What’s it like to learn with AWC?

Pamela is an incredibly generous font of knowledge and an astute reader. I enjoyed seeing everyone improve so much.

Of all the courses I've done, this is by far the best, with the most relevant, concise information in the handouts and audio. The calibre of all the participants was wonderful which made working with them informative and a pleasure. And don't ever lose Pamela. She's a gift.

Do it. Writing is hard. Way harder than you think. With AWC you'll get support, you'll learn and you'll be a better writer at the end.

Alex was fantastic. She pointed out things I never thought of. I started pitching publications before doing the course and wasn't getting much luck. Her feedback on the assignment really highlighted flaws in the language/inclusions of my pitches and I'm so grateful for that.

I have an idea for a story, but I wasn't sure whether or not it was a middle grade or a chapter book so I did this course to understand the difference & also pick up some new tips.

The modules were the right length, full of great information and easy to watch. Lesley was really engaging.

It left me feeling very comfortable that the idea I am considering is definitely a chapter book and that I'm more than capable of writing it.

I was looking for ways to earn money from my writing that I could schedule in my own time.

The tutor was great, clearly experienced, great sense of humour and very positive and encouraging with her feedback.

I appreciate the bonus handouts and practical guidance on actually getting paid work as a copy writer. It made me feel like I could actually go out and start charging money for my work.

I would say the tutors are all extremely knowledgeable; it's the real deal. And it's important in all avenues of writing to feel supported by a community, and AWC does that.

I'd been thinking about doing this course for some time. A friend had done it and raved about it. Then a particular story idea came up and I thought it was a good time to get on with the course.

My eyes have been opened to the many and varied contributing factors that make great picture books such a multi-layered and deceptively simple art form. The course is incredibly thorough and I know I will return to the audio modules again over this coming year as I continue to develop the stories I have begun. So the course is great value for money too!

Suzanne provides excellent feedback. She has real passion for children's picture books, a wealth of knowledge and excellent attention to detail.

I learnt SO much. I now realize just how basic my understanding of picture books was. Writing a children's picture book is no small task. It requires a ton of patience, determination and time. 'Time is your friend' is a line that will stay with me... If I want to do it properly I need to learn to take my time. - Big lesson for me!

Whatever you want to write about, Australian Writers' Centre will have a course for you and I guarantee it will be not only be top quality but great value.

Well done on delivering yet another fabulous course!

I love Kate. She is very likeable and is well prepared. Kate gives great answers and goes into detail for all of the questions that were posed. Really invaluable information that only an author would know.

All the courses I've done with the Australian Writers' Centre have been great. Affordable and the teachers are fantastic.

I have looked at this course a number of times over the last few years, but doing it online just didn't grab me at all. I needn't have had any trepidation - it was fantastic! And in fact, there is so much information in it (and practise) that I don't know how it would have been all covered so comprehensively in a weekend workshop (let alone be absorbed into my brain!)

Alex was terrific. She responded to all the posted questions thoroughly, and the feedback she provided on the assignments was practical and targeted. She was encouraging and positive, and reinforced what had been covered in that particular week's information module in relation to the work we submitted. She offered good insights and industry examples that were relevant to our work.

It's given me a real, practical insight to the freelancing industry. I now feel I have the tools to sit back and contemplate which direction I want to take, and start putting these new skills into practice. I 'went in' with a broad sense of what I thought I wanted to do ... but now I'm finding I'm re-evaluating ... so watch this space(!)

This was a terrific course and very manageable timewise. I really appreciate the work that has gone into producing it, and especially the feedback from my tutor, Alex Spring. Online was great - no need to hesitate! Many thanks again - it definitely was time (and money) well spent.

The AWC supports writers with practical information at all stages of their careers, and has great short courses to not only whet your writing appetite, but keep you motivated to keep writing and experience success.

I really enjoyed Stephen's feedback to all the writers, and learnt from it. He was also super quick, and even replied to comments made in response. He was kind and built confidence, but gave substantial critical comments as well.

I enjoyed the writing and feedback, and my notes and the documents supplied form an ongoing resource. I have a fairly set writing practice of 4 hours on weekdays, and I enjoyed that this course kept me really engaged and motivated to extend that.

Well done! I've signed up for the next course.

Pamela was fun, knowledgeable, and forthcoming with great ideas to help us with our stories.

I enjoyed hearing what the other people were writing and finding like-minded people to workshop ideas with. And believe it or not, the homework. Having to think about my story to find the answers to the homework question - things that I had not thought to ask of my story.

If you want to write, you can't go past the Australian Writers' Centre. There is a course for any aspect of your writing.

Suzanne's approach was gentle but direct, which I found to be extremely helpful. As a beginner writer it can be daunting exposing your work to scrutiny but Suzanne was great in providing creative criticism and insightful suggestions.

Every module had something new and built on previous lessons. I most enjoyed seeing how, by implementing those lessons, my writing/story improved and developed.

This is the first writing course I have enrolled in. It has given me an intro into the industry but mostly I feel like with work and persistence I may have something I can build on.

Go for it! The course content for a beginner is comprehensive, easy to understand and follow. The feedback from the tutor (Suzanne in my case) is constructive and detailed. It's a great launching pad into understanding the world of children's picture book writing.

