What’s it like to learn with AWC?

It's given me the plan I need to finish my novel(s). I'm excited to put this all into practice starting today. As someone who is great at executing but NEEDS a plan, this has unlocked my brain with how to move forward.

I loved the idea of working out the five major plot points and building around that. Even if it slightly changes, I know that having an internal idea of where I am writing towards will be MASSIVE for me to actually finish my stories.

I already recommend AWC to everyone. Every course I've done, I've gained so much value. I'll definitely be back for more just because I love it. I'm studying a Bachelor in Creative Writing and Publishing, and I love it! But there's also so much of the practical, how-to, information that is missed in higher education. So having these very practical courses supplement my degree has helped me get even more out of it.

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.

I wanted to know if I was on the right path with the formation of my book. I now have the tools I need. The path has been cleared so that I can weave my tale and bring my story to life.

Clear concise communication with wonderful examples. Very enjoyable course.

The documents and resources I now have to keep for ongoing reference are high quality. I felt as if Kate was talking directly to me and never did she say that her way was the only way to plan and plot.

The way Kate distilled her lifetime's experience of writing stories into a comprehensible structure was invaluable.

Kate provided a way to sort out what I am doing with my story. Rather than having a vague idea, I can now use her experience to make sense of how to organise my projects. Not knowing how to start was always a problem for me. You can use a logical approach to organising a project without losing the creativity of writing a story.

Thoroughly professionally presented and organised course. The Centre's technology was easy to use and made working through the modules simple.

I loved all the practical tips. It's given me direction to start my book.

If you're looking for inspiration and practical strategies, the Australian Writers' Centre has lots of courses to help you start your creative journey or build on your writing skills.

I like the depth of relevant examples for each plotting/planning component from popular authors and books. The art and history references included also add a depth to the learning.

I enjoyed Kate's lovely teaching style with examples in the course taken from art, history and popular authors.

Very useful for aspiring writers to learn the required skills to work on a novel.

I am part way through a trilogy of YA - my first novels - and felt it was important to ensure I was approaching the task with a proper structure.

I was very interested in Kate's insights on writing a series of novels. In the back of my mind I had been concerned about how to approach the character arcs in a trilogy and she dealt with this really clearly, confirming the approach I have been using is sound. I now feel I can move forward with confidence.

Kate's exposition is clear and compelling and the tools she provides for writing novels are undoubtedly designed not only to provide inspiration but to also to save time.

I thought this was really excellent. It has given me a real and useful map of how to go about planning my next manuscript and moving forward from the ideas to the first draft.

I enjoyed the clarity and depth of the explanations. Kate Forsyth was great.

I am inspired to move forward from some ideas to actually develop the plot and get started.

I really loved Kate's style and all of her advice was nuanced and beneficial all the while recognising the broad range of writing styles. I also loved the excellent back up materials.

With this course I had a book idea that was half-formed. Throughout the lessons, having that half-formed idea in my head, I was able to write notes directly about my ideas as the course progressed.

Between this and the other two courses I've completed, I finally feel ready to begin!

A fabulous range of courses that can be done in your own time, taught by experienced authors, at a price that makes it easy to say yes.

I was finding that I had all these ideas but had no idea where to start in putting them together. I wanted a step-by-step guide to organising my thoughts in the hope it would make writing attainable.

I found Kate delightful to listen to and she has so much experience on different ways to plot, plan and write a book. I also enjoyed the art history lessons! I found it incredibly insightful, especially in regards to the step-by-step module at the end.

I now feel like I have a sense of direction to start a novel that has been percolating for a while. I feel confident that I will be able to keep it on track and feel less anxious about the experience.

There is or can be a lot more to the plotting and planning side of it than I realised! I would have considered myself a pantser, but I think by following the steps Kate has put together, I will be able to actually finish something that is well put together. I also liked though that the systems still allow for creativity and for changes to be made - they are guidelines not rules!

Courses through the AWC are always well presented, informative and supportive. When you finish one, you feel such a spark of creativity and inspiration and they make you believe that you can attain your writing goals.

I needed to learn from an expert how to plot and plan a novel or any story for that matter!

I love Kate Forsyth's passion. She's very infectious.

I love to 'plan' things ... dinner parties, holidays etc. ... I write everything down. I started doing the same for my first novel. It felt like I was just 'playing'. Kate confirmed I wasn't! And helped me put it in the right order. Although I still have a very long way to go, I feel I'm on the right track. Thank you!

