What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I appreciate the clear and concise way this class was taught.

I love Bernadette! I learned from all the feedback she gave to each student. I truly appreciate the feedback she gave on my assignment.

I enjoyed learning practical things I can implement.

I am revising my middle grade novel. I am going back and working hard to show and not tell (except for where it is appropriate to tell).

Pamela Freeman delivers information in such a comfortable and knowledgeable manner. Pleasurable to listen to. Bernadette Foley's feedback is constructive and helpful, thanks.

Learning the "show" technique is invaluable in good writing.

If you love writing, just do a course that interests you. You will never regret it.

It was great to go into further depth about "show, don't tell" techniques.

The classroom environment and Bernadette's feedback on the assignment were particularly enjoyable.

The written and video feedback was fantastic and will help me improve as a writer.

Go ahead! They are well structured, insightful courses with a great blend of theory and practice.

Pamela totally demystified Show not Tell which gets used a lot as a term, but rarely unpacked.

I enjoyed Pamela's delivery style and how she explains concepts so clearly.

It was a very comprehensive course that covered all the aspects of how to write travel articles, as well as how to establish your travel writing business. I especially liked the examples and the templates, and I'm sure I'll come back to these resources again and again in the future. Thank you!

I loved that we could get a look behind the scenes with Valerie and Katrina about how it worked for them in real life. The interviews with Katrina were very entertaining. Isn't she delightful!

Going behind the scenes with Valerie and Katrina and seeing the success of all the other graduates made me realise that this is do-able. Just realising that I could do this!

I've done a few courses with AWC now and each one of them has been clear, comprehensive and so professional. I would recommend the courses to anyone with writing dreams.

Cathie provided very practical feedback that was easily understood and therefore applied. Being able to make purposeful changes supported progress and motivation to continue to improve.

I enjoyed the flexibility to access the content and revisit when needed. I looked forward to the feedback for each task also.

I have gained new knowledge and it has shown me that my desire to write a picture book for the very young child is indeed a wonderful thing.

Do it! You will learn a great deal and thoroughly enjoy it.

Thank you to all the staff involved for their hard work in putting together the course. I appreciate your time and effort. it was a pleasure to complete. Onward to the next one!

It made me more confident about something I've often felt a bit lost about. I knew I struggled with pacing in action scenes, but just making the sentences shorter didn't feel right. This seminar gave me lots of practical advice I can apply to all my writing going forward.

The advice is real, practical, and applicable to so many different styles of writing.

Great information and "case studies" along the way. The idea of writing an historical fiction seems more achievable after completing the course.

The resources section - especially learning about Trove - was enlightening.

Do the course - you'll be glad you did.

I loved being held accountable each week, and it was really beneficial to receive Cathie's feedback regularly. Her guidance helped me improve my writing, explore new ideas, and build confidence in creating inclusive and engaging children's stories. I appreciated the structure of the course and the opportunity to experiment with different techniques while having expert support along the way.

My overall impression of my online tutor, Cathie, was excellent. Her feedback was always constructive, encouraging, and thoughtful. She helped me see where my writing could be stronger while celebrating my ideas and creativity. I really appreciated her guidance, which pushed me to think deeply about storytelling, inclusivity, and how to engage young readers effectively. Her support made the course enjoyable, motivating, and rewarding.

The most enjoyable part of the course was creating my own children's stories and experimenting with different ideas, characters, and themes. I loved the chance to write for young readers and explore inclusivity in my stories. Receiving Cathie's feedback and seeing my writing develop each week was also very rewarding. I especially enjoyed the combination of creative freedom and practical guidance, which helped me build confidence in my storytelling skills.

The course has given me the confidence and skills to write children's books that matter to me. I've learned how to craft engaging stories, focus on language that sparkles, and create inclusive narratives for young readers. It has inspired me to explore new ideas, experiment with different characters and themes, and think deeply about how stories can reflect diversity and belonging.

My biggest 'aha!' moment was realising just how challenging it is to write for children. I learned not to assume that everyone knows the same things I do, and that clarity, simplicity, and showing rather than telling are essential to making a story engaging and accessible.

I would definitely recommend the Australian Writers' Centre to a friend or colleague. I have already recommended it to friends because it's a fantastic way to know where to start, understand the writing process, and gain practical skills with expert guidance. The courses give you structure, confidence, and the chance to experiment with your ideas while receiving thoughtful feedback.

I just want to say how much I've enjoyed this course. It has been inspiring, practical, and really fun to see my ideas develop into stories. The support, feedback, and structure have given me the confidence to keep writing and exploring new children's book ideas. Thank you to everyone involved for making it such a positive learning experience!

I really liked the way Louisa provided feedback. I am - in fact - a professional criticiser (teacher!), so there is definitely a right way of providing feedback. Louisa was never patronising, she never made unfair statements. More importantly, she never sounded like she was laughing when she provided feedback (unless she showed that she enjoyed your deliberate humour). Her feedback was always helpful and to the point.

