What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I want to change career and have always wanted to write. I want to reinvent myself and this course covered it all!

I really appreciate the range of writers that shared their story as I am still discovering the direction/s I want to take.

I enjoyed how positive it was and affirming that I can do this!

At this point, I have yet to take some of the actions, but I think if I really engage with the step-by-step process (baby steps - thank you), I think it could be profound. I am at the beginning.

We have one life, so why spend it doing things we don't enjoy? For me that means changing my life, facing the fear and stepping into the unknown.

It was practical, positive and really reasonably priced! For the small amount, you can be on the way to following your dreams to become a writer.

I'd earlier completed the Copywriting Essentials course and this felt like the natural next step before setting up my business.

Bernadette was great - interesting, informative and professional but approachable in her teaching style. I felt that her advice was practical and realistic based on her first-hand experience as a copywriter.

I enjoyed the pace of it and that assignments were achievable given that I was also working another job at the time of doing the course. Also liked how practical it was with assignments providing the steps to actually get a business up and running.

I feel more confident in starting out as a copywriter when the time is right for me to begin and also knowing how to charge appropriately for services.

Thanks Bernadette for another enjoyable, well presented course! I really looked forward to each module and know that I will continue to refer back to the two courses I've done with you as I move forward with starting my copywriting business.

I thought it would be beneficial to learn something about the process of publishing should I ever get that far. It was surprisingly interesting and the voice over was engaging.

It will keep me focussed that I'm writing for a market, so I should have in mind more clearly who my audience is rather than me.

Thank you to Pamela Hart. I have even bought one of your books.

I liked that there would be assignments and that we would be given constant feedback as well as being encouraged to work on stories that we have already started.

I was hesitant because I wasn't sure whether it would help me with the story I have been writing but it ended up working out perfectly.

The tutor was incredibly helpful, she gave constructive feedback and asked questions that made my writing better. She made sure to also give praise for certain things and overall was extremely supportive and gave great advice.

I enjoyed the assignments as it was where I was given feedback on my work and also the Q&A week where I was able to ask questions regarding any topic to do with writing and my tutor was very prompt with her replies.

It has made me consider certain things in regard to my story and has helped me to understand how the world of writing works, as well as the better way of planning a novel.

AWC courses are well structured, making it easy to complete studies in writing; without becoming overwhelmed. This is my fourth AWC course. It's become an addiction now!

The course has made it easier for me to see my 'big picture' manuscript, at a time when I was feeling bogged down in story details. I feel like I have the skills to move on with a major structural edit of my book.

Early in the course, we were looking at different types of structure. I realised that the life events depicted in my memoir seemed to contain an organic structure, that mirrored elements of the three-act structure, as well as the hero's journey. These structures mirror the human story, because the human story is where these structures originated.

I would say that AWC courses are a really easy way to develop professional writing skills, one step at a time. Courses are structured so that writers can focus on specific areas, as they're needed. They're enjoyable, as well as rewarding. You even get a certificate! Once you do one, you'll want another.

The lessons were comprehensive and provided great practical advice. Also appreciated the exercises; although optional, they were helpful practice.

Amanda was very encouraging and provided precise feedback. I knew exactly what I required to improve my writing.

I had finished the second draft of my manuscript and wasn't sure of the next step. I knew it wasn't ready to submit but I wasn't sure what I needed to do to improve it.

I love the self-paced online format for the more technical courses, such as this one. There is so much information and I can pause, stop or continue depending on my capacity to learn.

The power editing process has clear steps that were well explained. It gave me the skills and the confidence I need to self-edit my manuscript.

I feel more confident in my ability to self-edit and submit to a publisher or literary agent.

The Australian Writers' Centre gives you the tools you need to improve your writing as well as your confidence in your own abilities.

Zanni was great, very honest. I enjoyed learning different literary techniques and getting to try out a different story every week. The course was pretty perfect!

