What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I wanted a short course that would be give me an insight into writing children's picture books. As a classroom teacher, I've read hundreds of books to my students and absolutely love it. I wanted to explore the idea of possibly writing a children's book, and I was looking for a course that was online and flexible which allowed me to study after work.

I really enjoyed the flexibility of the course and the engaging course material. I learnt so much as the course content was extensive and was able to download all the material for future referencing.

My online tutor (Cathie Tasker) gave timely, constructive feedback and very valuable suggestions to improve my ideas and writing skill.

This course has motivated me to attempt to write a picture book. I'm thrilled with the experience. As a novice, I was nervous to even try, but the knowledge I gained from this course and the classroom forum has helped me start to plan and move forward as I explore the idea of writing for children.

The course covered everything from storytelling fundamentals to publishing guidance. I loved the interactive lessons, engaging story writing exercises, and valuable feedback from the tutor. I think my 'aha' moment was deeply exploring picture books and learning about structure and pagination, such as the 3-act structure applied to a page plan. After learning this I went back and read many picture books I'd read previously to my students over the years and looked for this structure. This learning experience also helped me structure my ideas and the flow of my story ideas.

Go for it! You will gain so much knowledge and confidence around writing picture books.

I found the level of detail to be incredibly helpful.

I enjoyed the writing! I loved pushing myself towards the weekly submission deadline.

I'm highly motivated to carry on now. What started as curiosity is now a growing passion.

There was a point where I clicked into a sort of 'sparkling simplicity'. The instruction encouraged me to drop my tendency to overwrite and it was a game changer.

Just do it! It will give you the push that you need.

Picture books are my favourite and always have been. I have been 'jotting' for years and I decided to take the plunge and start writing more seriously.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this course. I will be doing lots more writing and polishing my stories.

Learning so much about the writing process has been inspiring. I have loved having an excuse to read so many picture books.

I have always wanted to write and I now have so many tools and resources to help me with reaching my goal.

I can't believe it, but I'm going to miss doing the assignments. I'll have to get organised and set future goals for myself.

I really loved the course and the detail that went in to it. I wish it was longer.

I found the feedback extremely useful as I feel like Cathie was very direct on what we needed to do to improve.

Thank you for offering such a great course, I look forward to doing more of them in the future.

The feedback I received was helpful, and I felt like Margaret was very supportive.

I enjoyed the way the program was delivered (audio with handouts) and the added deadline for weekly assignments kept me accountable.

It gave me structure and insight into the writing community. There is a lot of helpful information that would be difficult to find elsewhere, and that alone is worth the investment.

I was blown away by just how much I learned. I have worked as a writer in a variety of contexts over decades and, as a linguist, understand something of child language development. I had some awareness that writing a picture book was likely not as effortless as it might seem but what I discovered was a craft deeper and more fascinating than I imagined.

Margaret's experience, skill, and commitment to quality writing for children shone in her feedback to all of us. I plan to go on to do the Masterclass so I can benefit further from her wisdom.

On top of those skills, Margaret also seems like someone who would be great to sit next to at a dinner party! A terrific person. We were lucky to have her as our tutor.

I enjoyed the learning, Margaret's experienced feedback, and (to a huge extent), the privilege of seeing EVERYONE who participated develop their skills significantly over the 5 weeks. It was a lovely, encouraging cohort of students.

I have deeper belief in myself as a creative writer and know what I need to do to pursue my dream of having a picture book published.

The AWC will give you what you need to free your writing spirit. Whether it's the quality of the content, the systematic approach, or the brilliant tutors, somewhere in there may lie the key to unlocking what's holding you back.

There was a lot more technical information than I was expecting! It was fantastic.

I enjoyed submitting my own work and being given excellent suggestions to improve.

Excellent course. Highly recommend.

After listening and attending other online picture book courses I was concerned that the information I would receive would be the same as what was freely available on YouTube. I was VERY wrong. This course was highly informative and enjoyable.

A giant thank you to Margaret for her feedback. I also really enjoyed the fact that there was a forum to speak to the other people who were taking the course. Overall, I was very happy with everything that I learned and the engagements.

My overall impression of Margaret was that she was extremely professional as well as encouraging to us new writers. I loved that. Her feedback was both positive as well as informative.

I cannot imagine a way to improve this course. I did not leave it wanting anything more except for it to run longer.

I've learned that I now have the skills, foundation and confidence to pursue what I've always wanted to do and dreamt of, writing stories for children's picture books.

It is the most reputable source that I have ever seen available or experienced.

I was worried about doing assessments as it has been a long time since doing any, but it was such a wonderful and encouraging course!

The tutor has a wealth of knowledge and a passion for what she does.

Do it! It is a great course and you will learn so much. I feel like I have found my passion.

Thank you, Margaret, for all your help.

I found this course to be extremely helpful. It was so practical and just got straight into the nuts and bolts of everything while still holding the big picture (book) view. I found the feedback galvanising and the weekly assignments kept me focused and engaged.

The tutor seemed very knowledgeable. I appreciated that she was both honest and forthright in her feedback. She seemed to recognise the vulnerability of new writers and so remained encouraging at the same time.

