What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I've done two other courses with AWC and really liked them. This one was outside of my comfort zone, but something I wanted to try.

Zanni was great. Really awesome at constructive feedback! My story developed a lot each week based on her input and guidance.

It was great having the opportunity to keep developing/refining the same story over a few weeks. I liked the consistency and applying skills from the lessons each week into the assignment.

I had a vague idea for a story going into the course. Now I've written my first full draft of that story. It's come to life through the lessons, but mostly through Zanni's feedback.

I'd say AWC courses are a great resource to learn some basics, or if you have a story in mind, it's a great place to develop that story in a safe environment.

Zanni was great, very honest. I enjoyed learning different literary techniques and getting to try out a different story every week. The course was pretty perfect!

I've rewritten a story and come up with a brand new story that I'm pretty confident about. I have the confidence to keep trying even if I don't succeed with these ideas.

If you want to have a shot at being published, you need to do this course.

I enjoyed listening to the lessons and following along with the handouts. The content taught was very thorough and gave me a good understanding into the Picture Book world.

The tutor was knowledgeable and gave practical feedback.

It has given me a practical insight into the picture book world. I have always wondered about how to get a story published, and I feel like the course provides a very clear path to get there. Just have to write a good story now!

There was a lot of information to take in over a relatively short timeframe but all of it is very useful and great that we continue to have access to it for 12 months.

The tutor was positive and supportive and gave constructive feedback.

It has given me confidence but also it has helped all of my writing, including the writing I do in the business world. To learn how to be economical but highly effective with words has been very useful.

A well-structured, practical course with constructive feedback that also helps you to understand the industry and how to approach it.

I have had so many ideas, have written in the past and am looking for a new career that I decided it was time to try.

Thankyou Zanni - your feedback was invaluable, very relatable to me. It was of a high quality while also showing me what to do.

I have written my first children's picture book but it has also shown me and given me a taste for other types of writing.

Entering the world of picture books is like entering the TARDIS for the first time. The course opened my eyes but has given me the tools and knowledge to work through the maze.

Zanni is great. Her comments were relevant, useful and encouraging. I gained a lot from listening to her feedback on everyone's work, including my own.

I enjoyed the challenge of writing simple text to create big ideas.

I feel ready to join the world of children's book writers. Now I just have to find a publisher who agrees with me. Thank you to Zanni and AWC.

I'm interested in writing a children's picture book. Started researching how to do this and get published online. It all became very overwhelming. Found this course and thought, "what a great way to get introduced to the world of picture books."

I found the content extremely valuable. I really enjoyed learning about the world of pictures books and its complexities. I loved listening to the lessons. There was so much good stuff to take in.

Do it! It's a fun learning environment. Thanks Zanni :)

Having a dedicated tutor that was able to provide real-time feedback and weekly assignments were both really valuable aspects of the course.

Zanni was highly professional, available as needed, and her feedback was very helpful! I would definitely consider scouting her out for ongoing personal mentorship in the future!

I enjoyed reading the ideas and stories of other participants and being able to build upon new skills introduced each week.

Picture book writing is so much more than a good idea and cute characters. There is a whole structured process to picture book writing than I originally thought! It's quite a carefully thought out process with many components and ingredients!

Do it! You will definitely learn something new, or at the very least, you'll have a lot of fun and get to exercise the creative side of your brain!

Zanni is so knowledgeable and diplomatic. It was a delight to be told where my work could improve, knowing feedback was informed by her expertise. I suspect she could give improvement notes on marauding technique to a red-faced marauder mid-rampage and they'd take off their helmet and set down their axe to listen.

Like taking an intensive picture book alchemistry class - in the space of five weeks I've been able to transmute base non-fiction materials into potential golden picture book content.

Spending time and money on the course to learn valuable writing craft lessons now will save you multiples of both to learn them later, if you're open to listening.

Writing picture books is something that I have always dreamed of doing - since I was just six years old. I finally decided to take the plunge!

The course was amazing. The audio lessons are fantastic, easy to access and it's great that they are broken down into small chunks so you can re-listen to anything with ease.

Zanni was wonderful. She gave great, constructive feedback, in a really warm and engaged way.

The course has given me the tools to finally follow a life-long dream. It's opened my eyes to a whole new world, of writing, and picture books, and I am feeling so inspired.

Do it! Just follow your dream, and your heart. You won't regret it.

Thank you!

I was very happy with the quality of the feedback. I was not expecting so much detail, or every week. I also like that I could see what the other students had written and hear their feedback - I found this helped me to learn more.

I really enjoyed the fact that it was over 6 weeks, with weekly exercises and feedback. I had enrolled in a 12-month course before, but over time I slowed down and didn't complete it. By having weekly assignments it made me apply the learning straight away and get feedback so I could consolidate the learning and then build on it the following week. I also loved the weekly feedback; it felt like there were multiple opportunities to get feedback rather than just one at the end.

Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge with us in such an open way. And thank you for taking the time to review my work and give me such open and honest feedback.

Wonderful courses that really have practical knowledge to help you succeed in the industry. Not just academic theory, but practical and relevant advice for entering the industry by industry experts.

Having enjoyed reading many (sooo many!) picture books to my young sons, I wanted to learn how to write my own, especially for them. The five-week course also fits well into my busy schedule.

Zanni was attentive and insightful. Her hints and tips were most appreciated (thanks Zanni!).

