What’s it like to learn with AWC?

Cathie was generous with her time and her experience. Her feedback was fantastic. She was helpful and pragmatic.

I enjoyed the camaraderie with the other students in our group. Learning how to give feedback and receive feedback was essential.

I know much more about writing than I've ever learnt before. It was a real eyeopener. I've done several Uni courses on writing and they never mentioned half the things I learnt in this course.

I recommend AWC to people all the time if I think they might be interested. I think all the courses here are amazing but the ones I really love are the tutor lead ones. You learn so much more from their feedback.

A wonderful course with a variety of theories. I love Kate's teaching style and personal anecdotes. I also love the thoughtfulness in how she develops her slide decks and the subliminal messaging.

It has given me a fresh perspective on how to approach my writing and takes a lot of the guesswork out of story-crafting.

This course is foundational if you're wanting to write compelling stories.

From the first words by Pamela Freeman, I started to get clarity. Forget the Prologue. Start with a voice I mean to go on with. Don't set the reader up for disappointment.

The tutor had a genuine interest in the pieces of writing and the best way to take them forward. It was as if Bernadette was in the room with us urging us on despite the fact she knew little or nothing about our writing journey. It was considered, individual feedback of the most helpful kind from someone trusted and caring.

It has given me clarity in the way forward in this story and affirmation that my descriptions and choice of setting and voice are of interest to a reader. Reading the writing of others and sharing the struggles made me feel less isolated.

When you're in a slump, get energised and motivated by doing one or more of these courses. The feedback is gold.

I have travelled to over 50 countries and have a great passion for travel. I was attracted to this course because I want to start a freelance travel writing career.

I enjoyed the content on how to write, submit, and build relationships with editors. I feel equipped to confidently begin a career as a freelance travel writer!

Amazing, comprehensive course packed with valuable information to get started in the world of freelance travel writing with confidence.

Cathie's feedback was terrific and very helpful. She really helped guide the group to grow and support each other and be able to give constructive and helpful feedback for each other. Very experienced, wise and helpful. Love Cathie.

The workshopping, even though it was pressure and at times stressful, it's a skill we all had to develop and I'm very grateful we did. We've grown as writers, developed thicker skins and are able to stand back from our writing and critique it more objectively.

I've grown as a writer and it's changed how I see what goes in to writing a novel. I'm much better positioned to be able to plan and write my stories in the future and I also realise how important the support network around me is too.

Very good courses and tutors. I've done a number of courses and they've all helped me grow as a writer.

I loved having Cathie as a tutor. Her feedback was always thorough and well considered and full of experience. She explained things that I had never even considered (continuous tense) and I felt her experience was really valuable in this aspect. Her way of delivering feedback was kind but firm and really resonated with me in that I did not walk away feeling I couldn't do this.

I enjoyed working with the other students - I think we got a really good batch this time around and I look forward to the workshopping that will continue to happen after this course ends.

I've gone from being poetic, abstract and continuous to trying to simplify language and keep it strong. Cathie's advice on continuous tense and -ly words are the things that I think have improved my writing the most and I know my future writing will be stronger because of it.

I have loved all the courses I've done with the AWC.

My WIP is a new style and genre for me. The positive, focused feedback I received from Bernadette and my fellow students has given me the confidence I need to explore my story further.

I really appreciated the handouts (which I've printed out for future reference) and to know that, by applying Pamela's teaching, I could sharpen my work and achieve a good result. It's so encouraging - especially at the start of a novel-length project.

I really, really want to start writing again. And I feel my new characters, and trying dark comedy for the first time (rather than my usual heavier book club style), will open up a whole new world. I want to laugh, not cry, this year.

It's so much easier to write freely when you have some pointers to guide you before you start. Never, ever underestimate the importance of having a professional editor to review your work when you're done.

You are the best!

I'm back at my desk, I'm energised, and I'll be signing up for more courses as I explore my new genre and refresh the skills I need to write dark comedy well.

I enjoyed Pamela's in-depth knowledge combined with her ability to explain things simply and in an engaging way. Her obvious passion for writing makes her a joy to listen to.

The AWC has a course for everything, just jump on their website and take a look.

Pamela's videos explained and guided one through enthralling ways to advance a story through showing. The Q&A was very useful. Everything followed a logical progression in explaining the guidelines.

I have a greater understanding of how to use dialogue and enrich it with emotion and body language tags.

AWC provides positive, enlightening features that aid greatly in effective writing.

Cathie was a fantastic source of ideas and wisdom. Very early on she helped me position my novel in the correct genre, and was then able to provide plenty of customised feedback to ensure I was making the most of my genre conventions. She is incredibly enthusiastic, and offered a great balance of constructive criticism and motivation.

I enjoyed the feedback process!! Not only did I gain a lot from the feedback I received from my peers, but I was able to learn so much about my own writing style, skills and weaknesses by reading and reviewing other people's work. It gave me exposure to a broad range of genres and characters, and has made me a more thoughtful reader and writer.

