What’s it like to learn with AWC?

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.