the skills I am learning to that story.

I know that I can write well and that I am on the right track. This reinforced to me that this is a good journey for me to be on and to be persistent in reaching my goals. That I do have the skills to be able to write well.

I would say that it is easy to achieve in the timeframe, the assignments don’t take up too much of your week, and the learning is flexible and valuable. I completed Blogging for Beginners and Reinventing Yourself while I was doing this course! Both of these complemented well.

I was nervous about taking this step, whether I'd be up to it. It did wonders for my confidence. Bernadette was a great tutor, very encouraging, really helped me develop confidence about my ability as a writer.

I am in the process of discovering my 'next right thing' in life, while juggling two kids, and would love to be able to pursue my love of writing in a more professional/paid capacity. The course was very appealing as it was online with limited contact hours and this suited my mum-life at the moment. The reviews of the course were also really good and from like-minded people.

The assignments were actually really fun and creative, and pushed me in terms of how I usually write vs. how a freelancer would write.

Thank you, Val and Sue, for your input and support in creating and facilitating this!

It's an easy paced, informative way to learn something totally new or hone existing skills while learning from some of the best. It was a great 5 weeks - I wish it were longer!

I'm calling myself a writer and we're doing this.

It was an area that I needed more training and experience in. I want to use this in my future writing.

I enjoyed researching the keywords and what worked best. I'm looking forward to going into more depth with this.

The course has tightened my writing and I've gained a better understanding of content keywords, H1, H2, etc.

Go for it - you will not regret doing their courses or reading their resources. I’m looking forward to doing more courses.

I have had some books accepted for publication with a small publisher but I know I have a lot to learn. I had ideas for other books and had written a rough draft of another so I decided to use this course to improve my writing and learn more about the writing process.

I really liked the structure of the course and thought 5 weeks was a great introduction into the world of writing picture books. I work well to a deadline so I found the module each week with submission by Sunday 11:59 worked well and fit easily into my schedule.

I really enjoyed the feedback provided by Zanni not just for my submissions but for the other students as well. I found some great information in her reviews and feedback that I have incorporated into my current drafts. The challenge to create new stories and incorporate the feedback. The information in each module gave a great understanding of requirements. I think each component was introduced in a great way without being too overwhelming.

Honestly, I really enjoyed the format of it that I would love to continue with structured writing like this, but I think the course was perfect the way it was. The right length, right amount of information, and great feedback.

I have already incorporated the ideas into my current drafts but it has also given me some insight into why my books have stalled with my publisher. There are some bits of information that I hadn't sent through as I wasn't sure what it was asking and now I know. Definitely less is more with picture books. I had been writing to give clues to the reader and illustrator but I have learned to trust my writing and let the story give the clues.

The course is well structured and you will find great information here. I am actually going to recommend this to a lady I know who would like to enter into children's book illustrating.

I've always loved to write stories for children, but I knew that I needed help to perfect my craft. I'd heard very good reviews for this course so I gave it a try. I didn't enrol earlier because finance has always been an issue for me and I wasn't sure if the course would be worth it as it was only 5 weeks long. But I was wrong!

Zanni was an excellent tutor. You could see that she had the experience and the knowledge of a picture book writer. Her feedback was honest and constructive, but always positive. She wouldn't just tell you that something needed work, but would also provide suggestions on how to fix it. I'm incredibly happy that Zanni was my tutor.

I enjoyed being able to connect with like-minded people, encouraging each other and being inspired by their work. You build a real sense of community, even though you're based online.

I have more confidence, not only in my ability as a writer, but also the confidence to be able to approach publishers. I feel that I have a more solid foundation, which will make it easier to stand behind my books.

The Australian Writers' Centre is not just a teaching resource but a real community. The connections you make with your tutors and others are so valuable. Everyone is positive and encouraging; you come away from each session feeling revived and refreshed. The tutors really know their craft. I've never learned so much in such a short amount of time. 100% worth it!

I wanted to create a solid foundation in my creative writing and decided to start with the basics.

Stephen Hart is a great tutor who gives constructive and objective feedback, giving everyone a fair chance in this course. I really enjoyed seeing other fellow writers and their works, helping each other to improve and grow in creative writing.

This course really helped to build a solid foundation in my creative writing, especially with creating characters, which has always been a challenge for me. A major learning moment for me was when I realised how much actually went into creating a character, even minor ones.

This course is beneficial, easy to access and reasonably priced. Definitely worth checking out and giving a go if you want to get started with creative writing.

