What’s it like to learn with AWC?

Nat Newman was great. Her feedback was honest, thoughtful and delivered in a gentle manner

I enjoyed sitting down and putting in to practice the tips that were outlined in the modules. Bringing to life characters that have been brewing in my subconscious.

I now am a little less afraid and I have a more thorough grasp on the reality of the drafting process.

I would say it is a great crash course in getting your work critiqued.

I enjoyed Valerie's openness and big heartedness to share her hard-won experiences. The day-to-day practical advice.

I know if I am dedicated, and keep in mind I am running a small business, I will succeed.

The AWC knows the industry inside out.

I have been thinking about changing careers to writing for a while. I joined mailing lists for writing courses and this year I decided to actually take the plunge.

This is a very positive and motivating course. Thank you for making it enjoyable.

I liked hearing the interviews from real writers. The information throughout the course is also well worth listening to.

I know that with commitment and hard work, I can reinvent myself as the writer I have always wanted to be.

I just engaged in a motivational, engaging and inspiring short course, that showed me I can change my career and be the creative that I want to be. I would highly recommend to anyone wanting to try writing as a career to do this course and be inspired to strive to be your best self as a writer.

The course was well paced, exercises very useful but not onerous.

Pamela provided very useful and thoughtful feedback on the assignments.

I enjoyed the opportunity to learn new things - and put them into practice each week in the assignments, including valuable feedback.

I didn't know the basics before, so now I can write more confidently using the right POV, and use more colourful descriptions of settings.

Very useful and enjoyable introduction, especially from a starting point of no formal creative writing study.

Even as a child, I have always loved to be creative and have loved writing, but I've never pursued it. So, when I found the Australian Writer's Centre and looked through the courses, I couldn't help but enrol into the course.

I didn't really know what to expect, but it was more than I could've hoped for coming in with no experience in writing.

I thought Pamela was awesome. She gave great, clear feedback which I could easily understand and that allowed me to see my writing and the writings of other published authors differently.

This course has really helped me understand the basics on how a book is written. Learning to trust your readers will help me to go over my own work, rephrase sentences and think about how to describe things in future.

The major learning I had with this course was about the different points of view and the advantages and disadvantages they have with readers.

The Australian Writers' Centre is a great place to start, if anyone wants to learn how to write. The centre has numerous courses from the very basics to more advanced forms of writing and teachers that will help answer any questions and provide feedback on assignments.

I'm looking forward to doing more courses in future.

This is a very well put together course, highly efficient and effective because of its focus on core skills. And it lived up to the promise of the promo.

Alex's feedback was thorough, constructive and on point. I found it very helpful.

I enjoyed the way it broke down the steps and elements of freelance article writing. I left with a clear sense of what I need to do, and a framework for ongoing development, from start to finish.

I'm an experienced writer, but in institutional settings (government, law, academia), so this has given me the tools to quickly adapt and transition to feature writing and the confidence to make a start on a new career.

Do it if you want to quickly learn the skills to embark on feature writing as a part- or full-time pursuit.

After completing many AWC courses, I felt ready to begin diving into the structural features of a novel. Romances are my favourite (I'm now no longer afraid to admit!) and the course outline looked like a great place to start planning my own romance novel.

The 'work at your own pace' structure appeals to me, as do the practical, industry-based tips and techniques. The additional audio interviews are super helpful.

I enjoyed learning the structural elements of plotting a romance novel, and specific features of the MCs. The work sheets and handout are clear and offer invaluable insight into writing romance, and I plan to use them over and over. I've started going back over the course as a jumping off point for developing my characters.

This course has given me the confidence to start writing my first novel!

It validated my love of romance writing as a legitimate genre, and has given me the confidence to pursue this writing form.

The AWC's practical, accessible and self-paced courses are ideal for those people who are thinking of honing their writing skills, or perhaps (like me) considering a career change.

To have a professional edit your work is priceless and I appreciate the way in which Alex delivered the feedback on the tasks each week. She delivered thorough feedback, gave examples of what could be tweaked and suggested areas for improvement. Thank you Alex for your time and attention to detail.