I am now writing every day and am so enthused. In the past five weeks I've gone from simply daydreaming, to entering several competitions (and being successful). I have registered an ABN and looking to do the freelance course next. I'm doing everything I can to turn writing as a lifestyle that sustains me not only mentally, but financially.

Absolutely go for it, there is no doubt you will emerge a more skilful writer because of it.

Margaret was lovely and provided invaluable feedback. She very obviously knows her stuff and I am grateful that I got to share in her expertise.

I enjoyed listening to Valerie's voice! The audios were lovely and so easy to listen to. It was good to have industry knowledge involved - it helped put it all into perspective. I hadn't realised how much would be involved so it was good to have that presented to me - not to knock my dreams but to provide some much needed realism.

I finally understand show don’t tell! This has had me stumped for years. I also love the focus on lots of drafts and saving each new one and adding notes. I've usually just saved over, but it'll be good to see how far my stories come.

There is no pressure - just give it a go. Very supportive environment and relevant information.

Margaret is friendly, personable and incredibly experienced and helpful. Each time I did a rewrite according to Margaret's feedback, the transformation was stunning!

I enjoyed the specific detail about every aspect, without any time wasting or padding out of info. Each week I printed out the handout sheets, then proceeded to note pretty much everything that Valerie said in the video recordings! So good!

Also, I just happened to find the 'So You Want to be a Writer' podcast. WOWZERS!!! An incredible resource!!

Even though you may have a fabulous story to share, there is SO much you can't possibly know about the ins and outs. This course has saved me endless time-wasting with submitting a half-baked or under-developed story to the 'wrong' publisher and wondering why it's not going anywhere. This course is fabulous and inspiring. I'm on fire! Just do it!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the work that's gone into this amazing course!

I am a mum of two young children who love to read and I would love to be able to write a picture book for them one day!

Margaret was wonderful. So prompt and detailed with her feedback.

I enjoyed reading the stories of the other students, so many wonderful ideas!

It has given me confidence to keep pursuing something that I have always wanted to do but haven’t always felt able to!

I’m loving all the courses I have completed so far and I’m looking forward to trying some more! The courses on offer cater to all interests and pursuits and they are very accessible and welcoming.

The tutor was highly experienced in what she was doing and made some helpful suggestions.

I will now take a different approach to writing my stories with some of the information I've learnt from this course.

The best course I've done.

The tutor was very friendly, very professional and a wealth of information. I got so much from Margaret. I was very nervous about my writing, but even though there were mistakes, she was so encouraging and gave helpful feedback.

I enjoyed all of it. I didn't realise how much went into picture books so I found it so interesting.

My youngest son has just started school, and I have been lost in what I want to do with my life now. This course has helped me see that I have a passion for writing and given me tools to help continue.

It is a great and enjoyable course that shows you exactly what goes into writing a book.

Thank you again for helping me find something I find joy in, even if this is only ever a hobby.

The information covered in each module was thorough, covered a lot and was explained well. I also really like that I can revisit the course modules after completing the course. I found the course informative and very inspiring.

The tutor was amazing! encouraging and provided great feedback.

I enjoyed the course being online, and I was able to listen to the modules at my own pace within the week. I enjoyed the content, learning and seeing my writing transform!

I feel that I really learnt a lot from this course, I felt inspired, and enlightened.

I would like to thank the Australian Writers' Centre for offering such a great course.

I wrote 4 stories in the 5 weeks of the course and have ideas for more. Definitely gave me the idea I can do this - I can be an author!

Do it - it is straight forward but yet so informative and motivating.

Margaret was fabulous! Her feedback was invaluable and she gave so much food for thought. I went away wanting to do and become better. I found myself really engaging in the course because she was so enthusiastic and genuinely wanted to interact with all the students. Her critique was firm but kind and she would offer so many helpful suggestions on how our stories could be more than what we first imagined. After each assignment I found myself eagerly anticipating her feedback on my stories and how they (and I!) could reach their full potential!

I loved the challenge of writing a new story each assignment, although we didn't have to. I loved researching my themes and creating my characters. Our imaginations, especially in the world of children's picture books, really is limitless!

I have always loved writing since I was a little girl. This course has sparked an even greater love of writing than I thought possible and I find myself wanting to write every single day. My ideas journal is practically spilling over!

DO IT! Don't hesitate! If you love writing, take a course from the AWC - there is something here for any writer or budding writer. You will come away with a newfound passion for putting words on paper and more so, giving those words a whole new meaning!

Thank you. Thank you to Margaret Whiskin for her expertise and encouragement. And thank you AWC for such a fantastic course. I look forward to studying with the AWC again very, very soon!

The flexibility in completing the modules online at my own pace and short duration was what I was looking for, as I juggle work and a baby.

I honestly loved the content and depth of the course. Margaret was amazing at verbal feedback. I'm definitely motivated to keep writing and at least self-learning.

It's exactly the push you need to get started if you're a newbie to children's picture book writing.

Really enjoyed all the modules, the assignment relevance, the mode of feedback and the feedback. All was excellent. The tutor was positive and knowledgeable.

I enjoyed getting to know all the elements of book writing. A lot more complex than expected.