What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I was able to come up with more story ideas in the five-week period than I have in many years. I was inspired and couldn't wait to wake up each Monday and get stuck into the next module. I learnt so much and loved listening to the audio in my own time and now have the worksheets to refer back to for life!

Make time to write and writing something is better than nothing. You never know what amazing stories you have within you.

Do it! There is so much to learn and so much fun to be had.

Zanni was extremely helpful. She gave constructive feedback that was encouraging even when it was about something that wasn't working well. It is obvious that she is experienced as it often felt like she was reading my mind by knowing what the intentions of my characters were without it being directly stated.

It's made me feel like my dream could actually become a reality.

It's a great introduction to writing and gives you a framework to begin your stories from.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course and it was probably one of the best online courses I've done in a while. I found the feedback positive, informative and not too overwhelming. I was able to use the feedback and advice to rework my ideas, tweak and adjust accordingly. Couldn't have asked for more!

My ideas were initially a bit unorganised and mostly in picture form which wasn't ideal as I am not a good artist by any means. I now carry a little book with me and just jot and date ideas and expand as I go. I am thinking more in themes and overall structure also which helps me organise my thoughts.

The course helped me to develop my ideas, which up until now hadn't gone too far. Having a template in my head of how a story could translate into a final product I found useful and obviously the guidance on using the correct language, tenses etc helps it all click into place. I am now looking at other picture books and analysing them with a more focused view.

Great course! It was well structured and gave a fantastic overview on aspects of the picture book process and industry. It really gets you into the right headspace for writing and pushes you towards being able to create your own picture book manuscript.

First, I enjoyed learning the techniques of picture book writing, and then seeing them come alive in the books I read with my kids each day. I also enjoyed learning about the publishing process - there was so much I didn't know. Lastly, I enjoyed that by halfway through the course, I had written a complete story! I didn't expect that. And while it wasn't polished or perfect, it gave me the confidence to know that I could do it.

Learning about the publishing process was a huge eye opener. For example, I assumed I would need to know an illustrator in order to have something published. Of course, I learned that wasn't the case, and further, that it could be detrimental to a submission if the illustrations weren't what the publisher was looking for. The course also brought writing back into my life and gave me the confidence to know I can do it and I still enjoy it.

I would say, go for it! This course was well worth the investment of time and money, and I'm sure other courses from the AWC would be as well. As someone who likes structure, I appreciated that there was a framework and flow to what we were learning. On the other hand, there was enough space to be creative for someone who is more creatively inclined.

Thank you for putting on such a great and helpful course. I am excited to continue my writing journey.

Zanni provided amazing feedback with practical tips to improve our drafts and ideas. The video feedback was fantastic, very personable and it helped to see someone else reading out loud our words. This really highlighted clunky or awkward language and things that needed fixing.

Getting feedback on a whole picture book manuscript was very helpful, and also looking at the elevator pitch/blurb and how this may/may not appeal to a publisher/agent.

I’m much more enthused about my ideas, what to work on next, areas to improve.

Thank you for another fantastic course.

This course is the total package in terms of delivering professional insights & materials covering a vast range of topics while providing helpful, positive feedback on written exercises based on careful reading & publishing experience.

Zanni Louise was an astute & thoughtful critic of our works in progress. I enjoyed the feedback, especially the video version where Zanni read all the stories.

It taught me to hone my craft so I revealed the essence of the story and narrative drive.

Zanni was wonderful!

I enjoyed having the materials in audio so it can be listened to again.

I have a solid foundation in knowing how to structure a story and present it to a publisher.

Thank you greatly! It has been a pleasure participating in the course and the next steps are a great guide in how to continue on our own :)

You should absolutely do it, there is so much to learn.

I got fantastic insight into the world of publishing children's books and valuable advice. Completely and utterly know this is my direction now.

It is more than just writing a book. It is a career engaging with schools, children, readings, events etc. It's totally blown my mind the scope available.

A safe encouraging space with wonderful content.

Thank you.

I had no idea just how rich the course information would be. I will have to go back through and read it all again!

Brilliant tutor and feedback. Feel very lucky to have had Zanni reading my work.

Listening to everyone's feedback was invaluable. Amazing opportunity and gave the course a classroom feel.

The piece that I received the best feedback on, I very nearly didn't post at all. I pushed myself way out of my comfort zone which has given me so much to think about.

Sign. Up. Now.

I have wanted to write picture books for a long time and it seemed like a perfect taster - short (as in five weeks long) but quality content, a respected organisation and full online learning (important as I live in a rural area). I also liked the weekly deadlines and opportunity to have classmates via the course chat.

It was a fabulous course. The audio lessons were packed full of detailed information. I love that we can download them and listen again and again. I liked the mix of literary and industry learning and I learnt a lot of things I didn’t even know I would need to know!

Zanni was very prompt with her feedback and she presented it in a detailed and compassionate way, always providing positives as well as constructive ideas for change. These ideas were clear and concise and enabled many participants to change their stories, sometimes considerably, for the better. She considered so many aspects of each story and it was really amazing that she could do all that on the spot without prior reading of the stories. I liked the way we could listen to classmates’ feedback as well as that also helped my learning.

I enjoyed the audio lessons, reading other participants’ stories, the humour in the course content, the personalised feedback.

I now feel confident to pursue writing picture books as a career choice. I had a lot of ideas before but now all the tips have enabled that to be shaped and structured in a more cohesive and powerful way. I find it thrilling to put it all together now whereas before I was often consumed with self-doubt about my abilities.