I enjoyed the workshopping. It was intense and difficult, but really worth doing.

If you're serious about writing a book and then getting it to the point of publication, this will help you, every step of the way.

Cathie was great. Her feedback was so helpful to help reshape my story and truly grasp concepts.

I enjoyed challenging myself to rewrite my original story and also stretch my brain to create new stories.

I've learnt so much, and I'm so grateful I did this course. I think it would have been a mistake to have gone out into the world without these essential lessons on the do's and don'ts of picture book writing!

Great course if you're wanting to write children's picture books!

Louisa actually made me write (in a very nice and gentle way). Loved all the tips and techniques she showed us. Great course, great tutor.

Louisa was a fun knowledgeable instructive tutor. It is the best course I have completed and I learnt so much about everything in the crime and thriller field. I actually participated in the practical workshop activities which I hadn't really done in any previous courses and Louisa was extremely constructive and positive in her feedback showing me how I could improve.

I actually am going to try and write a book.

Thoroughly recommend that if you have an idea for a story tickling the back of your brain do a course at the AWC and let them help you bring it out. The courses are well laid out and taught brilliantly. Love it.

Nat is skilled at finding the balance between encouragement and improvement, she knows how to nudge or push when needed without discouraging the writers. She has the right attitude for tutoring and she respects writers wherever they are at on their journey.

I needed a fresh take on my book and Nat gave me just that.

Pamela is fantastic! She really knows what she is talking about and presents the information in an easy way to understand and implement.

I enjoyed the practical examples and the opportunity to learn. Plus, you can tell that Pamela really enjoys the topic.

I am becoming a better writer.

Louisa's feedback was to the point and extremely valuable. Very practical and very much appreciated.

Even though it was time consuming, and took time away from my writing, the requirement to provide feedback to other students was extremely worthwhile, and the suggestions I received from them was invaluable.

I realise if I want to complete my novel I really need to dedicate my time and commit to a writing schedule. It also helped me to believe in myself and the stories I have to tell.

I thought I told a story well, but realised when pointed out that I was telling more than showing. It was easy to redirect my writing style with the resources and advice I'd been given.

This course provides an amazing amount of advice and resources for writing your novel. Most importantly it provides inspiration and confidence to believe in yourself as a writer.

The tutor was great! Very reassuring and clear steps/progressions. Made me want to jump back into writing.

Short and sharp (bite-sized) content. Very knowledgeable presenter. Really enjoyed it!

Very reassuring that many writers experience the same blocks/challenges and nice to know realistically what to expect. I am on the right track and to get back in and keep on going.

Well worth it!

The quality of feedback was a real highlight. I enjoyed establishing links with the group and learning from both giving and receiving feedback.

Nat was outstanding. Both the content and the delivery of Nat's feedback were fantastic. She took the time to really think about each submission and her Loom videos were a mix of honesty, humour and helpful suggestions. Nat brought so much knowledge to the course - her experience as editor, writer and actor was evident and I felt I was in the hands of a skilled professional. She gave us the tools to succeed but also encouraged us to reflect on what might work well and then use our own professional judgement to improve our writing.

I feel like a writer now. Never too old for self-actualisation!

I have already recommended AWC to a number of friends! I'm in the retired age group and a lot of my friends love books and writing. I've been very enthusiastic about the course.

A big thank you to Nat. She was great - knows her stuff, is down to earth, authentic and a thorough professional.

The tutor was very experienced. Able to answer all questions and provide valuable insight.

I enjoyed the interaction with both the tutor and other course members.

I found the "What if..." paradigm very helpful, and the idea that we use the "What if..." as a starting point before commencing the writing.

I didn't expect to get such momentum from the course and the modules. I found the videos really easy to listen to and comprehend and will definitely be going back to review them again as I write more.

Amy was great - again, really easy to listen to and absorb what she was saying.

I really enjoyed it all. It is great to get to write and get feedback for sure! I also just really enjoyed the way the information was presented.

I felt really overwhelmed with the idea of writing something more professional and possibly publishing it in some way and I have come out of this feeling ready to go! I also thought I was limited to short stories but have been inspired with a great novel idea, and the tools needed to write it.

I have always been a pantser - probably something that is a bit easier with short stories and the writing I do for work - and in general I tend to work on instinct. The exercises that we did to develop characters was a real moment for me to realise how valuable it could be to sit back and define the people in the story before starting. It gave me a much better idea about how they would react to situations and engage with each other. Post course I have also been working on pre-planning my structure - I will probably land on a hybrid approach but it has definitely helped me capture and refine the ideas I have for different elements of the story.

It is a great place to start if you feel overwhelmed but want to write.

This course was just what I needed. Loved the Power editing 28-step process.

I feel more confident to write and on the path to improvement.