What’s it like to learn with AWC?

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 thoroughly enjoyed the 12 month Write Your Novel course, which I completed during 2020. I finished, re-wrote and polished my YA Thriller manuscript that I'd been struggling with since 2015. I learnt valuable writing tips and techniques, both from tutor Cathie Tasker and from my supportive course mates, through the workshopping element of the program. We now continue to read for each other post course. Highly recommend!

I’ve always had a great love of writing, and as I’m transitioning to retirement, and working part-time instead of full time, I made the decision to pursue that love in earnest. I completed two creative writing courses, one with the University where I work, and another through a Writers Centre. They were fabulous, and I learned a lot, but I found myself doubting whether I could really follow my dream and complete the writing project I had set myself. Then I received several emails from the AWC about the Reinvent Yourself course and it sounded like just what I needed to motivate myself and build my confidence, so I enrolled, along with the 30 day Writing Boot Camp.

This course is incredibly positive and made me feel that it was possible to achieve my writing goal. I had already taken nearly all the steps recommended for reinventing yourself before I did the course, so rather than teaching me something totally new, it reinforced that I was on the right path and was doing the right things to achieve my goal.

I really enjoyed hearing about all the different options for careers in writing, the stories from past graduates and those from other, more established writers in the extra workbook. It’s also great to have both the audio to listen to and the text-based documents to refer to later - and to hear about other courses offered by the AWC that might be useful as I progress with my writing project.

It has motivated me to keep going, despite moments of doubt, so I feel much more positive about my writing as a result of this course.

If you are interested in following a career path in writing, and you don’t want to do a university degree, do a course with the Australian Writer’s Centre. They have an amazingly varied range of courses, they are highly professional, and the content is incredibly motivational.

I am an avid listener of the So You Want to be a Writer podcast. When I heard the new (at the time) course advertised, it was perfect timing. I was just about to start the editing process on my first novel and didn't really know much about how to go about it.

I enjoyed being able to work through the course at my own pace. It enabled me to adjust to my work commitments and customise each step of the process appropriately for my manuscript.

I now have a tried and tested editing process that I would definitely use again. The course also made me feel confident in my writing, assured me during those moments of insecurity and encouraged me to persevere.

The course opened my eyes to the power of a robust spreadsheet. I created a detailed KIC list, scene list, character charts and time line that organised my thinking and clearly highlighted what I needed to change and what was working well.

Australian Writers' Centre is a friendly and welcoming writing community. The courses are accessible, engaging, packed full of valuable information and professionally presented. Both courses that I have done have delivered exactly what I was expecting.

I was thrilled with the understanding and emphasis on diversity and representation as well as the care taken with that which made it clear it wasn't a performative thing; it was a genuine recognition of what is needed in modern society.

I feel validated in what I've got and motivated to actually see it through for once!

AWC exceeded my expectations and I was very impressed with their vast knowledge in many areas and the care and thoughtfulness of what goes into their curriculum and feedback.

The pace and course content were excellent.

Margaret was able to balance criticism with encouragement. I have held off for many years and so taking this step into a world where I would be open to others was a bit daunting - but Margaret has made the difference. So instead of using the delete key, I will continue to add to my story.

I have confidence to keep writing and have already gone back to the early modules for help. I had started writing a story before the course and have now completed the first few chapters, applying what I have learnt. A second story has come out of my assignments and that will sit on the sideline for now.

The course takes a beginner writer on a journey of discovery with practical help and lots of positive encouragement to keep writing and make it to the end page of your story.

Cat is professional, experienced and kind. I really loved how the information provided was so clear, and brought to surface the information a new starter needs to know - it didn't assume information. It makes this feel possible...!

I quit my job! It gave me the mechanism by which I could build a future in writing. It was supportive and clear with its teachings.

A lot of this course is about making things obvious, clear and relevant, but a lot of it is also about being proactive and how to do that. Clearing the muddy waters. I wish you'd write a similar course for life, I'd drink it in! Thank you!

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 had completed a couple of self-paced AWC courses and felt they'd really improved my writing and knowledge of how to write a novel. They also got me started on writing my first chapter. I thought this course would be great to get me started more seriously on my manuscript.

I really enjoyed having Bron as our tutor. She was an astute commentator on our work and tailored her feedback to each of our pieces and styles. She also combined positive and encouraging feedback with more critical feedback to enable revisions. She was very generous with her time and I had a separate conversation with her about a dilemma I was having in writing true crime/memoir where she gave me some very useful tips and, most of all, encouragement to continue writing this story.

I enjoyed the workshopping component- both by the students and tutor. It really opened my eyes to some of the flaws in my writing and gave me concrete ideas on how to revise it. Workshopping others' stories and reading others' comments gave me the skills to critically appraise a piece of writing. It also made me aware that some feedback is subjective or inappropriate and needs to be evaluated by the writer with respect to overall intention and instinct. Judgement on what to change and what to keep is a skill I will need to keep honing!

I now have over 10,000 words written and I have a draft structure with an idea of my POV characters that feels right for me at the moment. Starting to write seriously has also thrown up a whole lot of ethical and legal questions on writing true crime/memoir about people that are still alive. It has shown me how important it is to read widely in this genre to understand where the boundaries lie between fiction and non-fiction. My goal over the next few months is to saturate myself in creative non-fiction writers and techniques, while continuing to write my first draft. I have also enrolled in the creative non-fiction self-paced AWC course.

It's an amazing course, especially if writing fiction, that will set you up with the skills, discipline and community to begin your manuscript.