I am far more confident in my own writing ability, and after doing Novel Writing Essentials and Write Your Novel, I am in a better mindset around receiving and applying feedback. I now also have a wonderful group of peers that I will continue to workshop alongside for this book and other manuscripts in the future. Without the AWC, I would not be at the point where I am just about to start editing my third draft ready to pitch to agents in June.

I don't know if there was one 'aha' moment, but rather a steady stream of helpful tips and tricks that accumulated in me becoming a much more self-aware writer.

Whether you've got a tiny spark of an idea or a fully-fleshed out synopsis, the AWC offers a range of courses that will elevate your writing to the next level. Beyond the practical information provided by class mentors and online modules, the most valuable part of any AWC course is the ability to give and receive feedback from other writers. This element is truly invaluable and will help build your skills and confidence as you progress on your writing journey.

Thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you!!

Cathie is very knowledgeable and experienced. Her feedback helped me improve my writing each week.

I enjoyed the assignments, which broke down the process of writing a children's book into manageable chunks.

I have completed my draft manuscript and have set myself a goal of getting an agent to help me get my book published.

I'd like to thank Cathie for her useful and honest feedback. She gave me lots of encouragement, which really means a lot.

Cathie was amazing. She provided some tough truths and feedback on submissions that bettered my manuscript. She was extremely giving in her Zooms as well as on Discord. She provided additional reading material that I have already recommended to other author friends.

I enjoyed the community we built!! The memes in the discord.

This course has transformed me as a writer. I now I have more tools in my writing toolkit to write my planned trilogy but also to support other writers. I feel more clear on my story questions, on how to approach the next stage of my writing journey.

The AWC has allowed me to become the author I am. I have received comments from my classmates and my authors that have built my confidence. The tutors have all been amazing, staff have been incredibly supportive and I have learnt all my theory here and I feel even closer to publishing my book.

I enjoyed the first-hand accounts from Katrina Lobley and reading the variety of different travel pieces used as examples throughout the course.

I feel like I have a truly solid foundation from which to start my journey as a freelance travel writer.

I love the AWC courses! They give you a great grounding in the basics of the area you are interested in as well as having a practical, commercial focus.

I enjoyed Kate's love of her craft and the importance of our mind's imagination and the lessons on structure. It shifts your doubt into confidence.

I feel confident to start my journey.

At the end of February, I jumped on the AWC website to look at any courses I could give myself as a birthday gift, as I was about to turn 64. Enter Freelance Writing Stage 1: perfect timing, perfect fit. Thanks a million to the AWC team. This course was a confidence booster, giving me a practical pathway to take the leap into freelancing. It's given me the clarity to give it a red-hot go! Big thanks to all those behind the scenes, who support online learning with AWC and make everything work for remote students!! Good job. It was smooth sailing for me from course selection, payment, content, platform, etc. Seamless. Great course. Great experience all round.

I feel excited about my capacity to dive into writing freelance articles for a variety of publications. I have an idea of the scaffolding needed to write an article. Loved the progression of modules to build capacity. Week by week I felt more empowered.

Vivienne went above and beyond. 100% loved her feedback. Helped me make my writing stronger and more succinct.

I loved each module. The tempo of assessment submission was excellent. Not too much content to wade through, but enough to push us forward each week.

I'm ready to pitch my first article and am working already on my next one.

Writing articles is like a cake recipe. AWC laid out the ingredients and provided great case studies/readings. Strong hook - powerful transitions to keep it flowing/progressing.

Do it. Don't hesitate. Dive in.

I have wanted to write a book for many years and have drafted scenes of different novels. I now have time on my hands to make writing a priority and romance has always been one of my favourite genres. I took this course to spark my motivation and to build a solid understanding of what the genre requires.

I enjoyed the flexibility of completing the modules whenever my schedule allowed. The Zoom recordings have been incredibly helpful. They offer insight into other students' questions I hadn't thought of yet, their ideas, and create a sense of community.

I've finally moved from simply collecting ideas, characters, and scattered scenes to actually writing and shaping it into a concept. The idea has shifted back and forth between historical romance and small-town romance... but it's finally taking form.

Feedback from Vivienne was honest and helpful. I feel compelled to start pitching (and know how to do that now).

You will gain lots of technical knowledge about the media landscape and how to write an article.

There is so much gold, so much valuable information packed into this short course.

I enjoyed the whole thing. It's a course that grabs your attention and holds it to the end. It was continuously informative.

Both Bernadette and Pamela are brilliant.

It's a short and sharp course. Bernadette is very knowledgeable and she picked parts of the assignment I hadn't thought of. My characters were in an empty office!

Now I know what to look for when editing.

Pamela is great. Absolutely loved her lessons and examples. It really helped me to see the difference between showing and telling. Now I feel more confident with my writing.