What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I found the weekly presentations very interesting, well delivered and with great supporting resources.

It was fantastic to learn a new skill and engage my brain - especially since I have been on reduced hours for many months now due to COVID. The course gave me something to focus on and direct my energies into.

It has given me the courage to pursue copywriting as a career. While it still seems very daunting, I feel that it is possible and achievable thanks to the repeated encouragement and demystification of the field by Bernadette.

Great online platform and easy to work to the module deadlines. Simple and effective delivery.

I've always wanted to know more about copywriting and whether it was an industry and career I could further pursue but didn't want to do a degree and spend years studying it. I was looking for a short course. This was an introductory, 5-week course that only required a few hours a week. It didn't feel intimidating. It was perfect for a novice like me. Also, I could fit it in with my schedule of being a 1st time mum with an active toddler and not spend hours doing so.

I loved it! I finally found my calling and would love to further explore this industry. The tutor was real. Her real-life knowledge was helpful. I think she would be someone you could easily approach if you had any queries about this industry.

SEO intrigued me. I would like to learn more. Also what surprised me was what I was capable of producing in such a tight time frame.

I found my calling! I want to further pursue copywriting. I am kicking myself that I DIDN'T DO THIS SOONER! I wish I did it in my 20s! Or even a few years ago! There's no time like the present and NOW I want to further develop my skills and eventually work as a freelancer. I have a LOT to learn! I have never felt more certain and excited about what I want to do for a living.

I think I had my "aha" moment when I completed my 1st assessment. It didn't feel daunting or difficult. It felt enjoyable and exciting. I gained clarity. I thought, "I can do this. I can actually see myself doing this for a living.”

The AWC has short courses that you are able to fit into your busy life and still feel like you've learned new skills and achieved something productive.

Thank you for continuously sending me email mailers. Eventually something clicked and I made it all work!

Listening to the podcast "So you want to be a writer" and the ep with Bernadette really piqued my interest. I decided to dig deeper into what copywriting was and the more I found out the more interested I have become. Natural progression was to book into this course.

The course has over-delivered for me. The tutor was approachable and professional. Each module was well planned and varied with no unnecessary overlapping.

I now want to pursue a career in copywriting. 100% enjoyed this course, thank you.

Bernadette did a great job of opening my eyes to the world of SEO without being too technical and taking away from what I like best, the writing part.

I think Bernadette's approach was very friendly and informative. The course was full of practical info presented in a clear manner and demonstrated well with examples. Feedback was detailed and helpful.

It's really opened my eyes to the possibilities of a copywriting business. I've always liked writing, now I can hopefully make some more money from it!

The course has shown me how to create another revenue stream for my consulting business doing something I love.

Definitely go for it, you won't be disappointed.

Bernadette has been a great tutor. Every word she spoke was very reassuring and encouraging. Particularly the feedback was very informative and educational.

Each module was well designed and structured. The assignments and feedback were most enjoyable.

I have learnt how to write for others to read. I can't wait to start my journey as a copywriter.

I loved this course and all that it contained. My online tutor is brilliant and addressed every aspect of writing.

The design of the course is amazing. To the point. The tutor is brilliant, and the peer interaction invaluable. It was faultless.

The course revealed much about myself and my life and writing to me. I am humbled. Upon reflection, it's hard to say what one specific 'aha!' moment was for me. There were many.

This course is invaluable, no matter what you write. Thank you.

I knew about AWC from Furious Fiction, and have entered a few over the past 18 months or so. But I've had a novel in mind, stopped/started over the past 7-8 years. I knew I had to do something like this though, or it would just remain a dream.

I had the usual self-doubt, with imposter syndrome kicking in early. But I managed to get over that. It's been brilliant.

Bron was great. My second submission consisted of a pretty intense couple of scenes. She gave me nothing but positive feedback and encouragement. And interestingly, everyone else's feedback was remarkably similar to hers.

I enjoyed the chance to read other people's work, see the issues and challenges they are wrestling with, and hopefully give them the positive feedback that helps them with their writing.

I think it's given me the confidence to think yes, I can do this thing. And produce something I think I'll be happy with.

I've written (non fiction) for a living for decades. I've learnt so much from this course. If you want to be a better writer, do it!

The course was very well structured with very engaging lectures and I enjoyed the creativity kickstarter too. Overall the course was professional and well put together for an online experience.

Pamela clearly knows her stuff and was encouraging. She gave a lot of great feedback to the class and I learned from that.

There was a lot to enjoy about the course - I loved getting out of my comfort zone and learning about the mechanics of writing. The explanation that this course was like a building course versus a literature course at uni being like architecture was spot on. I also enjoyed connecting with other students and the videos about other writers in Creativity Kickstarter was inspiring - I bought all 3 of Sarah Bailley's books after watching/hearing her interviews!

I definitely improved my writing by doing this course. Thank you. It's made me want to be a creative writer even more, and start to narrow down what I want to write about. At the same time, it has highlighted to me just how much I still have to learn and how much sheer hard work I will have to put in. Journalistic writing is quite natural for me now - this is a totally different ball game!

Alex was generous with her knowledge and kind to us as students. Her feedback was grounded, practical & encouraging. I enjoyed the lessons, practices and set tasks.

I feel more confident and ready to pitch ideas. I learned about pitching several years ago with Valerie but feared the process. This time I feel ready and I’m not as fearful of the outcome, good or bad, if my idea is sound and the techniques are in check.

Just dive in whatever your writing goals or interests! I would add that the courses I have completed have given me the skills and confidence to get going and if I can, you can too.

A big thank you!!