I've rewritten a story and come up with a brand new story that I'm pretty confident about. I have the confidence to keep trying even if I don't succeed with these ideas.

If you want to have a shot at being published, you need to do this course.

I wanted to try a creative writing course and the length and format of this one seemed perfect for me to get some tips/advice before either seeking something longer or more involved. That a published author would be providing feedback was also a plus.

I think the feedback provided was excellent overall and was sure to point out the positives of submitted pieces and constructively appraise areas for improvement. It was also timely and the oral format suited the delivery of the course material. It also allowed self-reflection for the points made for other participants when considering my own writing style/choices.

Really, I just enjoyed the chance to give writing a go and have other people read it and enjoy aspects of what I'd done.

The course lessons provide lots of useful insights and tips to take on board in a very encouraging way. I would recommend this course if somebody were toying with doing some creative writing.

I'm interested in creative non-fiction and life writing and have tried to start my autobiography but gave it up. I wanted to learn more about how to do this sort of writing.

A major learning during the course was the similarities between creative non-fiction and fiction, e.g. story arc, dialogue, etc. Also, the need to make your story interesting for the reader, not just a recitation of facts.

The course has also provided me with a great book list to work through. I've just started reading my first Peter FitzSimons book and am enjoying it, although I had avoided his books in the past.

I would say that the Centre's courses are straightforward, comprehensive and provide useful tools to aid your writing endeavours in either creative writing or non-fiction forms of writing.

Bernadette was brilliant. Very generous and encouraging with her feedback. Really useful information provided on slides. Practically-minded and material well-paced.

The time commitment was perfect for people working and/or with other commitments.

I enjoyed getting verbal feedback from the tutor herself. The excellent slides and handouts. The pace. The assignments. Everything, really.

I can apply everything I learnt to my job right now. There are also so many ways I can improve my knowledge in this area based on the materials Bernadette provided. It really was a launch-pad course to put you on the right track and also help you figure out what you don't know and how to get it.

Do it. It's practical, affordable, fits into a busy schedule and you'll leave more enlightened and enriched than when you started. Guaranteed.

Bernadette - you are a legend.

I completed a creative writing course a few years ago and had started writing a novel. I hadn't looked at it in a year so wanted to get motivated to write again. I have listened to the podcasts for quite a while and enjoy Allison and Valerie's banter, so thought I would give Novel Writing Essentials a go.

Pamela was amazing! Her feedback was so useful and made perfect sense. She gave a lot of tips throughout the course interwoven through her various feedbacks. I learned a lot from listening to her feedback to other students as well as my own.

I enjoyed the learnings from the feedback sessions - both Pamela's and the other students. Also, reading other submissions and seeing the many different writing styles/genres.

I have started writing again and I feel like I know (sort of) what I'm doing now.

Even though I have completed a couple of creative writing courses over the years, I regret that I didn't start with the Australian Writers' Centre creative writing course.

I wasn't sure that I could transition to this type of writing, but I think that I can now.

Lots of good templates and ideas about what type of content writing is used. Also good advice about how to get involved in the industry. There is a formula and structure to help you along the way, and there is actually a huge industry out there for it.

Wow, where to start. I'd never realised there was so much theory and structure that went into novel writing. I was stuck with the 'how do I put my novel together and arrange the story' and I have so much insight into that now. The lessons were fantastic along with the assignments to put learnings into practice and hone my skills.

I have always said "I want to write a novel" but had never studied creative writing, so this was the first step in taking my novel writing more seriously. I picked this one because of the reviews; it looked like a quality course compared to many others out there.

Pamela was fantastic. Really loved listening to her feedback each week on my work and was always able to improve it another notch. Was very helpful listening to others' feedback too. I learnt a lot in the process. Would love to have her as a tutor again.

I enjoyed the structure, the weekly activities and feedback. Working alongside other students. I got into a great routine of writing five nights a week and hoping to keep that going!

