What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I am in the process of editing my book, and I have my structure working for me. Now am editing at the scene level and I want my scenes to zing! My experience with Fiction Essentials: Structure gave me confidence this course would be excellent - and it was.

All the tips about what new writers often do and how to fix those mistakes were like gold dust scattered through the course - I recognised so many of those mistakes in my writing, and now I know what to watch for AND how to fix it!

I wanted to make sure that my grammar was up to scratch. As a teacher I teach grammar to 8 years, but needed a bit more for my stories :)

I enjoyed the quizzes. I understood some simple grammar things especially commas and apostrophes that I had been confused about.

A great course to refine your grammar skills.

Valerie has so much knowledge to give and does so in such a warm and welcoming manner. She gave very clear information and advice. I have the tools and confidence I need to get started.

I have had a book idea in my brain for quite some time, but am stuck before I begin at the plotting and planning stage. This course is PERFECT for me.

While the course tutor may not be someone I'd choose to take as a best mate, I thought she was incredibly generous with her insights, wisdom and skill. I have great respect for her process and the manner in which she communicated to the class.

I know the story I want to write, I know the characters, but I don't know anything else! This course is giving me all of the missing pieces, so I can start writing my book.

If you are after a fairly brief but intense short course that will help you understand and focus upon the essence of your book, this is the one.

Digging deeper into my characters and giving them more depth has been very exciting and rewarding, and learning so much more than what I thought I already knew, and now armed with all this knowledge, I hope I can create something to be proud of.

I feel I am now equipped to make my characters real and not just cardboard cut outs.

What attracted me to this course was the fact that this was a workout. The exercises that kept me interested were just as helpful as the Zoom sessions where I got to interact with Stephen, Pamela, and other amazing writers.

Before enrolling in the course I had lost my... 'MOJO' so to say. I couldn't get myself to write, create the whole concept of a novel, despite my many ideas, felt daunting, unachievable.

Both Stephen and Pamela were lovely and insightful. They were attentive to the needs of the class and gave amazing feedback.

I enjoyed the Zoom sessions where I got to sit down with others who shared my passion for writing and storytelling all working together to help each other improve.

I'm writing my novel now! I've just enrolled in the Scrivener Course because I've invested in the software and am compiling my resources to try and bring my ideas to life.

If you have a million ideas in your head but are too scared/insecure about doing something about them, come to AWC. They have the toolkit that you need to develop that unsure desire into a plan of action.

This course is fantastic!

Zanni and her feedback was fantastic and insightful. As a result I have learned heaps and I’m excited to continue learning.

I enjoyed learning about all of the other aspects that go into picture book writing as well as the publishing process which I never knew before.

Thank you for offering this great course and thank you Zanni for your teachings! Definitely 100% do it - it’s great!

What attracted me to the course was that I needed to be motivated in some way to make headway with my novel — but more than that, to be able to create a habit of writing & getting it done, as something to prioritise & tick off on the to-do list.

I wrote over 12,000 words, so it was way more than I thought I’d be able to achieve in 30 days!

I enjoyed getting the emails posted into my inbox every day with a dose of inspiration for my writing session. Also, meeting those word counts!

If you want to write but don’t know where to start, the Australian Writers’ Centre will have a course for you, no matter what kind of writing is your thing. Enrol now & you won’t regret it!

The course presented a useful mix of writing styles and applications as well as loads of supporting materials to see the theories being used in published articles and blogs.

The straight forward language that Valerie uses as well as a broad scope of applications and examples kept me interested and engaged.

The course has provided me with lots of frameworks with proven successful templates to use for future blog posts and other content creation.

The course provides well put together resources that are easy to follow and understand - a 'formula', if you like, for writing succinctly and with purpose.

This course taught me more than I thought it would - including to believe in what I am capable of.

The tutor was awesome. I loved the video feedback.

It has given me the tools and encouragement to push for a different career in life, and that I am not just stuck at a desk job.

Overall this was an amazing experience. I have learnt a lot about myself and my skill set. I look forward to working toward my goal of getting published this year and cannot wait to share my successes!

The course was incredibly digestible. We were given so much aiding information with such a manageable delivery.

I have to praise my tutor's nature for offering feedback in a supportive, friendly way. Definitely the kind of teacher we need more of!

I loved the format of the assignments and all of the lessons leading up to it. I thoroughly enjoyed offering and receiving feedback from my peers and those of my tutor.

I feel equipped to write in a way I never have before and I'm busting to apply all I've learned. I love that I can look at a book or even a film with a new, critical lens.

I felt I really fitted this course i.e. the lessons, handouts, assignments and feedback all pushed me one step further in my expectations of self, ability and understanding of 'polishing my craft'.

The tutor was great! Cindy was very thoughtful, helpful, thorough and positive in feedback to me.

I liked the freedom of doing the course online when I was ready to meet each challenge i.e. listen to the audio, take notes and listen again later, reading handouts and absorbing the information, instead of being in a classroom with so many distractions. I liked the method of sharing assignments amongst the group. I really enjoyed doing the profile of another person.

The whole course was challenging, encouraging and exciting. The lessons were easy to understand (Valerie is brilliant at breaking down her years of experience and translating her knowledge into the right words and at the right pace for a learner), the assignments were not too difficult and easy to understand and the whole course was laid out in well thought out steps.

At the beginning of the course I thought, "I really want to do this course but that will be it". Now there is a voice in there telling me to go on and take the next step, put my big toe in the water and try being a freelance writer. Take it as it comes but keep moving forward. Push through the self-doubt.

I would say definitely to give it a go. The course is conveniently online, with easy self-paced lessons, weekly feedback to keep you on track AND I won't forget the support I had from Abby and the encouraging messages from Rah. This all adds up to a very encouraging, supportive writing experience.

