What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I'd completed three AWC courses prior to this and had written the first chapters of a novel. I felt I needed support and guidance to give me the confidence to persevere with it.

To be so close to finishing my first draft was not something I expected at the start of the course and is very exciting. I didn't think I had it in me to go this far, but now have the confidence to continue, and one day, finish!

Bernadette was awesome. To have feedback from a person with such expertise and experience was a privilege. I liked that she pointed out aspects of our work that didn't quite work as well as pieces that worked really well. Her tuition was always encouraging and motivating.

I've always loved writing but never thought I had it in me to complete a novel. The wonderful thing about this course is being in a class of like-minded people, all aiming for the same goal and giving each other encouragement along the way. I liked giving feedback to others, as it taught me to think about how books are structured as well as introducing me to genres I normally wouldn't read.

I have been writing since I was a child and always dreamed of one day tackling a book. To now be so close to finishing the first draft is wonderful. Even if this story is never published, just knowing I can do it will spur me on to write another.

If you've started on a novel, but procrastinate or feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work required to finish it, join this course. With guidance from the tutor and support from colleagues, you'll not only be empowered to continue writing, but will learn to love the process, however complicated it may be!

I enjoyed the class, the tutor's skills and approach and the format. The tutor was knowledgeable, personable, engaging. I enjoyed seeing other students' attempts, too - it's good to get a rounded approach.

I found Louisa to be a great tutor, down to earth and with a great sense of humour. She made everyone feel comfortable and at ease.

It was helpful in allowing me to take the fear out of plotting and structure. I found the whole course enjoyable and it was nice to meet others in the break-out groups.

Just do it; well worth the investment.

I read more critically. I read like a writer now - a major step forward for me. The real work is in editing and rewriting.

In my experience, from the few courses I have completed, the Australian Writers' Centre offers exceptional quality.

Louisa Larkin is just fabulous and I thoroughly enjoyed this course. Louisa was informative, supportive and gave constructive feedback. The course covered areas I would never have thought of in terms of approach and how to craft your writing.

The interactive Zoom sessions were the best. Due to an unexpected workload (and ridiculous deadlines), I was only able to join 2 of these but found the online videos also very helpful. I also enjoyed the interaction with the other participants.

I feel like I have gained so much knowledge from this course in terms of how to approach my writing, plan it, structure, character development, etc. I feel a bit overwhelmed at the moment as I am only at the beginning, but I also feel that this course has provided me with a solid foundation to begin.

I have already recommended the AWC to several friends. I have told them about the variety of writing courses on offer and also told them about this Crime and Thriller writing course and how much I was learning from it - this was after week 1.

I am so glad I found your website and the programs you offer.

I had heard Kate Forsyth interviewed on ABC Conversations with Richard Fidler. I was fascinated when I heard she had a doctorate in fairy tales. I have read two of her books, Bitter Greens and Beauty in Thorns. She was so inspirational in the interview, I wanted to experience her Zoom talks and pick up some writing tips.

Kate was a very warm and friendly person. Kate loves her work; she loves writing and teaching others how to write. This is refreshing. She doesn't mind sharing her knowledge and is very encouraging to aspiring writers.

I enjoyed Kate's enthusiasm for her work and fresh approach to teaching her Zoom class. We looked at the different genres of history, mystery and magic writing skills. Kate gave us tips on reading better. We all have a big list of books we want to read.

I would love to be as organised and brilliant as Kate Forsyth and a successful published author. Meanwhile, I write for pleasure and enjoy improving my writing skills by doing a few AWC courses and being in a writer's group.

I have already recommended the AWC to many friends. There are a wide range of courses to choose. My favourite one was MOJO course in MAY 2021. That opened up so many sensory challenges.

Thoroughly enjoyed the course and will read more of Kate Forsyth's books and follow her suggestions of other writers to read.

I am currently editing a draft of a crime novel and hoped to find tips on what works best. I found it really helpful. Helped me hone many points in my draft novel.

Louisa was excellent. Friendly, presented the information in a clear and interesting way. Made for a really friendly environment for discussion and putting forward ideas.

I enjoyed learning about the important points of writing about crime. Listening to everyone's thoughts and ideas.

I have drafted a first novel and, as we had the discussions, I found ideas kept coming to me about how to improve the novel (which I am currently editing so it was great!) and I just jotted down the ideas as we went and am making the changes now.

Loved the course and hope to do more in future. Many thanks to AWC and Louisa.

I loved sitting down with the lectures every week. Valerie's voice is so nice to listen to (not in a freaky way I promise!). They brought up so many interesting things and "Oh yeah, I was wondering about that" moments. I also enjoyed reading the selection of longer profile pieces in the handouts.

I came into the course wanting to know if freelance writing was something I would enjoy doing and was able to do. I came out of it with those questions partly answered but most importantly I now have all the tools I need to plan, research, pitch and write an article. After only a few weeks I can pitch a viable article to a real publication. I could do it tomorrow if I wanted!

Really well organised and planned. You come out of the courses with really practical, industry-based knowledge and the courses often answer all your "this is probably a stupid question but I really wanna know" questions. This course taught me big things and small things - all of them fundamental and useful.

THANK YOU

I like the self-paced nature of the course and extended access to the course audio and materials. It provided a good introduction to the different content structures, and the content examples helped to illustrate these.

I now read content more carefully, trying to identify the structure used by the writer. I also write more purposefully, using the formulas/structures to keep my content on topic.

I really enjoyed each lesson. Kate was very engaging and enjoyed our feedback and questions. She was always keen to answer our questions and give in-depth answers.

I loved all the different literary examples that Kate used in each chapter, which has now been added to my "to read" pile. Has spurred me on to focus on a historical saga that I've had floating around in my head.

