What’s it like to learn with AWC?

Made me realise that if I get the basics right my writing will improve.

I enjoyed being able to stop and start. The handouts and rules.

I completed the initial modules earlier this year. I immediately changed my communication to include the important information, the purpose in the first paragraph. Review and proofreading could have been written specifically for me. Errors have been a big issue, and the inability to focus 100% on review and proofreading is the problem.

Very practical and useful. No waffle.

Annabel is very thorough and detailed. Knows her craft. I enjoyed getting feedback from a professional. The course taught me some lessons and pitfalls to avoid in my writing.

Thank you. Excellent course.

I had a good overall impression of the tutor. Her feedback was consistent and targeted a wide range of things for improvement. I enjoyed the structured writing assignments.

I now try and write something every week (a review, short story, article, anything not too big) and look for competitions to enter. It's fun.

Just do it. It's not that big of a commitment and you'll establish whether you enjoy writing or not - which you probably will.

I would love to write as a part of my career, but I felt that I had lots to learn about writing, about the industry and I really wanted feedback on my writing. I found the AWC through the Furious Fiction competition... and really liked the reviews. Plus online is great for me with two pre-schoolers. And short courses are good too!

It has been very helpful ... great to be able to see each other's writing and feedback on it. This gives you a much better sense of tips and tricks in writing than just seeing your own work and feedback.

Annabel has a way of providing constructive feedback in a kind and helpful manner ... and I felt pleased to learn about what to change rather than upset that I'd got it wrong.

I think I understand more about the industry, key writing dos and don'ts and that I still have a lot more to learn!

I wanted to know more about the nuances of content writing vs copywriting, which is a course I had done previously. I feel that doing this course placed me in a better position to be able to write across a range of publications, websites or industries with confidence.

The added bonus is all the easy to follow templates which break it down into manageable chunks, so you can present your writing in a clear, concise way.

I have always loved writing and recently had a good idea for a book. Although I had written some of it, I felt it was lacking imagination. I thought, what better way of enhancing my skills than taking a creative writing course!

I loved how much depth there is to creative writing; it isn't just about your imagination but ensuring that you get the maximum advantage of portraying your imagination.

I thought Annabel was very specific and thorough; her tips and criticism were always useful.

I enjoyed listening to Valerie and how much depth there was to each module. I think my favourite module was scenes, being able to describe a setting in depth so that the reader could really feel like they were there.

I've decided I want to finish my book and take another course with the Australian Writers' Centre.

AWC gives you the tools you need to be a more constructive writer - anyone can write for fun but if you want to really hone in on detail, structure, quality writing - this centre is where you need to go. AWC is an amazing resource and I will be continuing to utilise your courses in the future in order to pursue my passion of writing.

I made the decision that it was finally time for me to get back into writing. I wanted to brush up on my skills and liked the idea of having something that would motivate me and get me back into the habit of writing everyday.

... it's amazing! ... I learnt so much, not least of which was how to make writing a priority again. Zanni was fantastic. She was encouraging yet clear about the things that could be changed or improved.

I've written three new picture book manuscripts during the course and managed to reintegrate writing into my daily life. I also now have clear direction in what I want to do moving forward.

Thank you! I've absolutely loved it!

I was looking for professional guidance in the creative writing process. I was a little reluctant to commit to the course, especially since I hadn't written anything creative since high school (over 50 years ago). I was apprehensive about sharing my work with fellow students. It was my husband who finally convinced me to give it a go.

It has been very helpful to learn about the craft of writing. Although there was a lot to cover in such a short time, students were provided with basic tools which can be used over and over again to assist in their writing.

The tutor was very grounded, offering practical advice. She always had something positive to say about everyone's efforts, but also managed to draw attention to ways to improve work.

I enjoyed the process of learning and being inspired to create stories. I also liked reading fellow students’ writing. It has given me the confidence to continue writing.

I realised that writing is a craft and by utilising the "tools of the trade" you are on the road to creating a good story that people would want to read. I now look at anything I read with these points in mind and note how authors have structured their stories.

I'd say it is well worth the money! It's great that students will have access to these materials for another 12 months.

I have been interested in the idea of attempting to write a novel. I joined this course as a way of making a start.

Annabelle provided great encouragement and advice. I enjoyed making the time to write in a structured way. It has given me the confidence to "have a go" at writing.

This is a well-structured and professionally delivered course. It supports people who need assistance with basic grammar and punctuation, but also provides information about the deeper requirements for writing a well-considered and structured piece of writing.

Thank you. I enjoyed the course very much. It also provided me with a much-needed alternative focus during the time of Covid lock down.

I wanted to refresh on the basics of writing picture books. Online was a good option and only took 5 weeks. It was affordable too.

I enjoyed the course, the materials were comprehensive and the mix of audio and handouts was good. I like that there was a place to ask questions and got some helpful comments from other participants.

I feel I'm starting in a better place with drafting picture books now, like I'm not starting 5 steps behind. It was also good to focus on improving skills rather than the pandemic and all that is wrong and scary in the world.