AWC courses are so helpful and well-structured that I thought this course was what I needed in order to better plan and start putting my ideas down on a page. I was right!!!

The videos were great, and the slide presentation was succinct and to the point. It has renewed my confidence to start writing something that has been in my head for the past 3 years.

The whole course was excellent, but if I had to choose one moment it was towards the end when Kate presented a step-by-step on how to plan and plot. I understand that it may be a different process for me, and I will have to adjust to my needs, but it is the structure that helps me.

If you have an idea and want to start writing, AWC courses will certainly give the tools you need.

Although I had started writing and planning a novel in much the way Kate outlines, she gave me ideas about how I could deepen and make it more thorough and systematic. The course gave concrete steps but stressed flexibility.

Do it. You won't regret it for a moment.

I was just in need of a little help in getting into a better writing rhythm, and some structure and tools to help with the planning.

Sometimes - often - I hit creative blocks, and I can go for weeks without any progress. I am finding that having a better toolkit is a great help in filling in that down time with other steps that will help me reach my target. Getting some plans in place, some characters better defined, some plots better organised, doesn't necessarily require the creative juices to be percolating at the time - but these all help to move the story along.

Some obvious and basic tools had been evading me - so, not so obvious after all!!

Unless you studied this at school or university, you will invariably pick up some very useful tools to supplement your creative writing journey.

I wanted to learn the basics about plotting and planning out my novel idea so that I could have more success with finishing it.

I liked the way Kate used examples to explain different aspects of the plotting and planning process.

I liked that the handouts were print friendly; that is most helpful as I can refer to them frequently especially if I am only scribbling in a notebook (I don't have to turn on my computer to refer to them).

As a person who likes to plan and create checklists, I now have a clearer understanding of where to start. I can now set progress goals for my novel and stay on track.

This course is perfect for absolute beginners especially if you like to plan things out first. Now I have the necessary tools to properly plan my background stories and scenes, set progress goals and stay on track. Finally, I can start my first novel with clarity and confidence, thanks to Kate Forsyth.

Kate Forsyth is such a breath of fresh air! She is so genuine, really keen and interested in training up budding writers without threat to herself. She is generous and plainspoken but with an obvious rich background in the development of writing and its present application. She got me writing again! I kept having to pause her as ideas were streaming through my mind. I thank her tremendously. AWC...you have a gem in your midst!!

Have not bothered to write for a while, but during this course I found myself grabbing a pencil and paper and streaming my mind out.

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes!!

I love Kate Forsyth's mix of creative inspiration using art and her practical suggestions and advice regarding a story's structure and how to break it down. The art, advice, suggestions, practical insight into chapter and story lengths across genres.

I feel much more confident in being able to put my ideas into a structured plan without losing creativity.

Great practical and creative ideas to help you plan your book and to fully recognise your own creativity. I had thought that a plan would somehow stifle my story; instead it has allowed it to grow and improve.

There was so much depth to this course. Kate is incredibly knowledgeable and shared so much in a concise way so it wasn't overwhelming. It was such a great course!

I enjoyed how tangible all the information was.

I now have a plan for my novel from following Kate's procedures.

If I were to recommend AWC to someone, I would say that they would get so much value for money, learn so much information and feel really supported in their writing.

After writing one book without any preparation or experience, I realised I needed to learn more about plotting and planning before attempting my second book. I found this course advertised on the AWC web, registered my interest, and booked in once it was up and running.

Kate was amazing. Although I had discovered some of what she was saying (through trial and error), I also learnt so many things that will help me with my next book. The main point I took from it is that I need to be more professional and organised, and I love the 'top down' approach, i.e., write a telegraph, expand it into a synopsis, then expand that into an outline.

I like the artwork and I enjoyed how Kate related her tips to her own books. Also really appreciate the Challenges booklet. This will be very useful moving forward.

This is a step-by-step process to planning your novel. I can now approach writing my second book with much more confidence.

Loved having Kate speak to me through the slides and her use of art in her presentations.

Kate' s explanation of the different types of narrative structures - I think all the different structures for fiction have started to come together.

Fantastic course. Well worth the money, time and effort to learn how to plot and plan your novel. As a discovery writer, Kate's suggestions were a revelation and I can't wait to put her tips into action.