I really enjoyed the course and congratulate all of you at AWC for doing a grand job in this really trying time of COVID etc.

I've always been interested in children's fiction and was keen to learn more about how to write it myself.

My only concerns are time management; with a job, kids and other commitments, I was worried I wouldn't be able to dedicate the time it deserved, but I found it easy to fit in the lessons and assignments because they were short and reasonable.

Allison was helpful and approachable and answered questions in a timely fashion. She gave helpful, honest feedback and lots of suggestions.

I enjoyed listening to the lessons and feel like I learned so much from them.

The course has made me think about writing in a different way and to look at my scenes and characters from different angles, to consider what every gesture, word and reaction actually means in terms of character development and reveal. This has helped me to deepen my story and to really get to know my characters, even the minor ones. The way to consider an opening scene was also extremely helpful.

The Children's and YA course exceeded my expectations and provided me with tools and knowledge that I was able to put to use straight away. The feedback was incredibly helpful and highlighted my weak spots, allowing me to improve and work on those areas. I now feel as if I have the ability to finish my YA novel to a higher (hopefully publishable) standard than I did before. Thank you so much.

The Australian Writers' Centre offers courses, both tutored and online, that can help anyone achieve their goal of publication or better writing. They're reasonably priced, well thought-out and informative. Go for it!

I wanted to learn practically the business of writing for paid publication, to earn some form of income and build a portfolio of writing articles.

There was a lot of detailed practical information about freelance writing that was really what I wanted to hear about, particularly at the end re: the process of submitting, pitches and invoicing.

It was helpful, friendly and good to have verbal feedback online; that was something new for me. It demystifies the process of writing for publication and makes me think it's practically do-able. It's a detailed, hands-on online course that equips you in real ways to get writing and submitting articles afterwards.

I have written the first draft of a domestic suspense novel and I wanted to check that I have written about police procedures in a convincing way.

I always think carefully before spending money on courses but because this one was so specialised, I knew it was right for me.

This course was very comprehensive and dealt with the full range of the crime experience from motivation to prison life. The links to real life crimes and resources were very enlightening.

This was a truly fascinating course. The material was presented in a matter-of-fact way, making it easy to deal with sensitive subjects. I was so engrossed, I completed the course over the weekend and now feel confident to tackle writing my next crime fiction novel!

Anatomy of a Crime: How to Write about Murder is an intriguing course that covered all aspects of this difficult subject. Being new to crime writing, it has given me a thorough grounding in police procedures, court processes and the emotional impact of all involved when a murder is committed. The course has helped me clarify the area of crime writing I want to concentrate on and given me the confidence to pursue my interest in this fascinating genre.

In learning about true crime, I have realised that this is not the area I want to concentrate on. Rather, it has reinforced my desire to write crime fiction. This realisation came when I read the real-life accounts, and listened to the tutorials on how to write true crime.

Australian Writers' Centre courses are easy to follow and full of common-sense advice. The Centre can help you with all aspects of your writing journey, from starting out to refining your well-established skills.

The narrator was easy to listen to and it was easy to understand. The course was very thorough and you can do it at your own pace.

I enjoyed the details about structure, characters and publishing.

I am a budding writer with a particular passion for spelling, grammar and punctuation. I thought this course would expand my skills and open some doors into the professional proofreading and editing space.

Michelle was extremely knowledgeable, providing a lot of very practical advice. The workshopped examples and interactions with Michelle and other course participants helped to make a very dry topic more enjoyable.

It’s given me confidence to explore freelancing in the proofreading and editing space.

The course was what I needed as I approached publishing my first novel. I downloaded and completed the course at my pace and found it so helpful during Covid.

I am now harnessing my self-belief and continuing to move forward with my dreams and goals that don't match with what others think I should be doing.

The common theme for me through the course was to continuously be asking yourself questions. I've never made a habit of questioning things. But since doing the course I have been much better at understanding and discovering the why.

I’ve just retired from a career in schools where I was often telling stories. I also tell stories to my grandchildren and I enjoy writing. I just needed to know what was required and how to go about it.

I had no idea of all the components and the assignments really helped me generate more skills. The feedback was good and very useful for future writing.

It has given me the structure and all of the resources and areas to look at and how to go about getting something published.

I loved this course and it has given me my new purpose and direction.

I've always enjoyed reading and writing but had not written creatively since school, a long time ago! So I was keen to go back to basics and learn the fundamentals of crafting a story.

With no background in writing, I was rather daunted about joining a tutor-led course and sharing my work with others. I am so glad I was brave enough to do so!

The course is packed with information. I devoured the module audio lessons, each set out in a structured way with handouts and a manageable assignment to complete. I enjoyed the challenge of having an assignment to hand in each week, and the tutor feedback and peer comments were a big part of motivating me to keep going.

Pamela was a wonderful tutor giving everyone valuable feedback, always positive and encouraging, giving us suggestions and examples to improve our work. I loved the audio feedback as it seemed really personal delivered in that way.

I loved everything about it! It has given me the beginning skills and confidence to continue a daily writing practice, to think about all those story ideas that have been buzzing and inspired me to just keep going! If only for the true pleasure of putting words on the page. And that's OK.

What surprised me, I think I surprised myself, was the part of the course I expected to be most daunting, sharing my work and giving feedback, was so helpful and so much fun! It really helped me look critically at my writing and others' pieces and see how it might be improved. Finding other participants who enjoyed the course also, and making plans to keep in touch has been a fantastic bonus.

Absolutely go for it! Don't hesitate or feel daunted about sharing your work; we are all learning and it is an encouraging and supportive environment with lovely tutors that give positive and constructive feedback!

Thank you so much Pamela and the whole team at AWC for offering these courses, accessible to everyone, wherever we may live!!

I really want to keep writing!!