I really enjoyed the course and looking forward to developing my writing.

Pamela was terrific - very engaging, interested in her students and provided valuable feedback.

I enjoyed the homework exercises & feedback - encouraged us to really think more about our stories and worlds, and make them more real. It really made me think about the world, to make it more real for readers, and really consider the “unique thing” about my story (and ways to expand on this).

Pamela is a terrific tutor, and the course really encourages you to think deeply about your world and how you might bring it to life for your readers. Would absolutely recommend!

I am now 54 and have not undertaken any creative writing since leaving secondary school. I have, however, spent a bit of time contemplating children's story ideas as I move through life. I don't know why but one morning I decided to seek out a course and I was fortunate to have found this one. I didn't really know how much I didn't know about children's books.

I love that you have access to the materials for a year as I intend to revisit the material a few more times.

I liked that the feedback was constructive and truthful (at least I hope that's the case). All the feedback I found encouraging and emphasized the importance of reviewing your work and reworking it.

I now feel that I have the skills to rework my original ideas and transform them into something more powerful and polished.

I have been working on a story that I have tried to get published and wanted to hone the story to hopefully have more success with publication.

I found the feedback from Suzanne valuable and feel that I know what to work on to make my stories suitable for publication. I have learned a lot in this course and know what to work on in the future.

I would recommend this course to anyone who is starting out writing children's books. It provides excellent grounding in the essentials.

I have always thought about writing a children's book but just didn't know the exact process. I have been looking at this course for over a year now and very keen to complete it. So finally found the extra time and thought why not? :)

I really enjoyed the way the course was structured. I thought it took me through the process step by step instead of lots of information all at once.

I thought the tutor was fantastic! Really responsive and appreciated all of her constructive feedback! Feedback was always delivered as a learning opportunity.

I enjoyed how it motivated me each week to keep developing my ideas.

Thank you for a great course! Extremely worthwhile if you have been toying with the idea of writing!

Angela Slatter was fantastic. She provided very thorough individual feedback, which was so helpful.

I enjoyed working with the other writers - you certainly do learn a lot about your own writing when you see things in other's writing that you do and don't enjoy. Having such a large number of people see my work at this early stage certainly gets rid of the fear of what others will think.

If you have something you've written and not sure where to go from there, this is a great way to take it to the next level.

I found the online tutor helpful, knowledgeable and interactive.

I enjoyed the extent to which the course offered insight into all areas of freelance writing, even areas I'd not really considered myself such as invoicing. It was a comprehensive and relevant curriculum. At no point did I feel that I was being taught unnecessary 'filler' content.

It has given me great insight into the professional world of freelance writing and valuable feedback on my own work.

I would say it's a great introduction to the world of freelance writing filled with valuable content. I would definitely recommend.

Excellent tutor and helpful feedback. Lovely to speak with other course participants and receive feedback on my writing and read theirs too.

The course has provided so much information I had no idea about with regards to writing and structuring a novel. If you want to learn to write a novel, you must complete this course. It provides incredible building blocks to get started.

The tutor was awesome. Very generous in her feedback and sharing her experiences. Created a great community.

I enjoyed the Zoom workshops and learning from the group with Pamela's advice. I now have a draft outline of my book. Will set my writing goal and just go for it.

I just loved the Writing Workout and also the two other courses that I did - Creative Writing Stage 1 and Novel writing Essentials. Just get into it - it truly helps to put you on your writing track.

Michelle obviously has a lot of knowledge in this domain and was willing to share. Very clear, very thorough.

Great refresher to take before getting too deep into writing documents in our business.

I wanted to refine my foundational skills so that my creative writing would improve, my writing practice would flow better and I would find the path for making headway on the novel I'm in the process of writing.

I wasn't quite sure if I was ready for Novel Writing Essentials so I enrolled in this course first, and I'm glad I did. The exercises were fantastic in creating a practice environment to build story elements, and I loved the way I could apply my work in progress to the exercises in some instances.

Pamela is phenomenal! She's so generous with sharing her knowledge and skill set, gives constructive yet encouraging feedback with frankness and she's a true example of what many aspiring writers are aiming for, with her prolific and varied publishing history. She's also a lot of fun, and made the course interesting and engaging.

I enjoyed the group environment - I was lucky to have an awesome group. Providing feedback to each other, listening to the questions of others and getting answers I didn't even know I needed.

Before I started this course, I lacked confidence and flow in my writing practice. I've been meandering for a year on the not-even-close-to-being-finished first draft of my WIP. I thought for sure I was not cut out to be a writer, that at some point I would have to stop pretending I have something to say. But this course reminded me that writing is a skill not a talent, and I don't need to give up. And that even though there's always more to learn, that actually there is a lot I'm good at. With the support of Pamela and the writing group, I learned loads, flexed my writing muscles and have restored faith that I'll be able to finish my first draft.

I would say it's the best practical course I've ever done, with high quality content, teaching and peers.

Just a huge thank you to Pamela, Abby and anyone else behind the scenes as I know that a lot of effort goes in to ensuring these programs run so smoothly and effectively.