I’ve wanted to be a writer since childhood but never knew where to start. I liked the idea of having a structured course and lessons with other participants who were also learning with me. The online component worked well, especially with the current Covid-19 concerns. I also liked not having to make a set time to attend - I could make it fit my schedule each week.

I was quite nervous about putting anything up for review or comment by anyone else, especially never having done any kind of writing course before. However, both the tutor and other participants were really encouraging but also gave specific feedback and suggestions which were quite helpful.

I was surprised by how much more I got out of the course by reading everyone else’s pieces and giving them feedback, as well as the expected feedback on my pieces. I also found it helped to see the feedback others gave each other.

I thought Pamela was great; she didn’t focus on tiny little spelling or grammar issues so much at the beginning until later on, which I thought was quite helpful. It encouraged myself and possibly other nervous newbies to gain confidence and just keep writing. I felt that was a good way to learn and gain experience. I appreciated Pamela still giving her time and feedback when I sometimes didn’t hit the exact brief of the assignment (eg. myself and some others struggled with the word count limit). I think this was important for new writers in a beginners-type course to help encourage them and grow.

I liked being given a set task to complete, or a scenario to describe, as this really helped me to just start writing. Having a deadline each week pushed me to submit something at least. I was very nervous initially getting feedback but found I really enjoyed it, both the positive and negative, probably as I stayed open to learning and taking it all on board. Also, we didn’t need to write a whole complete story, it was just a short scene or description, so there was less pressure which I liked.

It gave me a craving to write more regularly which is great, and I feel I’ve learnt so much just from these few weeks of assignments and feedback. I wish I’d done a writing course much earlier - I’ve already signed up for another one and given a voucher to my Mum for her to start her writing journey too :-)

If you’ve always wanted to write but never thought you could, this is a great way to jump in and learn great skills and gain confidence. Especially if you think you’re a complete novice, but I think it’s also for anyone who’s written or done courses before but are stuck. I’d also recommend being quite active, reading everyone pieces and giving feedback, and pushing yourself just to get something in by each deadline. I couldn’t wait to get feedback and it helped encourage me and gave me confidence to keep writing.

After a lot of thought in 2020, I had committed to studying Journalism in 2021 - then the fees were released. After being deflated and shocked by the 133% increase in fees, I began looking for other options. I quickly came across the AWC online and decided to begin in November 2020.

I was surprised at the level of detail shared, and felt it was all very valuable and well set out.

I have enjoyed the comments Cat has provided, and her feedback has helped me rework some ideas. I enjoyed learning about writing profiles, and receiving industry insights from Valerie.

I feel more confident to write for publications and I am more inspired to continue courses like this instead of university.

I'd say that it's a comprehensive, professional and affordable way of harnessing skills in communication to assist in many areas of business. It's not just for freelancers. Thank you.

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.

I guess the most important thing for me, which surprised me, was that the course didn't attempt to give me a formula for how to write. Rather, it gave common sense general parameters and the encouragement to write in my own style and then relevant feedback.

The tutor was first class; very direct at times, but encouraging, which is the best style for this sort of endeavour.

It’s a funny thing to say but I found I just loved writing and the course forced me to write and not to be afraid.

I have had a story in my head for twenty years and now I'm confident it will be written. I have enrolled in the Write Your Novel course.

The section on creating an editorial plan got me excited about turning my writing into a business. It gave me the 'how-to' structure my time and planning.

I have all the information I need now to start creating my blog. There are no excuses anymore!

AWC has a wide range of relevant courses that are affordable, with strong content that will give you everything you need to start your writing business.

I went into the course with no expectations really but I have come out with a direction on where I want to go. I was umming and ahhing about freelance writing and blogging and whether they were for me but this course opened up various aspects of freelance writing I hadn't considered and that I am very interested in.

I enjoyed hearing from people who had worked through AWC courses and how they were applying these to their lives - what work they have secured because of the courses.

I have a direction in freelance writing that I had not previously considered and, when I develop my knowledge in those areas, that will allow me to reduce my work hours in my day time job.

If you are considering writing as a career option or a way for extra income or a hobby, then you won't regret doing one of these courses. They are very informative and will open up avenues you haven't even considered.

I would say that the course is great in providing practical, up to date information on not only writing feature articles, but the business side of becoming a freelance writer.

I recently sent my first pitch to Essential Baby. I followed the instructions on the module on following up and I'm happy to say they published my article. This would not have happened if I hadn't have done the course.

Thank you, Valerie and Sue!

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 thought that the feedback that Bronwyn gave was excellent. She was very thorough and constructive and went into great detail too with lots of good suggestions.

It was great to see the way that other people write. Our "stories" were all so varied. There was never one that was the same, so it was interesting to read genres that I would not normally read.

I loved and really appreciated how the course was structured and delivered.

Lesley was thorough, professional, direct and informative. I really enjoyed having her as my tutor.

What I enjoyed most about the course was the way in which it was delivered. It was all online and self-paced. With 4 small children at home, I found I could dip in and out of the course whenever it was convenient for me to do so. While the kids had their sleeps, or delve deeper into the course later at night. I could do as much or as little of the course modules as I wanted in each sitting.

The course has given me that extra boost of creative energy to keep me going with my writing journey.

Absolutely go for it! Dive into one of their courses. Try the ones that really grab your attention first, then paddle over to look at the other courses on offer. I can guarantee these courses can be addictive!

Thankyou :)

Bernadette is excellent. I have learned so much both from the course content and the feedback. There was so much crammed in to learn.

Do it. Mad if you don't.