I enjoyed the course overall. I'm motivated by weekly tasks and I liked that we had feedback in real time. The handouts were helpful and the encouragement from the classmates was great.

It's given me the courage and the tools to venture out and 'put my name out there' to have an article(s) published.

Take a course, upskill, learning will always get you closer to your goal and through AWC you can connect with so many people who want you to succeed.

Pamela has both a broad and detailed insight into writing, which spans all genres. Her feedback was measured and focused, and I particularly liked how she made comments which were applicable to the wider group not just the writer whose work she was critiquing at the time.

Start with Creative Writing Stage 1 before you get too deep into writing your novel (wish someone had said that to me!)

This course was a new experience for me and I did not know what to expect. I hoped I would learn new skills and insights. These modest expectations were met in spades.

I was impressed with the time Vivienne spent giving detailed and helpful feedback to us all.

Apart from the content and course structure, which I thought was excellent, the noticeboards provided a good clearing house for questions, thoughts and ideas. This made all participants feel part of a group and by the end of four weeks I felt that I had met a dozen more people.

It was the technical structure of good opinion writing that was my special moment. Until now I have been writing by the seat of my pants.

It is clear that Vivienne works very hard and wants to provide course participants with as much support as she can. Her feedback is prompt, detailed and constructive. She made herself available in course chat throughout the month and responded to everyone who asked her questions. There isn't a hint of snobbery about her, and she clearly wanted to get to know her participants so she could tailor her advice to their needs. She is approachable, genuine and clearly very knowledgeable. She is an absolute asset to AWC, that is for sure!

While I am not much of a 'chat contributor,' I really enjoyed that this course seemed to attract people from all over the country. Everyone was friendly and supportive of one another's contributions and assignments, which made the whole experience feel less intimidating. There wasn't a hint of competitiveness or one-upmanship. Refreshing.

Writing opinion pieces is a fantastic way to work out how you really feel about a topic - you might discover your opinion changes mid-way through writing a piece as you research and unearth new information. A really active way to educate yourself on a topic and learn (and retain!!!) new information.

I regularly recommend AWC. Course content is always of high quality, tutors are knowledgeable, and having access to the material after the course is finished allows you to dip and dive back into it when you need it most.

I often have stories in my head stemming from different situations and observations and really didn't know where or how to start putting the ideas on paper. I found this course on-line. The five-week course looked attractive and fit into my work/lifestyle. I also thought Pamela Freeman would be an approachable and knowledgeable tutor.

I was impressed by the feedback on my own work as well as to the other students. Pamela was always positive and encouraging but still gave solid practical advice. She always managed to target the very areas in my work that I also was concerned about so Pamela gave me the advice I needed.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course. There was plenty of content to take in so I know I'll go back to visit over the next twelve months. I loved that I found I had more imagination than I thought and enjoyed delving deeper into the characters I developed for the assignments. I felt I was getting to know the other students too. I was picking up on their writing styles and found I was looking forward to reading their work. I enjoyed the feedback too even though I would get a little nervous, but as I said, Pamela gave great feedback and I looked forward to that.

I feel I have a starting point now from which to write. I have tools I didn't have before and feel confident enough to continue developing those skills. I had loads of fun too!

Definitely, if you want to kick start writing in a supportive, creative environment, go ahead. The comprehensive lessons are by knowledgeable tutors with vast experience in the industry. I would thoroughly recommend this course. Enjoy yourself, have some fun!

I felt Pamela was very knowledgeable in all genres that were presented to her. Her feedback with examples were a great source of learning for me, on my work and others work.

I loved the way each module built on the previous and came together in the end. I started with no knowledge (and very little experience reading novels as I read mostly non-fiction). I learned so much each week and I think I will benefit tremendously from going back over the course content.

I am starting to enter the world of a fiction writer and I hope it's the start of an incredibly rewarding journey. I'm 55 and semi-retired and I have this opportunity to do something that has always interested me. I plan to do more courses with you to continue to improve my skills.

If you've ever imagined writing a novel or short story, do this course. It's a great foundation to get you started in the right way.

