What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I have often thought about doing more writing but felt I needed a push. Because of a move overseas, I have more time to devote to it.

I found it really helped dislodge some blockages for me on writing. It gave me some exercises to try to get writing - and I really loved the message that the number one reason your book won't be published is because you haven't written it.

I really liked how it got me in the 'mode' for writing. I also liked how flexible it was.

It has turbocharged my desire to try to dedicate some time to writing and really try to finish something. It gave me an impetus to keep writing, and tips and tricks to enable me to do so.

I was stuck on the story I was writing and felt a little out of my depth. I need guidance.

Pamela is a fountain of knowledge on many facets of writing. She really seems to be an encyclopedia on all things writing.

The course has given me the guidance on my story and turns out I really didn't know as much about the topic as I thought.

I enjoy writing short stories and have had some competition success but also some unfinished short stories and wanted to know how to fix the ones that were not working.

A really practical course that was well paced. It has given me some new direction to improve and hopefully finish some more short stories.

The modules are thorough covering all aspects of writing a picture book, from the different writing techniques to publishing, sales advertising and marketing. The module recordings and handouts were well presented with exercises that provide opportunities to practise writing techniques. It was great to write assignments and receive constructive feedback.

Margaret gave clear advice on how to make improvements to my stories.

It has increased my confidence and encouraged me.

I was interested in finding out more about the process of writing a book as this is all very new for me. I wanted to learn about writing more words than a picture book, but less than a middle school novel, so this particular course and age group was the perfect fit. I have three children (now mid to late teens) and remember all the wonderful chapter books in our home when my children were young and were starting to read on their own. I googled courses, and the AWC has received great reviews and had an impressive range of courses so I thought I would give it a go!

I wasn't sure what to expect from the course, however, it exceeded my expectations because of the great detail provided about the intricacies of writing stories for this age group.

I found the course tutor, Lesley Gibbes, extremely engaging. During the online course, she was warm, funny and positive and made me feel that writing chapter books may be an achievable goal.

Since completing the course, I am continually thinking about possible story ideas - who would my characters be? How do I think of an original, exciting idea children will love? Can I actually do this? And so on....

I had a lot of fun completing this course. I still need to complete some of the exercises / investigation of children's books and am looking forward to getting to the library soon to expand my knowledge and reading of this age group. I am looking forward to submitting the writing exercise for feedback and I will also look at other courses on offer for fiction writing.

I have loved every aspect of this course. Bernadette's videos were clear and insightful. I found her examples extremely relatable and current to where the world is at.

At age 56, I wanted to 'freshen up', sharpen and bring my copywriting skills into the digital age. I was keen to learn the nuances of writing for the web and social media platforms. I worked in marketing communications for more than 15 years. Copywriting was what I enjoyed the most. So, after a career gap of around nine years, I returned to work as a volunteer committee member to manage a local basketball club's social media for three years.

A few months ago, I dove into the world of freelance work. I registered my copywriting and marketing communications business. Then a case of imposter syndrome slapped me in the face and some self-doubt crept in. I thought the best way to conquer those feelings was to do the Copywriting Essentials course.

For a fleeting moment I thought I might be of an age where it would be a little late to embark on a new learning venture. However, that thought quickly disappeared as my appetite to learn and challenge myself grew.

I will say that I was pleased to learn that the fundamentals of writing copy are the same as what I had learned in a public relations writing subject that I did as part of a Bach Bus (Marketing) degree. However, the extra tips, tricks, steps and templates that Bernadette gave were invaluable. They were fantastic to use while doing the assignments and gave me so much extra confidence.

Mark was fantastic. His weekly feedback was positive, constructive and helpful. The positive feedback was a great confidence booster.

I enjoyed the flexibility of the video lessons and the real-world examples. I also enjoyed the assignments which helped solidify the learnings.

I found the feedback very encouraging and helpful. I liked the variety of the subjects and the clarity of matters. The handouts are great and very clear. It was good to be stretched in my thinking.

It's made me think more about what way I should write in particular cases. I should think more about the target audiences. When I write my newsletters, I do picture the people I am writing to and reflect that, but I need to do it more generally.

I would definitely recommend the course. The video lessons and handouts are well balanced and it's easy to go back and revise or revisit what has been said. I like it because it's Australian - straightforward without too much hoopla. It's well priced. The feedback is directed straight at the assignment, not generic feedback so the personalised nature really makes a difference. You feel as though the tutor is really interested in you.

I enjoyed the pace and the flexibility - being able to do the modules at my own pace and at times and periods that worked with my somewhat unusual life. Having Valerie as a constant with writers like Katrina Lobley contributing their experience. The tools and the example documents like how to pitch etc. Over the months I have worked with the course I have learned a lot about the industry and how it works and feel I now have the tools to restart writing. Now it is up to me!