I'm determined to get published, and excited - not scared - about the journey ahead. Picture book writing allows you to embrace your weird, wild and wacky side!

Get started today!

Though I have written and published a picture book, I wanted to test my ideas out on others to see if I am on the right track. I have completed multiple courses with AWC and always find the content/takeaway notes extensive.

I found the feedback on everyone's story very valuable in how to self-assess my stories. I liked Suzanne's gentle way of pulling a story apart and by doing so giving us insight into what is needed and what to leave out of the text for a picture book.

I enjoyed the challenge and now know I can write a picture book each week if I put my mind to it.

Whatever stage of your writing journey the Australian Writers' Centre has a course for you.

The tutor was amazing. I particularly liked the audio feedback.

I enjoyed the hands-on writing and the expectation for us to write stories for several of our assignments.

A wonderful, practical course with a talented teacher.

Suzanne was great at giving constructive feedback. It was always clear what she was expecting of your writing.

I enjoyed the assessments and listening to the lessons in my own time.

I think now I would really like to put more time into my writing, and try to formalise it rather than it just be a hobby.

I would say it is an excellent course if you are wanting to develop your writing skills and learn more about the industry.

I'd always been interested in writing children's books, but the motivation to complete the Writing Picture Books course serendipitously appeared at the start of this year. Being a former journalist and currently a freelance copywriter, I was approached by a local school that works with children who have Autism to write a picture book on their behalf. The book will be used to help neurotypical children better understand Autism and sold for fundraising purposes.

Suzanne's feedback was well-considered, tactfully delivered and I found her to be highly knowledgeable on the course subjects. As an aside, her tone of voice was delightful to listen to, which I'm sure isn't a prerequisite to being a tutor, but appreciated all the same!

I really enjoyed the assignments! If I didn't have any other responsibilities, I'd have spent many more hours a week on each of them, just editing and playing. The requirement to 'find the best word here', and 'shorten this sentence there', etc, was so much fun! (Though I'm guessing only a fellow writer would understand this comment :-))

I'm in the process of pitching a memoir/self-help novel about pregnancy. The manuscript took me 7 years to finish (including 5 beta readers, 2 assessments, 3 medical checks, all the legal permissions, copy and line editing), and while I can't see myself writing another novel I definitely want to continue writing creatively (i.e. not just for the corporate world as with copywriting).

Now that I understand what's involved in writing a children's picture book and how much I enjoyed the process, I can see myself with a potentially ready-made 'audience' for my future picture books, given I'm planning to publish a book for a bunch of pregnant women! (I think it will be about timing the publications correctly and keeping in touch with my readers.)

It would be a dream come true for me to publish a children's picture book, and this will happen with my book about Autism, but I'd love to continue writing children's picture books for myself and hopefully get a traditional publishing deal.

My 'aha' moment was when I understood great picture books are about subtlety...I had heard the saying 'show don't tell' many times before, but this course gave me a far better understanding of the phrase than I had previously.

This is a fantastic course to do if you're interested in learning how to write a children's picture book.

Thank you!

I really appreciated the way the course is designed. It's clear from the content that you value people's time - there was nothing superfluous, yet there was so much detail included. I thought it might have been a bit 'general' but the insight given was impressive.

Great feedback. I learned a lot from not just my own feedback but by listening to others' too.

I enjoyed the modules themselves and the feedback. Being able to listen to them as audio files was most helpful.

I know so much more than when I began. I read a quote from a graduate saying, 'Don't submit anything before doing this course.' How right they were.

Do it.

I want to write my own picture book but was not sure where to start. My only concern was that I wouldn't learn what I thought I needed to but I am really glad I enrolled. I have learned so much about writing picture books, but also the publishing process which I hadn't even considered so I am happy that I have this in my mind now too.

My online tutor provided relevant feedback and really helped me fine-tune the story I have been working on. She was honest and critical.

I enjoyed being able to finally begin writing the story I have had in my head for years now.

It was very insightful, simple to follow along and allowed good time to complete each module.

I wanted to achieve some creative development and I wanted some help with understanding what the industry was looking for.

It's a must if you are serious about writing a quality picture book. You will be inspired and the creative juices will flow.

A huge thanks!

The tutorials were great - lots of great information. I learnt so much. Accessing the tutorials was very easy and I had no hiccups with the technology.

I found Zanni knowledgeable and her feedback was thoughtful and appropriate. I appreciated that she gave verbal feedback and it was very timely.

Having this course developed and delivered by published authors gave the course great credibility and I felt like I was given an insider’s perspective of the picture book industry in Australia. I liked that I could access the course in my own time.

The second module called for us to submit a picture book and I created a new picture book one morning for this assignment. I love the book I wrote - which I would never have even conceived if not for the course. I learnt so much and I took a mountain of notes. I've started to really look critically at each written word and consider their value and impact on the text and of course concentrating on making my words sparkle! The course has also excited me about becoming an author and given me so many things to think about that I'd never previously considered - some nights I have so many ideas spinning around my head I can't sleep :)

If you are genuinely keen to pursue a writing career, seriously consider courses with the AWC. They have current, easy to understand and practical tutorials packed full of information about the nuances of writing, how to enter the industry, and everything you need to bring your writing career to life.

Thank you to the AWC and to Zanni. I really enjoyed the course and am looking forward to the next one!