I love attending all the courses at AWC and find the content engaging and informative and the teachers are also engaging and encourage us to pursue our dreams.

I enjoyed this course with Kate immensely.

I was interested in the possibility of bypassing the traditional publishing gatekeepers; plus the flexibility of non-traditional formats that Kindle offers. I was initially hesitant - but now I have all the answers I need to feel more confident.

I enjoyed the bite-sized components of the modules. The instructive slides. I feel more confident about the different formats that can be published - it doesn't have to be a 65,000 word book.

The courses run by AWC are informative, relevant, straightforward and enlightening. A must-visit for any aspiring, and practising, writer.

This course is perfect for its audience and provides lots of feedback and exercises to keep the student occupied.

I'm starting to seriously do more of my creative writing.

Amazing short course for people who want to get some practical and effective information about starting their creative writing journey.

I'm working on a murder mystery. I was particularly interested in writing suspense and action scenes as I had learned some of the basics from previous courses.

Louisa was fantastic. Friendly and personable and with a lot of experience to share. I felt her feedback was really constructive, positive but also giving places to improve and think about more. Absolutely fabulous. Even in those areas I had previously studied like character and structure, I learned new things relevant to my genre which was great.

I wasn't overly keen on the zoom format, being a typically introverted writer type, but I loved it! Great to bounce ideas off each other. The breakout rooms were really useful.

This and Novel Writing Essentials have been so helpful to my dream of writing a book. Well worth it. The courses are positive, helpful and constructive.

The course far exceeded my expectations - combining insight into genre with a particular area of writing technique was a fantastic way to go. And there were so many useful insights.

Kate really, really knows her stuff - she understands writing and the use of language at an incredibly deep level.

I'm shaping a new series and it's absolutely given me the tools to forge ahead confidently.

The course I did was absolutely worthwhile and there is so much amazing stuff on offer.

I want to write a collection of short true stories on a niche topic. I also had some time during COVID with few work commitments.

I enjoyed Valerie's clear explanations and examples from published books.

Given me lots of things to keep in mind when, and if, I start the process. The narrative arc - such a crucial element. Interesting to see how I can apply it to short true stories about people's experiences.

Do it. Lots of good tips and knowledge crucial to a writer starting out.

This course gave me a chance to focus on my fiction writing. I wouldn't have done any writing without this course.

The tutor was very professional and had a wealth of knowledge and experience in the publishing industry.

I enjoyed the positive feedback from the tutor and others and the sharing of stories from other writers. I have learnt a lot more about writing thanks to my tutor and fellow writers' critiques.

My online tutor pinpointed some areas where my writing could be improved which I suspected I had problems with. Also my tutor's encouragement and comments regarding my writing.

If you want to get your novel published, this is a good start to knowing what is required.

I wanted to learn how to develop my limited thriller/suspense writing skills and my fiction writing skills because I had only written a non-fiction self-help book. The course description showed it to be very hands on, which, from previous writing courses I have done, was essential.

Louisa is a highly skilled writer and excellent trainer. She was positive, generous and complimentary in all her feedback. She provided helpful examples of alternative options, suggested books relevant to specific genres and questions. She always found positives in what was read out or discussed, and offered variations as well. Her enthusiasm and interest were infectious throughout the group it seemed to me.

The wonderful combination of providing information in an interesting and accessible way, the many examples of different types of crime writing, the additional information provided including links to videos of real crimes. Louisa was very generous in her range and depth of information, so that the attendees would have information about their writing focus. She answered all questions in detailed but easily understandable ways.

Having read dozens of 'how to write' books and attended courses previously, I found that after this course I am more confident and much better informed to write in the crime genre. I am excited now to finish my short stories and publish them.

Increasing my knowledge and confidence about writing fiction was the most precious outcome. And having my eyes opened to the numerous ways of going about the different aspects of writing. The positive feedback and discussion between group members, either in break-out rooms or as a group was great.

I learned how to go about planning and shaping a book. How to include bricks of details, pace stories, include plot twists, create interesting characters, and much more. I am more confident about my ability to write and how to go about it.

Having a highly skilled presenter who is also a brilliant and successful writer is paramount. I'm so glad I did this course. Thank you, Louisa, and AWC.

Louisa was wonderful. Very generous with her time, advice and feedback. She was encouraging and helpful and encouraged respectful and positive feedback from across the group.

The format and approach and the genre-specific nature of the content was great. Louisa was wonderful and I really appreciated her generosity in sharing her real-world experiences and her encouragement.

A great opportunity to understand the bones of a great crime fiction novel. Thank you to Louisa and my fellow participants!

I found it enjoyable to hear about the types of writing you can aspire to get into, and how they all differ from one another.

I am more inspired than ever to become a writer, which is a lifelong dream. I will definitely be enrolling in more courses to help me.

Valerie is amazing, the course is easy to follow and you are bound to get a lot out of it. It is possible to become a successful writer without spending thousands of dollars and years at university.

I knew I needed some structure and accountability to move forward with my novel, and I like being in a critique group. I'd also heard lots of praise for AWC on a Facebook group I'm in, so I checked out the website and went from there.

The range of topics in the modules was awesome. I also like that the content stressed there is more than one way to be a writer, rather than adopting a 'this is the one true path' sort of methodology.

Bernadette is amazing! She balances being incredibly perceptive and constructively critical with genuine encouragement. Her insight is so valuable.

I enjoyed reading my fellow students' work. It was really inspiring and motivating to see what everyone else was working on, and the feeling of all being in it together.

I am considerably more confident in my abilities than when I started. I feel like I might actually be able to finish my novel!

Thank you! I'll be back for more in the near future, I'm sure.