What’s it like to learn with AWC?

The tutor was very knowledgeable. Explained things well. Personable. Delivered feedback with respect. I enjoyed the feedback.

As I work in local government, I have been taught to write in a certain way. This course has reinforced some aspects, but has expanded my mind in other aspects. Very enjoyable, real world examples, quite a few 'aha!' moments.

I enjoyed hearing from people who had reinvented themselves without any prior experience, while working or parenting full time. Their stories made it seem possible that I could actually do it too.

I needed inspiration and hearing these success stories strengthened my determination to get started. It also made me realise that while I might like to dabble in writing articles and short stories, my real passion lies in novel writing.

I needed to hear Val say people in their forties, fifties and older can do this - I needed validation that I'm not too old to start.

I had been journaling and writing notes of inspirations and ideas that come to mind for a very long time but have never been able to construct a story or a sequence of scenes. I really wanted to gain some technical skills in writing fiction to move me forward.

I wasn't too familiar with the Australian Writers Centre and the course being entirely online, I was a little nervous but it has been an excellent experience. I'm glad I enrolled.

Annabel was very efficient in her feedback while still giving us her undivided attention to each piece of writing. She's obviously very experienced and knowledgeable.

I really enjoyed getting to read other people's work and hearing feedback on them. We are all very different in our writing styles and ideas that we put on the page, so it was special to be able to get insight into other people's writing heads!

Since starting this course, I have been able to develop my story's plot outline and have written the first 2000 words, which I have never been able to achieve before.

I feel that I have more tools up my sleeve to help me through the writing process, which gives me more motivation to continue on. I wasn't sure I could pull it off before but now I believe that I can and I am thoroughly enjoying the writing experience.

If you are feeling stuck with your dream of getting started on writing a story, take this course. It will help with the technical side of writing, turning your inspirations and ideas into a concrete story that can be written and made sense of.

The tutor's feedback and approach was great. It was also great to see other people's work and their feedback. Such a broad range of students too meant there was alot to learn from their approaches (what worked and what didn't).

"Show don't tell" and "less is more" seem like small things but they put language around something that I could see in mine and other people's writing when it wasn't quite working so now it's so much easier for me to avoid it and edit it.

Annabel was a great tutor. It's motivating and nice to share your work with others even if it's far from perfect and you're just learning. It felt like a safe space.

It appealed to me because it breaks down what can feel like an overwhelming task into manageable chunks. I did the whole course over a few days (without actually doing any of the steps) to get my head around what I needed to do, and will now go back and follow the steps. I like how it has already made me think big picture about my themes and characters, so I will go into the edit thinking critically.

It helps you see a logic to the editing process - it's helpful to think of it as layers and steps as it makes it not so overwhelming. While I already knew a fair chunk of the advice, the course has laid it out in a very structured manner.

I found the course useful in demystifying the process of self-editing by breaking down an overwhelming process into ordered and structured steps. I have no doubt my books will be much improved for the knowledge I now possess!

I thought Bernadette an excellent tutor. I enjoyed sharing work with the other members of the group. Learning about different concepts. How powerful the written word is on the consciousness of the writer; how writing engages the intelligence and the emotional aspects of the writer. How important it is to use language appropriate to the character depicted.

I would encourage aspiring writers to enrol in the courses offered by Australian Writers' Centre. I really enjoyed being part of the class.

Annabel is very thorough and detailed. Knows her craft. I enjoyed getting feedback from a professional. The course taught me some lessons and pitfalls to avoid in my writing.

Thank you. Excellent course.

Made me realise that if I get the basics right my writing will improve.

I enjoyed being able to stop and start. The handouts and rules.

I completed the initial modules earlier this year. I immediately changed my communication to include the important information, the purpose in the first paragraph. Review and proofreading could have been written specifically for me. Errors have been a big issue, and the inability to focus 100% on review and proofreading is the problem.

Very practical and useful. No waffle.

I was looking for professional guidance in the creative writing process. I was a little reluctant to commit to the course, especially since I hadn't written anything creative since high school (over 50 years ago). I was apprehensive about sharing my work with fellow students. It was my husband who finally convinced me to give it a go.

It has been very helpful to learn about the craft of writing. Although there was a lot to cover in such a short time, students were provided with basic tools which can be used over and over again to assist in their writing.

The tutor was very grounded, offering practical advice. She always had something positive to say about everyone's efforts, but also managed to draw attention to ways to improve work.

I enjoyed the process of learning and being inspired to create stories. I also liked reading fellow students’ writing. It has given me the confidence to continue writing.

I realised that writing is a craft and by utilising the "tools of the trade" you are on the road to creating a good story that people would want to read. I now look at anything I read with these points in mind and note how authors have structured their stories.

