What’s it like to learn with AWC?

Nat pointed out things in my writing - and that of my classmates - that I'd never even considered! Amazing feedback. And the course itself was hugely informative and helpful.

It got me fired up again! And took away the 'groping in the dark' feeling. It established what I've got to stop doing (rewriting the work I've already done)! Plus established exactly what each draft should work on.

Well worth the money. Fun, inspiring, and extremely helpful.

The course structure and course content were both very well done. It offers great flexibility and allows you to fit the course work into your own schedule.

Vivienne's feedback was well delivered and maintained the balance between keeping you encouraged but also providing an honest and constructive critique.

I enjoyed the fact that each module was very practical and provided the opportunity to implement the learnings from each module. The inclusion of hints and tips in the course materials was also helpful.

It has really helped me gain the confidence to approach looking for freelance work.

I enjoyed the stepwise approach and learning how to go about writing and then pitching. Vivienne offers constructive feedback and is very personable.

I feel more confident in how to go about writing and pitching now.

I really enjoyed the different writing tasks and being able to focus on different elements of picture book structure.

I had an epiphany today on the kind of stories I want to write for children and the kind of author I want to be. The course has provided me with incredible tools and resources to make this happen. I feel I already have now several very good stories to polish over the next year and hopefully have success publishing.

I would say that this course was excellent, and I wish I had done it several years ago. Sometimes life is busy, and this felt like a treat - it was!

Pamela was highly knowledgeable, and all of her feedback felt like it was on-point.

The progress in my manuscript and writing was certainly the most satisfying part of the course.

Given how time poor I often was during the course, it pushed me into squeezing in writing whenever the opportunity presented itself. That may be as short as 20 minutes when the household quietened for a moment.

It is a very demanding course (unless you have lots of free time), however the learnings are highly valuable. The community aspect of doing the course with a group of aspiring, motivated writers was also enjoyable.

I had completed my first manuscript, believing that I could just write. How far from the truth that was! After researching online and listening to feedback, I was encouraged to undertake a writing course which has been invaluable. I was guided to your website and immediately connected to this course which has led to my complete re-draft of the original using the structures and tips. It has helped me to translate my story idea onto paper in a meaningful way that has received great feedback.

Through this course I have brought my original story to life in a way that makes sense but also engages the reader from their perspective rather than from my own intention. I have confidently submitted it to a number of publishers in the hope that it will be published. This course definitely helped me get there and impressed my beta readers with the dramatic changes I was able to make. I think I have surprised a few friends!

It guided (forced!) me to completely rethink my first manuscript and has brought it to life. I have loved the addition of structure, pacing and narrative tension, as I understood its purpose and meaning. This has translated my relationship with books that I have loved reading and helped me to understand why I loved them.

It is practical, applicable, informative and meaningful to translate into your writing practice.

The videos with Katrina were extremely enjoyable and I also appreciate Valerie's constant reassurance that you can make it! Too often you get told how hard it is to make it in the publishing world, and Valerie's reassurance and confidence meant that it didn't seem too frightening or risky to take the leap.

I feel confident to start a new career.

I enjoyed the variety of material covered and the subject matter was interesting and relevant to me. Alex was supportive and helpful with her feedback.

The AWC is a really professional and high quality training centre for writers with a diverse range of different programs.

I found the course very practical. I wanted to learn the fundamentals of freelance writing and that expectation was certainly met.

I thought Vivienne was great, very knowledgeable and engaging, and honest with her helpful feedback.

I'm motivated about writing again.

Thanks for another great experience AWC! The courses are really practical, 'no bs', affordable and easy to commit to.

I like writing case studies, and I wanted to gain more insight into how to frame an article and get it published.

I need to be accountable to someone to motivate me to write. Intrinsic motivation isn't enough. It took me nine months to start this course, and once I started, I wondered why it took me so long.

I love learning and gaining knowledge. What was most enjoyable was realising that I like writing case studies. I am interested in exploring the Freelance Writing Stage 1 and Opinion Writing courses.

It's a great place to explore and start writing.

I was looking for a 'back to basics' style course and this ticked all the boxes. I especially liked the inclusion of grammar and punctuation as this is not something that is refreshed in professional environments.

I really enjoyed the bite-sized modules. It made getting through the course easy and fun. I am sure a professional writer could speak to the topic of professional business writing for a long time, and I was impressed with how much useful information was distilled into a short course.

I knew that my knowledge of basic grammar and punctuation wasn't up to standard but hadn't done any structured learning around this. I will now feel confident when reviewing the work of my colleagues and making corrections to their work.

Highly recommend to anyone, even those who don't have aspirations to be a writer. The courses are amazing just for general knowledge.

As I am not sure where I want to take my writing, I thought this would be a great option to explore - and it was! I still don't know LOL but I learned so much!

I really liked the way the participants interacted throughout the course. It helps to get feedback from others.

