What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I love picture books and reading them to kids! Also wanting to write children's picture books but not really having any idea of where to start, apart from the ideas in my mind.

I realise that I knew very little about the constraints of writing picture books and this course has enlightened me.

I found Zanni's feedback to be constructive and delivered in a very positive way. The video feedback sessions were especially helpful.

It has motivated me to actually start working at writing rather than just thinking and talking about it.

Thanks to AWC and to Zanni. I look forward to many more courses with you.

I'm an illustrator who wants to explore writing children's picture books, and was recommended your course by a librarian.

Our online tutor gave us helpful feedback and explained well where our stories could be improved in a constructive manner.

I enjoyed the results, and having my own stories that I can now work on further.

This course has further shown me the enjoyment that comes with the creativity in storytelling, and has opened my eyes to the possibility of this as a career.

This course helps you dip your toe into writing stories for children, how to learn to edit your own work and how to make a career from it.

I am a Primary School teacher and have an avid interest in picture books. I would like to explore the possibility of writing picture books for children and use my teaching background to write books to help improve children's literacy and build a positive reading culture for young people. I thought that doing this course would help me in this endeavour, and it has.

Zanni was really positive and helped me move forward in my writing. I always value feedback and a critical eye as I feel it is the best way forward (in writing and life). I valued Zanni's feedback as she helped me discover aspects of my writing that are working well and where I need to exert myself more.

I really savoured the content in each module and absorbing the info about children's books. The course also 'forced' (in a good way) me to write more. I love a deadline so having a weekly assignment really helped.

This course really opened me up to the other side of picture books (I have the teacher perspective) but the author and publisher perspective was eye-opening for me. I didn't realise just how much goes into writing children's books.

If you want to build your skills and build your writing toolbox I strongly recommend you do a course through AWC – it will inspire you and assist you in your writing journey, whatever that is.

Thanks for a great course. I have completed a few courses through AWC and while I haven't had anything published yet, I do so love the course content and learning skills and connecting with likeminded people. It also influences what I read from time to time so the courses keep me interested and stimulated.

I had seen good reviews online for this course and the description sounded like what I had been looking for. Initially, I was unsure because of the cost but after some thought I felt it was a good investment to learn the skills I need to pursue my interest in writing picture books

I really appreciated the prompt feedback and the video format was helpful. It was also helpful to be able to hear Zanni's feedback for others in the course.

I enjoyed reading people's stories - it was lovely to see the different creative ideas people came up with and this provides inspiration to see the world in different ways for future stories.

It taught me the skills needed to develop picture books and the knowledge of what is required and involved in getting published.

The course is a great place to start if you have an interest in writing picture books but limited knowledge about how to structure and format them and how the publishing process works.

I enjoyed this course and the feedback. I think it’s the right length too, and the requirement to complete an assignment each week works very well for me and to maintain a discipline of 'doing'.

It was very informative and covered everything from the structure of books to the potential earnings and practicalities of getting published. I also found the links to societies of writers super helpful.

I wrote two stories! Amazing indeed.

There is a lot of information packed into a short and punchy schedule. Easily understood and well structured. I'll be signing up for another course soon!

I have wild ideas every day. The course has provided a great outlet and enabled me to put those ideas into a format. Really appreciate it. Thank you! The course provided an opportunity to put ideas into motion.

The tutor was excellent. The honesty was very much appreciated. I had one dud week, and I knew it. Always constructive. When praise was in order, Zanni provided it. Very appreciative. Honesty is the key here. So thank you.

I enjoyed exploring ideas and getting them out of my head. Having a great laugh along the way!!

The course was awesome - get onto it! The more the merrier. You will be supported and really get to the grit of learning.

Creative writing is a passion of mine and I've always been interested in learning to write for young children. The course overview seemed very comprehensive and exactly what I was interested in learning. I work in environmental education and one of my 2021 projects is to develop two digital picture story books about conservation issues in Victoria. This course seemed like a fabulous starting point to learn more about the structure of picture story books and to practice writing :)

Zanni is very approachable and provides such thoughtful and constructive feedback. She made me feel very comfortable presenting assignments, having a go and trying again. It was a good experience being able to listen to an expert in the field :)

I enjoyed seeing how different everyone's writing style/topics were and being able to learn from each other in the feedback sessions. I also thought it was pretty cool that you could see a massive difference in your writing when you compared week 1 to week 5 assignment responses!