I'd say it is well worth the money! It's great that students will have access to these materials for another 12 months.

I wanted to refresh on the basics of writing picture books. Online was a good option and only took 5 weeks. It was affordable too.

I enjoyed the course, the materials were comprehensive and the mix of audio and handouts was good. I like that there was a place to ask questions and got some helpful comments from other participants.

I feel I'm starting in a better place with drafting picture books now, like I'm not starting 5 steps behind. It was also good to focus on improving skills rather than the pandemic and all that is wrong and scary in the world.

If you're seriously interested in writing a picture book, then do the course. Without it you'll waste a whole lot of time getting nowhere.

I have been interested in the idea of attempting to write a novel. I joined this course as a way of making a start.

Annabelle provided great encouragement and advice. I enjoyed making the time to write in a structured way. It has given me the confidence to "have a go" at writing.

This is a well-structured and professionally delivered course. It supports people who need assistance with basic grammar and punctuation, but also provides information about the deeper requirements for writing a well-considered and structured piece of writing.

Thank you. I enjoyed the course very much. It also provided me with a much-needed alternative focus during the time of Covid lock down.

I wanted to know more about the nuances of content writing vs copywriting, which is a course I had done previously. I feel that doing this course placed me in a better position to be able to write across a range of publications, websites or industries with confidence.

The added bonus is all the easy to follow templates which break it down into manageable chunks, so you can present your writing in a clear, concise way.

I made the decision that it was finally time for me to get back into writing. I wanted to brush up on my skills and liked the idea of having something that would motivate me and get me back into the habit of writing everyday.

... it's amazing! ... I learnt so much, not least of which was how to make writing a priority again. Zanni was fantastic. She was encouraging yet clear about the things that could be changed or improved.

I've written three new picture book manuscripts during the course and managed to reintegrate writing into my daily life. I also now have clear direction in what I want to do moving forward.

Thank you! I've absolutely loved it!

I have always loved writing and recently had a good idea for a book. Although I had written some of it, I felt it was lacking imagination. I thought, what better way of enhancing my skills than taking a creative writing course!

I loved how much depth there is to creative writing; it isn't just about your imagination but ensuring that you get the maximum advantage of portraying your imagination.

I thought Annabel was very specific and thorough; her tips and criticism were always useful.

I enjoyed listening to Valerie and how much depth there was to each module. I think my favourite module was scenes, being able to describe a setting in depth so that the reader could really feel like they were there.

I've decided I want to finish my book and take another course with the Australian Writers' Centre.

AWC gives you the tools you need to be a more constructive writer - anyone can write for fun but if you want to really hone in on detail, structure, quality writing - this centre is where you need to go. AWC is an amazing resource and I will be continuing to utilise your courses in the future in order to pursue my passion of writing.

I would love to write as a part of my career, but I felt that I had lots to learn about writing, about the industry and I really wanted feedback on my writing. I found the AWC through the Furious Fiction competition... and really liked the reviews. Plus online is great for me with two pre-schoolers. And short courses are good too!

It has been very helpful ... great to be able to see each other's writing and feedback on it. This gives you a much better sense of tips and tricks in writing than just seeing your own work and feedback.

Annabel has a way of providing constructive feedback in a kind and helpful manner ... and I felt pleased to learn about what to change rather than upset that I'd got it wrong.

I think I understand more about the industry, key writing dos and don'ts and that I still have a lot more to learn!

I had a good overall impression of the tutor. Her feedback was consistent and targeted a wide range of things for improvement. I enjoyed the structured writing assignments.

I now try and write something every week (a review, short story, article, anything not too big) and look for competitions to enter. It's fun.

Just do it. It's not that big of a commitment and you'll establish whether you enjoy writing or not - which you probably will.

I want to start writing children’s books and when I came across this course I thought it could really give me a taste of what it’s all about and what I need to do.

I think Zanni gave constructive feedback which was great. I enjoyed all the weekly assignments and the way that it was designed so that you could see what everyone else was doing and hear their feedback too. I also liked the comments page.

I’ll have to see what happens with my writing from here but I definitely feel like I have a much better understanding of what I need to do and the process involved.

The course was very informative and user friendly.

I got a lot out of learning about characters/places etc. Knowing what to look for was really interesting.

I would say the course is well planned, sequential, and the course materials are of a very high standard.

I enjoyed the daily word count expectation. I am making myself write something everyday. I learned that it doesn't really matter how many or few words you write, it is all about just writing something.

The course is amazing. You give loads of ideas and inspiration.

I was looking for some guidance around dialogue for my novel, which has a lot of dialogue scenes. I enjoyed the resources and being able to learn at my own pace.

It made me realise how good I was at writing dialogue already, but gave me some additional tools for improving on this skill.

Easy to use courses full of useful and accessible information to make your writing better.