I was a bit concerned about time (juggling a baby and work) but found that the audio really helped with this and it was nice to have a reason to set time aside for the reading and assignments.

Allison was great - her feedback was always clear and helpful and she always offered suggestions or different directions to try.

It has pushed me back into a writing routine. It's a great way to learn new skills and get your writing on track.

I have been wanting to refine and improve my skill as a writer in this genre. I had no idea how little I knew, very grateful.

The tutor was honest and careful in reading our assessments. Very good.

I learned a lot about how important it is to keep up with the times when writing children’s literature.

Excellent! Pamela was thorough, quick, critical and encouraging at the same time!

I enjoyed the feedback from Pam and classmates, the design of the course, and the handouts.

It got me into a writing habit, 500 words a day, no matter what.

An excellent course to get started, very much a ‘hands-on’ (bum on seat) course. Already signed up for 2 follow-up programmes so there you go!

I had heard really great things about this course from a number of published authors in podcasts, interviews etc. They mentioned that this was their 'go to' course to learn about all things picture books.

Zanni provided amazing considered and helpful feedback. She's clearly very dedicated and passionate about picture books and is willing to pass on her knowledge in a very helpful way. I really enjoyed listening to Zanni and hearing her feedback about the participants' stories.

The course is exceptional and so is Zanni as an instructor. It was very helpful to learn about the technical aspects of picture book writing, particularly about the structure and pagination.

I always thought it was hard to understand the concept of 'show don't tell' but having completed this course I really have a much better grasp of this!

Don't bother writing a picture book until you have completed this course.

Kate was exceptionally generous and very helpful. Professional, knowledgeable, kind and constructive.

I enjoyed the focus on each separate step of novel construction and editing. I had a bit of an epiphany as a result of session two on the nuts and bolts structure of my novel and what I needed to change. And also discussion of the novel with Kate, which was both encouraging and realistic.

A great big thank you to Kate! It was a brilliant course. I've been waiting to do it for two years and it was everything I had hoped for and more.

Kate Forsyth is a career author and this gives her words and methods weight. I'd also heard countless great things about the course and seen Kate talk on many occasions.

Kate is not only extremely knowledgeable but overwhelmingly generous with her time. She was very honest and upfront with her opinions and feedback, but this allowed us to trust her more. I enjoyed Kate as a presenter and how well the notes were laid out.

Even while participating in NaNoWriMo, I've found my latest draft to be cleaner already and both chapters start much better than I usually would have. Also, paying attention to voice (both narrative and character) is making the story have a lot more of an impact.

This course is a must for people such as myself who don't have a writing background or experience with an editor.

Thus far I've taken a number of courses face-to-face, at my own pace, and via zoom, and all of them were tremendous value for money with some truly experienced and professional authors. If you're nervous about spending the money, start small and work your way up to the bigger, more intense courses!

Thanks folks for supporting authors in the way that you do. From the Podcast, to the Community, and obviously these classes taught by industry professionals and experts, I feel much closer to achieving my dream of becoming a published author than ever before.

I have been toying with writing a picture book for a few years and decided I would do it now whilst on maternity leave.

I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who is interested in writing picture books. I absolutely loved Zanni Louise. She was thoughtful, kind, and always had very constructive advice. Her feedback was always delivered beautifully so that you could grow and improve.

I love that each week there were assignments as this really helped to apply the techniques. Having Zanni then provide feedback was absolutely powerful. It's this part I missed the most when it was all over!!

Since finishing the course, all I want to do is write, write and write! I have been obsessed!

You must take this course. It will change your life!

I have been looking at ways to transition to an occupation that allows me to work from home (or anywhere really). I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to complete the work with having two kids under the age of three (spoiler...you can!).

I found Sue to be knowledgeable, encouraging and supportive. I liked the positivity, knowledge and how this course answered all of my questions about freelance writing.

There was so much information that when I spoke with a journalist/editor friend about freelance writing she confirmed everything on this course.

I have always been someone who loves creative writing. I have undertaken studies recently that required me to submit essays for examination. They were not really creative and my writing in those was OK. I gained great marks for knowledge but not so much the writing. Since starting this course, I can see where I 'went wrong' and my writing has definitely been impacted to be better.

It was informative, encouraging and full of the right information. A big thank you!

Kate was warm, welcoming and informative. She answered all questions and helped to inspire me to keep going but on a more informed path.

I was struggling with how to keep pace and move forward. Kate really cleared the path with structure, making a clear line forward on how to fix my novel in practical ways. She also opened up a new way in how I look at the actual words in a sentence, scene, story.

I highly recommend this course if you have come to a point where you know you have a good story but are stuck on how to move forward. Very inspirational.

This course does exactly what it promises. Absolutely worth every cent. It also provided a lockdown lifeline!

Alex is a natural teacher. Very supportive and inspirational. The Zoom session was great and I loved doing the profile piece.

I think you've clearly perfected this course over the years. It's really on the mark. It gives you the basics and the key to the door. You just need to open it when finished, if you want to.

I'm going to get off my rear end and get going.

The world of publishing is so complicated with so much esoteric jargon, I was grateful to have a course I could listen to, over and over, as it’s hard to take it in all at once.

I really enjoyed all of it because it’s so practical and hands on, but I especially liked learning about different books sizes and formats and what they mean to the author. It was also great to hear an explanation of contracts, clause by clause.

I now look at books in bookshops in a different way. I know which are trade paperbacks, which are mass market. I look at covers and sizes and paper and print size and promo materials and the way they’re stacked on the shelf. All a mystery to me before this course.

AWC courses are written and presented by successful writers who know the current publishing market. Your writing will improve as well as your knowledge of the industry and your chances of being published.