What’s it like to learn with AWC?

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! I am so much happier. The previous writing courses I have done have been quite structured but at the AWC you give every writer room to breathe. I also find it really helpful doing these Fiction Essentials courses as I near the end of this draft. There is so much to fix up but I want to get some more tools in my kit before I take this to one of your longer novel courses. Great value for money too!

I really wanted to understand more about POV. I was about 70,000 words in to my novel in first person and was really interested in understanding the nuts and bolts of POV better. I was hoping I would come away with a better understanding as previous writing courses had not unravelled the mystery of POV as I had hoped.

I have switched from 1st to 3rd person POV and I feel like I have a stronger voice now. I am far more confident with POV. The depth and layers of each POV was really insightful.

Amazing resources, I guarantee you will enjoy it and learn something. Exceptional value for money.

It was a privilege to come in contact with Bernadette through my Copywriting Course at AWC. All the feedback provided by Bernadette was a futher learning opportunity.

I took up a career which was totally unplanned and unexpected. Bernadette gave me lots of confidence.

I would definitely recommend AWC. Thank you, Bernadette, for the skill and confidence you gave me through this course.

I haven't written for some time and thought this would be a great course to get back into the creativity, structure and focus of writing. I was very glad to be reminded of scenes and summaries, PoV and tense. It really assisted with reconnecting to what I love about good storytelling.

The tutor's feedback was incisive and very helpful.

I really enjoyed the resources and how they connected to the audio giving meaningful examples of what the lecturer was telling us. I enjoyed reading my own feedback but also the feedback given to other students because that was also helpful for me.

If you want to write something others will want to read then do a course with the Australian Writers' Centre.

I loved this course! I learnt so much about what is essential for a crime and thriller novel, about how these genres differ from other genres (and also from each other). It was practical and helpful.

I loved LA Larkin! She is an excellent tutor. Very engaging and she really knows her stuff. Whenever we read out our writing or asked questions, she was always able to answer them and provide real insights that I personally found really helped my story. The feedback from Louisa and others in the course was extremely beneficial and complemented the lessons.

I was nervous about the writing exercises but I enjoyed them and it was great to push myself out of my comfort zone. I enjoyed when we were able to get questions answered by Louisa - she gave great insights even in the brief time we had to ask questions and I know everyone found that helpful. Even if there was a question asked by another author and their story was very different from mine, I found the advice that Louisa gave could be applied to my story. Example, if she said to someone 'think about this' or 'this is how this TP needs to connect and raise the stakes', then I could apply that same thinking to my story.

I have done other novel writing courses (elsewhere, not AWC) and all have benefited me. I have a good understanding of the key turning points and how to structure a novel. But what this course helped me with was the actual specifics of what is required in a crime novel. So it went beyond the turning points and showed us what are essentials of the genre, how to ramp up tension, how to connect our story points, how to build to a climax etc. As writers on our first books, we need to learn two things: how to write and structure a novel, and then the specific requirements of our genres. This course gave me great insight and reinvigorated my writing journey.

The other benefit is that we, the group, have decided to continue meeting now the course has finished. It is a really supportive group and I would never have met these fellow writers otherwise.

If you see a course you like the look of, definitely book in! You won't regret it. I'm so happy I did this course! And 10 gold stars to Louisa - she is an excellent tutor and her teaching and insights were really valuable.

Bernadette was clear and concise. She was able to impart industry specific examples and personal anecdotes to make the course personable and informative.

I have now started my own freelance writing business and am learning how to construct a website in WordPress. My life has changed completely.

There's no Fluff and Bubble in these courses. The learning is targeted and you can also have fun as part of the process.

Thank you for the opportunity to complete this course and special thanks to Bernadette for her warmth and guidance. I have a whole new vocabulary that I am keen to use in practice. Who'd have thought I could have an in-depth conversation about SEO 5 weeks ago? I certainly didn't.

The tutor was superb! I enjoyed the feedback and Bernadette's delivery style - she is very relatable, you feel like she is in the room!

I feel confident that I have found my new profession.

Bernadette commented that Copywriting is the perfect "fusion of art and science" and she also said that it's a good trade for someone who has done "a bit of this and that - Jack of all trades" which really resonated with me and where I am currently at.

The AWC is the best in the industry. Thank you!

