What’s it like to learn with AWC?

You're never too old to learn grammar and punctuation. The Australian Writers' Centre course improved my grammar immensely, so much that my writers' group now say my punctuation skills are better.

Really loved Bernadette's teaching style, personality and feedback. For me, the main takeaway was detail & specificity. The more words you use that relate to the target market's concerns the better.

I enjoyed the content and resources. The homework is designed to be very actionable and digestible. I didn't spend hours on it, but it targeted all the key skills which were put together at the end. Really well-designed structure.

I'm much more confident with copywriting and writing in general! It got the writing floodgate open. I never thought of myself as a writer, but I really do write a lot in my current job. Others in my organisation have called me a wordsmith before but I really didn't think so myself. Now I feel like I really can own that. I now have the tried-and-true tools to guarantee my work is at least above-average in its ability to incite action. With more practice, I can get quite masterful at this!

Took my copywriting to the next level. Ties together a lot of what I already did instinctively but now I have a handy checklist to ensure I'm always following best practice. Made me more confident in my writing. Highly recommend the course to anyone who needs to write to sell or influence (which is ALL OF US!)

I enjoyed being able to tap into the online content wherever and whenever it suited me. Of course, it helped that the content was engaging and full of helpful advice.

It has given me the tools to critically analyse what I've written. It has also helped me to realise that some of what I've written is really quite good...and some of it less so.

Before doing this course, I don't think I'd realised just how critically important scenes are. That sounds so random. Of course, I understood their importance. I had just underestimated how much work they do for the overall story.

Writing is a journey and if you'd like someone to help guide you on that journey then I'd highly recommend the AWC.

The depth of experience and honesty of David Leser exceeded my expectations.

I most enjoyed the online lectures. It has clarified what I will write next.

If you want to write profiles this is the course for you.

I have always wanted to have some of my opinions published. This course seemed to offer the right balance of theory, practice and advice.

I found Vivienne to be an engaging and knowledgeable tutor. It was well structured and progressed logically. As always, I enjoyed the diversity of the participants.

Without over engineering, I will now structure my letters to the editor and any proposed opinion pieces more effectively.

It delivers pretty well exactly what it says it will and I think offers good value for money.

Vivienne was great. She provided good content and a good model to utilise for future pitches. Her feedback on our opinion pieces was also very thorough and useful.

Inspired me to get back out there writing and honing my opinion writing.

AWC provides practical, hands-on inspiration and writing support so you can reach your writing goals.

I love my young students and I wanted to create some new stories for them! I've always loved writing and I've always been writing, but lately it's been more writing for work (marketing) rather than for pleasure or creative projects.

The assignments were great! The feedback was SO useful. I was not expecting to be able to read everyone's stories and hear their feedback and have everyone read/hear my stories and feedback, but it ended up being so cool. :-)

I loved Zanni's honesty and positive attitude. She provided really wonderful and useful feedback and recommendations!

Honestly, giving myself the time and space to read and appreciate all these picture books was so fun and inspiring. I always loved picture books but I feel like I appreciate them even more now that I realise how challenging they are! And of course, the ability to read other people's stories and hear their feedback. And to hear someone read my stories out loud was slightly scary but awesome. I really appreciated Zanni's feedback. :-)

This course reminded me I need to make my creativity/writing a priority. :-)

Give yourself the gift of creative time. It's more important now than ever! This course was part of my new 'self care' routine, honouring and nurturing my creativity.

I love you, AWC! :-)

I like how Bernadette provided constructive criticism without being unnecessarily harsh/belittling. She was warm, friendly and very helpful.

I enjoyed being able to see the work of other people taking the course. Getting detailed and helpful feedback on my assignments (and being able to listen to feedback provided on others' assignments with more useful tips!)

I've realised there's a lot more to copywriting than meets the eye, but I'm eager to find out more.

As Bernadette says, people don't think you need formal training to become a good copywriter. That might be true for a (special/lucky) few, but for the rest of us, there's this brilliantly structured course that keeps you engaged every step of the way thanks to Bernadette's wisdom and wit.

I never considered the huge amounts of corporate and technical writing I undertake in my current employment as writing until I listened to the course audio. It made me realise I already have a wealth of experience as a writer which really boosts my confidence.

You do not need to be born with a natural gift for creativity that flows easily from mind to paper in order to write. It is a skill that can be learned and honed.

Undertake this course if you are considering a change in career and suffer from self-doubt.

I enjoyed the course, especially being able to listen to the modules.

Zanni was very helpful and I enjoyed getting her feedback each week. It was great having someone who is in the industry to offer a professional perspective.

The course was nice and relaxing, was not too stressful and demanding. It really allowed me to just sit back and slowly digest the information, then put that information to words.

Amanda Hampson was a great tutor, provided good feedback for areas to improve on and when asked questions, answered the best she could. No faults.

As I opted to write segments of my own story, it really made me want to revisit it and continue the journey (the particular story used was one I had abandoned for nearly two years now). So it gave me that spark I needed to continue.

I'd like to thank Amanda and the students for all the feedback.

Get on it and don't wait like I have for so long!

Bernadette was a fantastic tutor for SEO Copywriting (as she is for anything copywriting!)

I enjoyed the common-sense approach without jargon. Feeling much more confident to tackle anything 'SEO'.

Bernadette was great, her feedback was constructive and extremely helpful. I never felt as though I had done something wrong because she always explained her feedback in a positive way.