It really opened up my eyes to all the different ways you can write for children! Participating in this course has given me the confidence to continue writing and possibly even pursue writing for children in the future. It's also been great to feel a part of a community of writers :)

Australian Writers' Centre is a wonderfully supportive community that not only improved my understanding of writing for children, but made me feel comfortable to practice and present my work for feedback. My course provided me with real life examples, great advice/knowledge and a new network of like-minded people :)

Thank you Zanni for all your advice, tips and tricks for writing engaging stories. You're such an approachable tutor and your feedback was so thoughtful. Thank you for making the course so much fun :)

I love and write Picture Books and have for several years. I have seen this course offered many times, but 2020 finally made me bite the bullet and spend the money needed to do the course.

Zanni was lovely. She was gentle, upbeat and positive, but was still able to highlight areas in our manuscripts and pitches which needed attention, making suggestions as to how to improve these, where appropriate. We learned from each other’s work.

I loved seeing and hearing what other writers were writing and having our work used to illustrate improvements we could all make. I found the online format extremely beneficial as I did not have to retain copious amounts of information. I could return repeatedly to sift for more PB writing gold and take as many notes as I liked because I could stop and start the audio and video as often as I needed, without having to use half my mind to hear what was coming next, so as not to miss anything important.

It was sooo detailed and well set out; easy to follow, too.

As a Mum to three young children, I’ve barely got a spare second left in my day so I was looking for an online course that wasn’t too pressing timewise. One assignment a week was achievable on top of my other commitments.

I was nervous about sharing my work in an online forum, but did not find it daunting once the course kicked off.

I loved Zanni’s video feedback. She was very supportive and gave constructive advice.

I enjoyed building the confidence and knowledge in an area I’d been wanting to explore for a long time ... and writing first drafts for two children’s picture books in the process!

I feel confident now to give writing picture books a red hot go. I’ve already enrolled in your Masterclass!

Give it a go. It’s great fun!

I have been interested in writing picture books for a couple of years but didn't know how to get started. I was initially concerned about putting our stories up for everyone to see but reading everyone's stories and listening to the feedback on each was one of the most valuable parts of the course.

Zanni was amazing. Her feedback helped point us in the right direction. It was such an important part of the course. I valued her feedback very much.

The most valuable thing about the course was that it made me write or update a story every week. It got me started.

I enjoyed the whole thing but looked forward to the feedback as I learnt so much from the feedback on everyone's stories.

I loved this course. You need to do a course like this before you start writing your book.

Being a father, I read stories to my children when they were young. When we were away from home without any storybooks I would 'make up' stories to amuse them. Now that I am retired, I have spare time and decided to attempt to write stories for young children and maybe get some published.

I enjoyed reading all the excellent material provided. The discipline and commitment required to complete and lodge the assignment on time.

It has inspired me to become creative and write more stories for children’s picture books and when I am satisfied with my stories and have checked them against the criteria advised in the course then submit my manuscripts to publishers.

The Australian Writers' Centre courses are very well structured, the procedures are easy to follow, the handouts and instructions are excellent. For any budding writer, the Australian Writers' Centre will show the right way to write professionally or just for pleasure.

I am glad that I enrolled in the course which has given me the confidence to pursue success in writing children’s picture books.

I found Zanni to be very knowledgeable, honest, and diplomatic with her constructive criticisms. So grateful that she was our tutor! The feedback videos were a great way to receive hints, tips, and direction in a clear and concise context. I wasn’t sure about posting assessments for everyone to see, but it was actually a great way to share ideas.

Great resources, easy to follow instructions and content. Great tutor and an overall rewarding experience. Thank you for the guidance and confidence boost I needed to move forward with my creative process of writing!!

I AM GOING TO WRITE A BOOK!

This was my first online course. I was worried at the start I would struggle with the assignments. But everything was explained well.

This was a great starter course. I enjoyed listening to Zanni read out all our stories each week, and hearing how well they had developed over the five weeks.

It has given me the confidence to continue my dream of one day publishing my own children's picture book.

I was just really pleased how enjoyable the overall experience was. I'm keen to start the Masterclass course now that I've had such a great start.