I was inspired by the So You Want To Be A Writer podcast and continue to be inspired. The price made me pause, but it was worth it. My writing has improved in leaps and bounds.

The course really stretched my writing muscles. Bernadette's feedback was helpful and constructive, without pandering to our egos. I really appreciated having her 'by my side'. The writing exercises made me try new things with my writing and that was invaluable.

Learning how to imagine a scene and character before starting to write has made an incredible difference to my writing. Also, taking into account the Yellow, Black, Red and Blue colours of scene writing is something I will refer to for every scene.

It's a worthwhile investment with an outcome that is tangible and effective.

THANK YOU! I have tried a few other courses elsewhere, but the AWC Creative Writing Stage 1 course has actually delivered what it promised - and then some. Thank you so much for being the shove I needed to get going.

I had completed the Copywriting Essentials course and really enjoyed it. This course was more in depth which I loved, and I like the teaching and course style.

The tutor was fantastic. Encouraging and constructive.

I enjoyed being able to get feedback. This has been hugely beneficial and just given me the right push to set up as a freelance copywriter. Thank you, Bernadette. I have the confidence to write! I have been provided with set formulas, tricks to help me if I am stuck and tools I can use that won't cost the world.

After googling many authors, groups and courses, I decided to go with AWC after hearing from other authors what a fantastic group it was. I was impressed with the course content that was delivered in such a short time.

Zanni had wonderful feedback that was motivating and knowledgeable.

I enjoyed simply allowing myself to give it a go. I have realized the difficulty in producing a picture book - a lot more complicated than had been thought! I have sparked an interest in following on and gaining a deeper understanding of my own writing. I have a long road ahead!

Impacts:
- Engaging my senses to assist with my writing.
- Contacts that I will use to gain more knowledge and understanding of writing.
- Planning the future to include writing and publishing a picture book
- Learning more about writing!

INDEED go ahead! Choose from the many courses available and get involved in the contact groups and lists of resources made available.

Thank you for sparking my interest even further!

I was hesitant about the cost and online nature of the course. Afterwards, I didn't think over the cost as I found it so valuable in many ways. The online format worked much better than I expected.

Nicole always provided constructive feedback, was encouraging, and seemed to emit a warm, welcoming vibe even though it was all online. I really found her very helpful. Being affirmed of what I had done well was also very reassuring, and her suggestions were always spot on! I'm very grateful for her input.

I came away each week with a much greater appreciation of the art of writing. I realised the weight of each word on the page and the meaning it could construe. The feedback was invaluable as I have found it difficult to find someone who can give me specific feedback. It was reassuring to know I was on the right track in some parts and what I could do to improve.

To be honest, I have been mass consuming books with my addiction to reading for so long that it was only during this course that I developed an even greater respect for writers and authors. I never fully appreciated them and the journey they went on to complete and publish their work. It is an enormous commitment, a soul baring art form - it takes a ton of self-motivation and evaluation and picking yourself up again and again after feedback that can be deflating even if it is true and helpful and well-meaning!

That's not to mention that my eyes were opened to the weight of each word, phrase, sentence, paragraph, scene, plot. Mind blown. Makes me overwhelmed but strangely also driven.

If you enjoy writing - do it!

Thank you for running such worthwhile classes!

The overview gave a great outline of the course, and I felt that I would be able to re-establish a regular writing routine with having the discipline of needing to submit an assignment each week. And because it was only five weeks, I felt confident that I would complete the whole course. I’ve done other courses with AWC and always loved the content but at times I’ve let life get in the way and not completed the whole course.

Bernadette was amazing and her comments were always insightful and helpful, as well as instilling confidence. It was also great to be able to read my classmates' work and gain more knowledge from Bernadette’s comments.

I enjoyed the easy way in which the lessons were delivered helped build enthusiasm about allowing a storyline and characters to build in my mind.

It was great to learn that there’s not just ONE way to approach a story. Whether you are a ‘plotter’ or a ‘pantser’, either is ok. And it gave me the confidence to let my imagination run wild, knowing that I can come back and trim things later.

I’ve loved getting to know my characters as though they are real people and adding dimension to them.

If you’re not sure where to start, look through AWC’s courses and find something that you think will get you started.

I wanted to self-publish on Kindle and wanted to take the guess work out of it.

I liked that it took me through all the steps, even the ones I hadn't really considered necessary.

I have successfully published my first novel to Kindle via KDP!

The Australian Writers' Centre has fantastic courses that are detailed and easy to follow. They take away the guess work of becoming the best writer you can be.