It’s a really accessible course for anyone interested in writing, whether or not you have experience. Above all it was a welcoming, fun, professional learning environment with so many opportunities to improve your craft and connect with other passionate learners.

Zanni is helpful and the feedback honest but presented in a very positive way.

I enjoyed the challenges, the new understanding I have and the way it moved forward in an encouraging manner. It was great to read other people’s stories and learn from each other’s feedback.

The course was of great benefit as it starts from basics so everyone is at the same level and carries the participants forward to being able to write a picture book text. The feedback is given in a professional and helpful manner and, as it involves others, a wider feedback is gained from things that we may not otherwise have thought of.

I wasn’t sure what to expect but I liked that it starts with the premise that we can already write and then explores avenues with those skills.

Zanni Louise was amazing - her feedback was always positive and affirming and gently guided us towards doing better and better work. As a teacher it made me re-evaluate my own feedback to students - immediate and targeted is most definitely the most effective and making time for that is so important.

I enjoyed seeing the work of others and feeling as though I belonged in the world of writers who were all amazing and had strengths to be admired.

I think it truly does exactly what it offers and was pitched at exactly the right level for my needs.

Writing picture story books has been something that I have wanted to do for quite some time. The timing was right to pursue this now.

Zanni's weekly feedback was much appreciated and welcomed. It was honest, critical and constructive. Thank you Zanni :)

I enjoyed the opportunity to put pen to paper and to bring to life some of the ideas for stories that I have been collecting for years.

I am inspired to continue writing and to refine some of these ideas.

Amazing! I was so impressed with Zanni, and I am so glad that I did the course. She was extremely professional and knowledgeable.

Zanni's video feedback was great. Having access to all of the stories was excellent too, and hearing Zanni's feedback to all of the stories allowed me to learn so much more because I learned where they needed to improve and where they went well etc.

I feel that there is a lot there I did not know. I did not realise how much goes into writing a picture book. I learned a lot about what publishers look for etc.

I feel that the amount I have learned in these five weeks would have taken me years to learn on my own. I am going to immediately listen to all of the material again and write more stories. I am going to make the most of it while I have it, as I feel it is a really valuable resource. I am so glad that I did it.

Do it. It is money well spent. There is so much you don't know. You would be crazy not to do it.

It was great to be held accountable by handing in assignments at the end of each week.

Feedback was great. Always encouraging with gentle ways to change things, that needed to be changed in our stories. Although I had a heart attack on the first feedback via Loom and my story was read out for all. But it was really good and I see the value of all stories being read out. Heart back to normal beat :)

I enjoyed immersing myself in the world of children's picture books, as this is a totally new world to me. With travel off the cards at the moment, creative imagination is the next best thing. It was challenging and rewarding.

It has given me the confidence to keep going – something I always lack. I don't think you are ever too old to start something new. Really loved immersing myself into the world of children's picture books.

I worked on the same characters and story for the whole course. Loved seeing each week the story develop, improve and fall in love with my character Wilbur. Now, I want to see how far I can go with my little mate.

Thank you to Zanni for support, feedback provided and steering me in the right direction. :)

Having written two books and attempting to approach publishers and agents already, I now know to a greater degree what I didn't know before. I didn't have the knowledge I have now to better my chances in my manuscripts, pitch, bio etc. catching the eye, mind and heart of a publisher or agent.

The tutor was very thorough with a genuine care to help. Always finding the good and a keen eye for the areas that can be improved.

A heartfelt huge thank you for all the individual help and feedback. It has been a great wealth of knowledge and fun.

Don't wait! Don't wait for that more spare time you think you'll have later. If you want to be a successfully published children's picture book writer then go take this course. It will equip you with what you need.

I had completed the Writing Chapter Books for Young Children but felt my style might go younger. So I thought I would give it a try! I've completed a few AWC courses - this one is by far the best!

Zanni provided some valuable feedback - was very supportive in her approach.

Doing this in conjunction with feedback from Cathie Tasker on my first draft of my chapter book - I can better see how this links. Just worked!

The page layout format became really important - and the sparkling language. Gave a terrific perspective for the depth of work required for a children's picture book.

Just pick a course & do it!

I loved how practical this course was! It got right down to the nitty gritty of how to actually turn your ideas into a picture book.

I’ve had several ideas (for many years!) and I was looking for something to help me translate my ideas into reality.

The tutor was great. I loved her helpful and honest feedback.

I really feel like I have the confidence to pursue this new direction with my writing.

I really enjoyed doing this course. The feedback was very helpful. From the beginning to the end, instructions were very clear. I'm glad it laid out the amount of hours to spend on the course each week, as that made me more organised.

The tutor clearly has a lot of expertise; the feedback was really helpful.

I loved being able to learn so much by listening to the audio whilst cooking dinner or doing something else. It was really good for my wellbeing. The tasks were a perfect challenge/opportunity to put into practise the learning from the modules.

Also, it was really affirming to be finally taking the plunge to have a go at picture book writing and using my creative side which I haven't been able to do much for several years due to working full time.

It's a great time out for your own life whilst learning/working on something you care about.

This course is fantastic!

Zanni and her feedback was fantastic and insightful. As a result I have learned heaps and I’m excited to continue learning.

I enjoyed learning about all of the other aspects that go into picture book writing as well as the publishing process which I never knew before.

Thank you for offering this great course and thank you Zanni for your teachings! Definitely 100% do it - it’s great!