Thank you so much. I was looking for a new direction and I think I found it! I was worried I would not be able to write, but I found ideas flowed easily.

The tutor was lovely. The feedback was detailed and helpful. I feel much more confident in my abilities and I think I found my new passion!

Just take the leap, you will not regret it! Thanks Zanni!

The tutor was an excellent communicator, sustained my interest, responsive and sensitive to the disparate skills of participants. Michelle was able to deconstruct the many complexities of editing and although there was such a lot of content I came away with several matters very clearly stamped in my brain.

So many areas that I was uncertain about or did not even know about; quotations, colons and semi colons, dangling modifiers, and more - the rules as explained by Michelle opened so many doors for me.

I love the tip about editing a rule at a time rather than trying to do everything at once (which is my practice). That was so illuminating for me.

The content is great. They give you a really valuable resource workbook, the tutor is an expert in her field and the price point is economical. This will be an excellent investment.

I was recently made redundant, and was wanting to upskill in the area of marketing, which I have a degree in from many years ago. This course was recommended as a great way to do this. Plus, it was something that was new to me.

Bernadette was fantastic, entertaining and insightful. I found myself really enjoying the audios and I gained a lot of insight into the world of copywriting. Plus, she always provided valuable and detailed feedback, which I really appreciated.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed the homework assignments. I was a little nervous about doing 'homework' again after so long, but I thoroughly enjoyed being able to have a bit of fun, and be creative, with the assignments.

It made me realise that I still had a passion for writing, and that I would ideally like my next career path to be on the creative side. I could definitely see myself pursuing a career in copywriting.

The whole course was one major learning moment for me. Everything was new to me.
I had a positive learning experience with AWC. You will receive valuable information, taught within a supportive and easy to navigate online environment.

I had done Novel Writing Essentials with Cathie earlier in the year and was keen to continue studying to take my manuscript to the next level.

I enjoyed meeting other aspiring writers and learning about their stories and forming friendships and a writing tribe.

It helped me form a writing routine that fit around my daily life and I loved how the audio lessons always demonstrated all writers are different. What works for one, doesn't work for others. The 'just keep going, don't stop' mentality. Focus on finishing the first draft so you can go back and fix everything after.

I have recommended you guys! I have a lovely friend doing your picture book course right now! When we were talking about your courses, I shared my experiences with her and encouraged her to go for it.

The tutor was excellent! Nicole's feedback was always spot on and I always went back to revise my work based on her comments.

It's given me confidence to keep writing and get past the first chapter.

An excellent way to kickstart writing. Highly recommended.

I have had a history project in mind for the past few years but have found I am stuck on how to begin. I'm a Virgo so I typically feel I "could do better". So instead of just jumping in and going, I procrastinate. I needed a mentor or motivator to get moving.

At points in the course, I started to cry with relief that I'm not the only goose who doesn't know how to get started in discovering their path in writing. I can now flip my feelings of aloneness to motivation to write. Thank you and big hugs.

I enjoyed the no-nonsense approach. It was like having Valerie sitting next to me and encouraging me on. I opened my laptop and started writing. I didn't even worry about Chapter 1. I just wrote a scene that's been in my head. If it turns into a full story, kudos to me. If not, then I will just keep writing what feels right.

Before thinking of starting a course anywhere else, find your feet by doing one of AWC's courses. You'll probably find you won't need to go anywhere else.

I write regularly as part of my job and hope to add a communication element to my position in the future. This course was a good opportunity to brush up on the basics as part of my professional development.

The course was a great refresher on the use of apostrophes and some other grammar mistakes. I also have already implemented a detailed planning sheet for an upcoming presentation that we have to record. It has been helpful to plan and organise in advance to ensure the recording of the video will be as smooth as possible.

Highly recommend courses through the AWC. This is my second course, the first was for personal interests (Writing Picture Books) and the second for professional reasons (Professional Writing Course). Both courses have been well presented and great value for money.

I'd started a manuscript and did Novel Writing Essentials and told myself if my classmates enjoyed my story I would continue. Everyone seemed to love it and this inspired me to push myself forward and continue.

The support of my classmates and tutor was especially helpful in knuckling down and writing my novel. Knowing someone was going to be reading my work made me accountable and that all spurred me on to finish, and then revise. I feel satisfied that I've finished, but a little sad that I have to fly away and finish the manuscript by myself.