Don't wait! Do it now! Or to quote Molly Meldrum 'Do yourself a favour!'

Thank you so much. I was looking for a new direction and I think I found it! I was worried I would not be able to write, but I found ideas flowed easily.

The tutor was lovely. The feedback was detailed and helpful. I feel much more confident in my abilities and I think I found my new passion!

Just take the leap, you will not regret it! Thanks Zanni!

Zanni is a friendly, knowledgeable and generous tutor. Her feedback method was great. I enjoyed reading everyone's stories along with her and hearing the feedback. She was always positive, honest and respectful.

I enjoyed having a commitment to writing and editing. It was very satisfying, especially honing the work from one week to the next.

It has helped me realise that I can commit to writing something creative from start to finish. Also, that a small daily commitment can bring about big results. That perseverance has payoffs.

I had heard really great things about this course from a number of published authors in podcasts, interviews etc. They mentioned that this was their 'go to' course to learn about all things picture books.

Zanni provided amazing considered and helpful feedback. She's clearly very dedicated and passionate about picture books and is willing to pass on her knowledge in a very helpful way. I really enjoyed listening to Zanni and hearing her feedback about the participants' stories.

The course is exceptional and so is Zanni as an instructor. It was very helpful to learn about the technical aspects of picture book writing, particularly about the structure and pagination.

I always thought it was hard to understand the concept of 'show don't tell' but having completed this course I really have a much better grasp of this!

Don't bother writing a picture book until you have completed this course.

I have been toying with writing a picture book for a few years and decided I would do it now whilst on maternity leave.

I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who is interested in writing picture books. I absolutely loved Zanni Louise. She was thoughtful, kind, and always had very constructive advice. Her feedback was always delivered beautifully so that you could grow and improve.

I love that each week there were assignments as this really helped to apply the techniques. Having Zanni then provide feedback was absolutely powerful. It's this part I missed the most when it was all over!!

Since finishing the course, all I want to do is write, write and write! I have been obsessed!

You must take this course. It will change your life!

The tutor seemed to know what she was talking about and offered realistic feedback based on what is considered favourably by publishers.

I enjoyed getting to practice writing and receive feedback.

I now understand the process of writing picture books better and feel more equipped to go on to publish work.

The course is achievable and offers something fun and different for you to do. You'll definitely gain some new knowledge.

The course was wonderful. I never realised how much I could edit and improve something I already thought was good. I feel like I now have the tools to take on picture book writing with confidence. And I feel I also gained editing skills I could apply in other writing!

Zanni was great. Very supportive and helpful and I could see that she enjoys teaching. Her videos were a great way to receive feedback.

I can’t stop thinking about picture books!

I was in the last couple of months of parental leave and in a Melbourne Covid lockdown. I've always loved writing, and after spending this last year with my two little ones reading and enjoying countless books, I thought it would be wonderful to learn more about writing picture books.

I thought Zanni was a great tutor. The format of sharing live video feedback was a good one as it felt like you were getting her first, fresh impressions of our work, and it was really useful hearing everyone else's feedback. She went the extra mile to answer all our additional questions, and I think she shared some really valuable thoughts and advice.

Getting to instantly apply what was learnt during the week in our stories for each week's assignment was a brilliant way to dive right in. It's easy to umm and ahh when it comes to writing, but the fast pace here meant you just had to crack on with it, which I found worked very well for me. I think there were so many brilliant insights shared by both the online tutor but also in all the audio and handouts. It was a really frank, realistic look at the industry, and (without crushing dreams), I think it sets students up for what are the best formula/tools for success when it comes to the realities of creating a picture book.

I'm feeling inspired... I feel having a published picture book actually feels like it could (maybe!) be possible one day. Obviously with a lot of hard work and refining all these wonderful new skills and all the rest, but even just learning about the industry, about how sales and royalties work, about all the structures and language elements, have made it all feel less daunting and unattainable.

This course is really excellent for anyone with an interest in writing a picture book. It spans the journey from defining what a picture is, to creating your own author platform once you have a published book. It's fast-paced, packed with industry and author insights, and helps you turn the ideas buzzing in your head into a structured story that people will actually care about.

Really enjoyed it, I'm keen to do lots of practice on my own now, and then consider the next course on honing a manuscript.