If you're seriously interested in writing a picture book, then do the course. Without it you'll waste a whole lot of time getting nowhere.

I wanted to do something creative just for me after juggling a very busy period of work and homeschooling during COVID-19. I have always loved writing and I have heard great feedback about AWC courses. It is in my nature to be hesitant about new things and I had the usual doubts about not being good enough and comparing myself to others. But I am trying to overcome this and remind myself that there is no harm in giving something a go.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has commented upon completing this course that they had no idea how much is involved in writing a children's picture book. There is so much topical information clearly presented - it's amazing how much is packed into a 5 week course!

Zanni provided great feedback and is clearly very knowledgeable about children's literature.

I enjoyed challenging myself to write stories for the assignments. It was the kick up the derriere that I needed! It was great to hear feedback on my own and others' work.

It was beyond what I had expected and I learned so much! It has really inspired me to take small steps every day towards writing a children's book, whether that be market research, polishing my writing, following publishers and authors on social media, etc. While it made me realise just how much is involved in writing a picture book, the course has also given me very clear steps and guidelines on how to go about this task. I may not ever get published but I have a much better idea of what to try! I have a heap of information to digest and ideas to work on, and I am excited to get started.

There were so many 'aha' moments, it's hard to narrow it down to one. I highlighted many sentences while I was taking notes! For me, the information on literary merit and what makes a good picture book was crucial.

This course is structured really well, with a huge amount of information presented in a 5 week timeframe. Definitely worth the money! I learned so much and loved learning about how to improve my writing.

I loved that the course presented material in a way that made me feel that maybe I could actually write a book! It gave me a sense of confidence and I loved being immersed in the world of picture books during the 5 weeks. I'm sad it's over!

Thank you so much for a wonderful course, AWC.

I would say this is a great base plate for branching out into an area of writing you want to focus on.

I have a good amount of reference material to revisit and ensure I fully understand the basics of writing. Feedback was thorough, the tutor was professional and displayed a good level of knowledge.

I enjoyed being creative... and letting my mind wonder... I believe with the right tools you can write...

I had no idea creative writing would help me to better write about my art practice - for eight years now I have had a story about a character and I have done a couple of paintings but didn't know how to extend the story and hence be able to do more paintings - but now I think this character is going to travel to a few places to do what she does best...

Bernadette is full of practical and realistic information, and always provides honest and constructive feedback. It's great listening to the feedback about other students' work and learning from it all.

It has made me think how I can push my freelance business further.

I want to start writing children’s books and when I came across this course I thought it could really give me a taste of what it’s all about and what I need to do.

I think Zanni gave constructive feedback which was great. I enjoyed all the weekly assignments and the way that it was designed so that you could see what everyone else was doing and hear their feedback too. I also liked the comments page.

I’ll have to see what happens with my writing from here but I definitely feel like I have a much better understanding of what I need to do and the process involved.

The course was very informative and user friendly.

Zanni's feedback helped me to be better at writing a picture book. The feedback each week motivates me to be better in my writing skills.

It's a good start if you have an interest in writing a book.

I was looking for some guidance around dialogue for my novel, which has a lot of dialogue scenes. I enjoyed the resources and being able to learn at my own pace.

It made me realise how good I was at writing dialogue already, but gave me some additional tools for improving on this skill.

Easy to use courses full of useful and accessible information to make your writing better.

I enjoyed the daily word count expectation. I am making myself write something everyday. I learned that it doesn't really matter how many or few words you write, it is all about just writing something.

The course is amazing. You give loads of ideas and inspiration.

I got a lot out of learning about characters/places etc. Knowing what to look for was really interesting.

I would say the course is well planned, sequential, and the course materials are of a very high standard.

A wake up call to stop dreaming and start working!

A straightforward format easy to follow. Gives an opportunity to learn enough to know if it’s for you or not. If not, there’s plenty of other options to choose from. Thankyou.

I have for a long time had the thought that I would like to write a children's picture book. I love reading, creating art, have dabbled in creative writing and work in a school library, so this course seems to bring all those interests together. I wasn't sure if I had the time to dedicate to the course, with working as well. I also was not sure about paying out the money if I didn't get anything out of it.

I learned a lot during my time studying this course. I found it very informative and I easily got the assignments done on time, which was initially my biggest concern. I live in Melbourne, and the timing of the course was perfect for me, as lockdown here had just started, so it was a great time to do it.

Zanni provided some very constructive feedback to all of us studying the course. I liked the way we could all see what each other was submitting, as it helped us all to learn. Also, the way Zanni read through all of our work, so we could pick up pointers from her this way.

I found that I can actually write a children's story, even though I need to hone my skills and write a lot more before I can consider submitting a story to a publisher! This is a really good feeling! I know I have a lot to do to get better at my writing, but I am encouraged to continue after doing the course.

Since starting the course, I am now going through my day thinking of ideas that I can write stories about.

It is worthwhile doing if you are serious about writing stories. It is a well laid-out and delivered course and I recommend it thoroughly.