I enjoyed learning a practical approach to the art of copywriting, complete with examples and resources. I felt as though I was actually learning rather than hearing/reading academic theory. I remembered how much I enjoy writing and copywriting is something that I could happily do professionally.

AWC has a diverse range of courses available to anyone interested in writing, whatever their preferred genre/interest. The practical skills that they teach and their teaching style makes learning fun, plus there is a wealth of knowledge and experience to tap into. I'm certainly thinking of enrolling in more courses, just have to decide which ones.

I loved that it was only five weeks. Being my first course with AWC it gave me a chance to see the quality of courses offered without making a major time commitment.

I have gained so much knowledge from both the tutor, Zanni, and my fellow classmates.

Zanni was lovely. Her comments and feedback were always so encouraging but also really helpful and insightful. She would see things immediately that would elevate the story and gave really thorough feedback to everyone in the course.

I enjoyed actually sharing my stories, which at first I thought terrifying, and getting to read others was great.

I now write every day and believe I may actually one day write something that is good enough to be published.

Thank you for this course. I have never done a writing course before and this was so wonderful. I will definitely be looking into further classes with AWC in the future.

If you want to do a writing course, go to AWC!

I've always liked reading and writing but, due to work, never had much of an opportunity. My wife knew of my passion and enrolled me into this course as a birthday present. I'm so glad she did!

I absolutely loved the creative writing course! The learning content and resources were well constructed and, combined with the assignments and exercises, aided my better understanding of the art of creative writing.

Angela's assessments of my assignments were very constructive, helpful and on the mark every single time. It is quite obvious that she is a seasoned professional in the art of creative writing.

I enjoyed putting all the learning from the resource materials to work in my assignments and impressing myself with how much I had improved since starting the course. I also enjoyed the interactions among my fellow students...and knowing that I wasn't alone on this journey!

It has reignited my passion to start creative writing. The course has also given me the confidence to plan to write a series of short stories...and perhaps even a novel one day.

If you would like to start creative writing or improve your creative writing skills, contact the Australian Writers' Centre!

Thank you so much for including me in this course, which has convinced me that I am not too old to start a creative writing career!

I found being able to do this in an achievable time frame and not under pressure made this course enjoyable. It also gave me great theoretical background to writing which I had not covered for a while. The feedback was useful and I was able to use it to critique my writing for my next tasks.

The course was great in kickstarting my writing. Made me feel like writing for an audience is possible and that I am capable of it.

Do it - it's a great confidence builder. I'd always hesitated, because I was worried about sharing my writing and I'm not great with receiving feedback. However, I found I enjoyed the critical feedback knowing it was only going to strengthen my writing for other readers.

Thank you to my tutor Amanda and other students for their feedback.

This course absolutely clicked for me. It's exactly the kind of work that I want to be doing and I honestly cannot wait to get started!

I have so much respect for Bernadette, her knowledge, experience, and practical application to work are awesome!

I have always been a wordy writer, and I have found that this course has given me some tools around being succinct and tailoring what I write.

I loved the course that I completed, and felt absolutely encouraged and welcome to step into the world of copywriting. The course modules together with the assignments and feedback have given me the confidence and tools I needed to call myself a writer.

The AWC course on children's picture books is great! I have already recommended this course to a friend. It teaches you a lot of valuable skills for writing children's picture books as well as valuable tips for getting into the industry and approaching publishers. You will definitely come out of the course a better writer and with skills for approaching publishers professionally.

I have an illustration background but want to write and illustrate my own stories. I knew very little about the writing side of things, so this course was perfect!

I was a little concerned that it would be too much for me to fit into my work/life schedule, but it was very manageable. I could listen to the lessons whenever I wanted to. I really appreciate the flexibility the course offers in that respect.

I was impressed by the speed and clarity at which Zanni dissects and critiques stories. I found her feedback to be very useful, straight to the point and also very encouraging. She guided me to write a story draft that I believe is worth presenting to a publisher with a little more editing.

I found the structure and format of the online course really refreshing. I've studied a lot, up to a master's degree, and believe this to be the best course I've done in terms of balance between the volume of information and practical assessments. I also enjoyed Zanni's feedback. The course is affordable in terms of cost and time commitment as well.

This course has really helped me to start thinking like a picture book author and has also taken the mystery out of the publishing process and industry as a whole.

The Writing Picture Books course is a perfect introduction to the field. It offers a thorough understanding of the current trends, what's involved in the practical process of writing a picture book and how to edit and prepare for a publisher. I totally recommend it to anyone wanting to make a start or needing guidance on their first attempts at writing.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course. Thank you!

I have just retired from a very busy and enjoyable career as a developmental/behavioural paediatrician. I've always loved children's books and recently become a grandmother, with more grandchildren on the way. I wanted to do something creative in the area of writing and found this course on Google. The AWC looked such an excellent group to start my quest for learning to write creatively.

Zanni has been thoughtful, encouraging and the experience she brings, very helpful. It has been enjoyable to read the stories from the rest of the group, and also to listen to Zanni's suggestions for them.

I enjoyed many things about this course. Learning about the structure of a picture book, and what makes a 'not put downable' story. The interaction with others on our course and reading their great stories. Zanni's guidance.

This course has given me a new pursuit, which I think about daily, and look forward to continuing with.

If you are interested in writing in any form, do one of the online tutored courses to start you on your journey. The Australian Writers' Centre also introduces you to the vibrant community of writers and illustrators in Australia.

Just a big thank you.