I am going to put aside my hesitation and start to work with actually pitching. I am going independently to Albania for the first time in May and having started researching what's out there and doing lots of background reading, I feel there is a real opportunity to start my travel writing with this - an unusual destination, some Australian connections and lots of fascinating hooks in its recent and ancient history.

Valuable and professionally-run course which you can do at your own pace, providing industry insight and great tools and examples.

I enjoyed the assignment activities. Cathie's clear and concise feedback was incredibly valuable.

Mostly, the course has provided valuable insight into the structure and rhythm of children's picture books.

Do it. It's like reading Dr Suess - you go in, it gets messy, you come out changed.

Thank you for your enduring commitment to quality children's writing.

Excellently presented course and feedback was valuable and constructive.

It has given me a depth of understanding into character development and writing structure.

Carli came across as really experienced and passionate about UX writing. She taught with ease and made the interactions fun and engaging.

The course content covered all crucial points and the tutor did not hover over obvious topics - she knew what needed attention and what could be quickly talked over.

Reaffirms most of my learnings through my work with content and other UX writers.

I wasn't confident with writing dialogue. This course provided the direction both with information, learnings and exercises which I will now do before, within and after completing my drafts.

It highlighted that it was ok to just write, without being totally aware of what was going to happen, or having a total profile of characters, in the first draft, anyway!

The course helped me realise I was using extensive tags and adverbs in my writing, basically doing all the wrong things, so I look forward to using the exercises and examples to improve my writing moving forward. I appreciated the information on paralanguage, this was an eye-opener and provided great information to use moving forward.

The course is informative, easy to understand and the exercises provide resources that I can use to continue to improve my writing abilities.

I enjoyed everything about this course! Everything from the lessons, and assessments to the feedback sessions.

The tutor was very friendly, passionate and positive.

It has inspired me to start writing again. It has also taught me some valuable ways to make my writing and stories better.

I would say it's a great way to get started. It's also a fun, low-pressure way to learn more about writing.

It makes taking on the task of writing for our business so much less daunting as I can follow a template.

A practical and well-structured course that is easy to follow and can be put into use immediately!

I enjoyed workshopping and reading genres I wouldn't usually read. I have a synopsis for my novel and now it doesn't feel so nebulous and unachievable. Nat was great.

The AWC offers affordable, professional and fun online writing courses pitched at various writing skill levels and genres. It's a great way to figure out what you want to write and, more importantly, IF you want to write, and what it takes to complete a manuscript and get published.

I wanted the structure and encouragement of a program with other writers to get stuck into writing my novel. I also wanted feedback on my opening, to make sure I was going on the right direction with my story regarding reader interest, worldbuilding and characterisation.

Nat Newman was fantastic. So friendly and encouraging even while pointing out improvements that could be made in your writing. I really got the impression that Nat understood my story and what it's like being a new writer. I would absolutely do a course with Nat again!

It was so fun each week sitting down and providing feedback on the work of the other course participants. Reading so many different types and genres of stories was so inspiring, and I loved the chance to maybe even help them make improvements.

I'm now in a Discord with other participants of the course so we can keep in touch. I also have a better sense of community and a better clarity on where to take my novel - both story wise and publishing wise.

I'm not sure what type of writing I want to do, so I thought this was a good general starting point. The course structure was another attraction. Originally I was looking at local in-person courses (eg through CAE) but none appealed. I liked the fact that while this course was online and involved asynchronous learning, there was a weekly assignment with personalised feedback, to keep me accountable.

I liked the video feedback and the fact that we could read everyone's submissions and listen to the feedback for each. I learned a lot this way.

I was very happy with Nat's role. She gave well-considered feedback that always offered something new to consider, and which I could apply immediately.

It's reminded me how much I enjoy the process of writing, and has encouraged me to consider doing further courses.

The courses are professionally constructed and informative. I liked the way the information was structured and how encouraged I felt. In many ways it demystified the writing process and made me feel as if writing a good story or novel was an achievable goal, rather than one restricted to a genius.

The course has helped me begin a story different to anything I've written before (I used to only write fantasy, but my most recent project is a young adult book set in London).

My aha moment would be realising that people actually planned scenes, instead of just writing them and seeing where they go.

I would say the course covers a variety of aspects of writing.

I've been wanting to do an AWC course for a long time, and the timing was perfect for this one. I've tried writing children's stories but needed instruction on specific structure etc.

There was a lot of information in 5 weeks, which was great. I like Cathie's style of giving feedback. She tells it like it is, but in a nice way.

I had a few ideas for children's stories and had thought about illustrating them, as I paint/draw. Almost in the first lesson it was pointed out not to do the things I had planned so it has saved me a lot of time and wasted effort!

Kate made the process of plotting and planning really easy to follow and has eased my anxiety around starting the process. Wonderful examples and clear steps to follow.

It is a valuable resource for anyone wanting to write!

I have been able to use Kate's advice and tips to start plotting my story and I feel much more confident and organised.

This course is easy to follow, encouraging and inspiring, and I highly recommend it.