I was a bit of a 'pantser' before this course. Now I can see how much development there is to do before diving in and writing. Characters, structure, working out all the turning points etc. Of course, the plan may change as I write, but it's great to do this work first.

Go for it - you won't regret it! I have so much more confidence in myself as a writer now.

I've recently finished the copywriting essentials and SEO copywriting courses and wanted to learn how content writing differentiates from copywriting in order to bridge any gaps. I really enjoyed that this is self-paced. It's allowed me time to fit this around work and family.

I enjoyed all of the example articles because they were not only a great way to show how each formula applied, they were also an interesting read.

I realised that I've actually been a content writer for years and that I'm totally allowed to call myself one and feel confident about it.

I had an 'aha!' moment when learning about thought leader pieces. I've been writing these for my family's small business for a while, drawing on the thoughts of the owner who truly is a thought leader in his field. However, I didn't realise they were called thought leader pieces and therefore haven't been writing them effectively. I can now apply what I've learned in this course to improve it.

The Australian Writers' Centre courses provide loads of valuable tips and templates you can apply to your writing straight away.

Was quite keen to explore all aspects of my writing journey, particularly after having taken the Picture Books course for younger readers. I have fond memories of the chapter books of my own childhood and its role in introducing me to independent reading. I hadn't ever heard of a course for this specific area being offered before.

It was helpful going through the development of one particular story to illustrate the concepts. The presenter also offered a solid grasp of the area with examples from other books.

Children's books have always seemed an untouchable and distant realm for the chosen few. It was wonderful to have it demystified and explained by Lesley, with instructions that are clear and specific.

I think the AWC has given me such a boost, both in motivation and in confidence, to continue along the writing journey. It's paved the road that little bit more in the most important of ways.

I wanted to add another string to my 'writing bow' and this course fits neatly alongside my copywriting and content writing (I'll have enough strings for a violin soon).

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to David and will take the next few weeks to read the resources provided. The video content was invaluable. David's delivery of his own story, written works and glimpses into his journalistic background was mesmerising. The toolkit details will come in very handy when I summon up the courage to ask a friend of mine if I can profile her. I would never have considered this if the course hadn't supplied me with the right tools.

I feel confident that I can 'profile' a few local individuals who have had, and continue to have, a significant impact on the lives of others (and whose stories should be told).

Annabel was terrific. Her style of presentation was inclusive, knowledgeable and fun. I enjoyed the practical exercises and listening to fellow students' ideas and concepts.

I feel re-energised. My current manuscript (2nd) is nearing completion and I was dissatisfied with it. I now realise I was expecting too much from a first draft. I forgot that the layering, body language, sub plots etc are honed and flesh out on the rewrite.

An excellent course that guides you comfortably along the path of learning.

Annabel was great; she was well prepared, knowledgeable and had 'gone the journey' to publication. Her energy was also inspirational and kept us going.

The people were great. Different writers with different backgrounds, but clear on where they'd like to take their writing. This enabled all of us to draw on each other as inspiration. The intro to the other attendees with the potential to keep in contact as a "writing group" was a real bonus.

Lots of great courses, with a variety of tutors to get your writing to where it needs to be. I'm a Furious Fiction addict and have been spreading the word on this one too. Thanks for holding this in person and in Perth.

After a hiatus of nearly 12 years, I wanted to try my hand at writing again. I wasn't sure if I'd be better suited to copywriting or creative writing. I picked this course as a starting point in my new journey of discovery as it sounded fun, and because I am familiar with the AWC.

Bernadette is very knowledgeable and readily shares her experience. Feedback was positive and constructive.

I liked the structure of the course. It wasn't too overwhelming in terms of content volume. The hands-on exercises were fun. I liked the fact that I could listen to the tutorials at any time and that I could download the lessons to revisit content when I needed to.

Thank you, Bernadette, for your kind encouragement. Thank you, AWC, for a fun experience. I will enrol in another course soon!