I did my undergrads in English Studies with a wide range of courses which included Narratology. So I was concerned that it might be repetitive and I wouldn't get much out of it. Based on my experience doing Masters in Australia, I was also concerned that it would be too slow and full of fluff. But I'm so glad it was anything but that. It was packed with great info and was at a good pace.

Nat Newman was great with her feedback. It was extremely helpful, constructive, and encouraging, while not being patronising.

I most enjoyed the assignments. They've helped me get into the headspace to be writing my novel and over the course I've actually managed to start and write about 4000 words.

It's put me in the right headspace. It's helped me get started. And it's checked my expectations of writing a novel.

Creative Writing Stage 1 is a great course to get you started and thinking in the right direction.

I am a complete beginner. I love reading and I wanted to write but just didn't know where to start or how to go about it. This course broke it down to individual parts and made the process more clear.

Pamela is very knowledgeable and sounds like she knows what she is talking about! I learned a lot from her constructive feedback, and when she says you've done something well it's a good feeling :-) I found myself refreshing my emails every 10 minutes on a Monday morning to see if the feedback was up yet.

I liked the structure. I felt I learned a huge amount in such a short space of time. I quite liked the Write Direction Zoom call where you could see your classmates' faces. I enjoyed seeing everyone else's work and see where they went with the prompts.

The AWC made my dream of being an author more accessible. It's shown me I have a lot more to learn - but luckily they have plenty of courses!

I have been listening to the Australian Writers' Centre podcasts for years and have often dreamed about doing one of their courses. I completed Reinvent Yourself in 2020 and finally felt ready to commit to this course. I'm so glad I did.

My main concern was not having the time to do the course justice but I found I got better at prioritising the course over everything else. It was a great feeling. I was also fearful that I would find it too hard as I have not studied since school - and that was a very long time ago!

Alex is very knowledgeable and was able to critique our assignments and offer suggestions on the fly.

I enjoyed the way the modules and handouts were released each week so that the course didn't become overwhelming, especially for someone like me who hasn't really studied before. I also thought that the assignments were varied, interesting and relevant.

I have mentioned the AWC to a lot of people and I always mention your podcast, especially the author talks. I love them as Valerie's questions unearth so much detail about each author, their journey and their process.

I found the information insightful and the exercises (both the assignments and the optional ones) very well thought out.

Pamela is very personable and generous. It's a tricky fine line between being encouraging to such newbies and pointing out some of our areas that need improvement.

I enjoyed being able to actually have someone else read my writing. I'm also very grateful for the (optional) exercises.

Having feedback has given me some confidence. The message to just keep writing and get a first draft done has allowed me to pull out my first attempt and continue.

Thank you and well done to those with such creative drive and generosity to build the Australian Writers' Centre over a number of years. Wonderful!

Nat was wonderful. She gave good insightful feedback that was both constructive and supportive, but also did not hesitate to point out parts of our work that we could/should improve.

I challenged myself to write new content for each assignment, and put into practice the little things we had learnt through the module, instead of just writing what I thought I knew and was capable/good at.

I will definitely continue on this path and keep going. I look forward to uncovering and sharing the books I know live within me.

Absolutely, give it a go. You'll find out if this is something you want to pursue or not by the end. And if it's not something for you to follow, you'll still enjoy the journey the course provides you.

Looking forward to taking the next step forward in getting the words out of my head, and into a book. Next course definitely on the cards!

Love the smiling presenter and how encouraging she is in all the modules. Excellent information and presentation. Thank you!

Writing stories for publication is one thing, the other is how to make it known in an efficient medium through social media.

Highly recommended for anyone who's writing to get published and ideas on how to go about constructing an author website. Absolutely jam-packed with information and pathways to make it happen!

I learned so much! I admit that I did not appreciate the technical precision and sparkle required for a truly wonderful children's picture book.

Cathie had great feedback. It was clear yet supportive. The class feedback and the individual feedback was valuable.

It has made me understand the magic of picture books and has inspired me to keep writing and perhaps work together with my sister.

AWC was a great way to learn more about the whole life-cycle of writing a children's picture book - the technical drafting side, the sparkle, the teamwork required. The commitment to enrol gave me the motivation to write again.

Loved it! Thank you for providing me the tools to move forward with more confidence.