The tutor introduced herself as an expert and explained the various things she'd done and her specialties. This gave her immediate respect; her knowledge of genre conventions and what NOT to do was particularly insightful. Her approach to feedback was very genuine; she told you all the things she liked before hitting you with what wasn't working, and what you needed to work on. I like the approach of finding the positives rather than just telling you what needs fixing.

I enjoyed my classmates' comments and assessments. It was such a diverse mix of age and background and everyone always seemed to have some little nugget of wisdom for me. Also, learning the bits people liked really helped me along, and of course what they disliked, because I have to go away and work on those areas. But it was in examining those areas that made me grow the most.

The final manuscript assessments nearly made me cry simply because I realised my story had made an impact on someone else. People were gaining all sorts of insights and growth from some of my storylines and characters in ways I'd never even imagined.

If you've always wanted to write a book, you need to give yourself a push and upskill yourself. There are techniques and processes you can learn to develop a craft which will get you to a full manuscript. In the past I felt I just wrote without a clear idea of how to do it and hoped I'd have an A-ha moment. The course showed me what I needed to change which I never could have done alone.

Once I could see my work slowly improve with each revision, the ideas started to flow on how I could improve my story. Learning what to exclude by virtue of my classmates' feedback also helped me grow and gave me a stronger awareness of what I needed to include.

I wanted to gain more knowledge about how to write a novel. I have a story floating in my head and would love to publish one day.

Nicole was uplifting in her feedback and she had some great tips. I enjoyed reading others' work and seeing their feedback expanded my knowledge of the topic.

The course content covers everything I needed to get my book moving. My teacher was very supportive and gave positive and constructive feedback.

Louise Larkin was fantastic. So knowledgeable and obviously experienced in the genre. She was great at giving constructive feedback to ideas and very clear in the way she set out the information.

I enjoyed hearing other people's story ideas and being inspired by the different ways in which they wrote. I loved the breakout room and the availability to ask questions at any point.

Having already written 65k words and being completely confused and stuck, it took me back to the basics so that I could find my story again. My new understanding of structure and pace will help, I'm sure, to rewrite a much better story.

I had let the plot drive the story without thinking much about character and that was my biggest mistake starting out. I am so happy to have figured out this problem and be able to move forward with characters that I actually love writing.

Louise was fabulous! She rocked the balance between technical mastery and personal experience. I enjoyed the personal insights Louise shared.

I have a nearly completed manuscript and was looking for technical guidance specifically on writing thrillers, particularly around plotting, structure and pacing to help me polish the manuscript and ready it for the pitch phase.

I found the course's content really insightful, and the technical tips really, really made me think!

I realised some of the incremental edits I needed to make to my manuscript to give it more polish and take it to the next level.

The AWC is a fabulous, inspiring centre for anyone interested in understanding writing crime or thrillers and taking your manuscript through to publication.

I took quite a few ideas away from the course which are helping me complete my manuscript.

The tutor certainly knows her stuff and was good and fun to listen to.

I enjoyed interactions with other writers, the hints shared, and the tutor's methods and explanations

It helped me to focus more on what my manuscript was missing. I feel confident I can now do a final write through and complete it. Also linking up with other writers - we have now continued the group ourselves.

Highly recommend joining the AWC as there is just so much to learn and help you in your journey to be a writer. I have attended several courses and am looking for my next one. Really helps to keep me focused.

I needed to revise the plot for both the mid-section and climax of my novel.

Louise Larkin was great with feedback; she made it useful and made you feel great at the same time! Loved her approach.

I enjoyed the interaction with my fellow crime/thriller writers.

I wanted to learn more about how to write Fantasy and Science Fiction. I was nervous about doing a course via Zoom as I hadn't done this before, but it was good; I felt comfortable.

Pamela put me at ease. I enjoyed having her as a tutor. She has a wealth of knowledge about the genre and I enjoyed her jokes.

I enjoyed listening to everyone's ideas for their novels. I enjoyed learning about world building, non-human characters, and how to build a magical system.

I feel like I understand better what is involved in writing a spec-fiction novel and I have some tools to help me improve my writing.

I love the courses offered at the Australian Writers' Centre. I keep coming back for more. They are unique and I learn new things each time.