Pamela was a fantastic tutor, so passionate and inspiring! Her feedback was very welcome and Pamela was very open and honest. She made you think which opens many possibilities when writing.

I enjoyed the zoom sessions. Getting live feedback was great and I appreciated that it was done this way as it opened the door for some good discussion that may not have come up if the feedback was via comments.

If you always felt like you were 'meant' to write but don't know how to go about it, back yourself and have a go! The flexibility of the courses allow you to fit them in with your 'business as usual' and while the deadlines challenge you to extend yourself, they help you learn and grow as a writer.

I really enjoyed this course. Lesley explained very clearly how to approach writing a children's chapter book. She gave very helpful information about what to include and how to structure such books for children.

It was really eye-opening as I had no idea that so much was involved. I found it very helpful and will refer to it often. The short videos were also very easy to watch.

I had little idea about writing for children. I had previously published a self-help memoir, but didn't really know what was involved in writing a children's chapter book. I had lots of ideas but wasn't sure how to put them together for this age group. The course very clearly explained the structure and format of such books and how to go about writing them. I really enjoyed it.

The Australian Writers' Centre is by writers for writers. It really encourages writing as a career and supports all authors and would-be authors in achieving this. This is the first course I have done with them and really enjoyed the format and presentation of the lessons. Will definitely be studying more.

I enjoyed all the great tips and steps that Valerie mentioned. Especially the baby steps - it doesn't seem so daunting.

It has given me the confidence to start the other courses I have purchased. Knowing that everyone has their own timeline and values. Everyone has different expectations and we don't all need to change our careers to become writers.

Do this course if you need a reminder that the work you put into something will take you to the places you want to be with your writing and to be confident in your work. To keep going, this is the place to get all the support you need.

I have dreamed of being a writer most of my life but never had the courage and, as I have gotten older, now don't know really where to start. This course sounded like the answer and I am so pleased that I have finally been able to complete this course - it was fantastic!

Thank you, Kate, thank you so much. Your words seemed to speak directly to me - to my hidden fears, secrets and so much more. I am only sorry that I left this to the last minute to finish (life got in the way) as I would have revisited your videos again and again.

This course has given me a framework to start my creative writing. It has 'dumbed down' a lot of the mystic of writing. I appreciate that there is so much more to learn (and I cannot wait) but this is the most amazing start - I cannot stop thinking about what I have learnt and surely that is the goal of teaching / learning?

I learnt practical techniques in structuring a story, but the prompts have already helped clarify long-standing areas of uncertainty in my work in progress. Module 3 on theme and subplots was a revelation.

There were so many solid and tangible lessons along the way about such things as subplots and story questions (e.g. handouts 2.7, 3.9, 4.2). I really loved this practical advice on how to weave a story.

I wish I'd done this course decades ago. It was brilliantly practical and gave solid tools to BUILD A STORY in an engaging way. There was nothing wishy-washy about your advice, but a beautifully methodical, scientific process that removed the mystery from what to do, so I can just GET ON WITH IT and allow my story to shine through.

I think the course was excellent and, as someone with 4 degrees, including a Masters degree, I have undertaken substantial learning. It was interesting and the accompanying handouts were also succinct but useful, in particular the templates. As a teacher I love structure and templates and do this for students for essay writing and for major projects such as the PIP and I know students love it! I will definitely use these to assist with and develop my writing. The videos were also good, broken into segments as I could come and go as I pleased, and I will rewatch them at different points as required.

It was comprehensive and easy to complete at my own pace and convenience.

I had no idea about this type of writing as I write more academically and have published academic articles and government reports which are a completely different style of writing.

There appears to be many opportunities for travel writers and although there was a lot of information to digest I now know how to get started! I probably felt this way by Module 10 when examining the stages of being a travel writer.

The course was easy to follow and access, you can rewatch and access the course for 12 months which I will definitely be doing and it was useful as it covered not just the writing but the other aspects of managing your career which many newbies like myself did not know how to do.

It was very practical and easy to follow.

Zoom meet ups made me feel like I was not alone doing this course, as well as the chance to ask questions.

I turned 70 last year and I certainly don't want to be an old wizen up vegetable. LOL It keeps me young and excited about life and doing something I have never tried before.

If you love writing of any genre, just enrol and enjoy the journey.

I completed my first short story! I can now say I write short stories!

I liked the practical component of setting out numbers of words per section of the story. Step by step building of the story was a great way to structure the course.

The course was well structured and being able to get independent feedback is a great feature.

I listened to the live presentation Kate gave on AWC a few months ago and wanted MORE!

I loved Kate's comments and exploration of the two books selected to illustrate each of the genres.

I enjoyed the 'permission' to take aspects of particular genres and bring them unapologetically into my own creative endeavours.

There are so many sub-genres, blending existing genres in exciting ways.

Do it! You'll love it. And don't forget to sit back and enjoy the art Kate has chosen to illustrate each genre.