What’s it like to learn with AWC?

It was a very helpful guide in self-editing. The steps were laid out in an easy way for referencing. That chapter on characters was great as it made me look at my secondary characters differently.

There is a course for everyone. The content is clear and enjoyable and you will learn so much about writing.

Loved having Kate present the course and the slow build-up of the challenges to create a creative writing practice.

The Dare to Dream course is one of the best writing courses that I have experienced thus far as a writer. The course was conceptual and theoretical in a way that made it easy to understand. Kate brings these to life in her storytelling through her use of words and expressions that bring forth images and visions. What an inspirational course.

I have been unable to attend courses in person with Kate, so these online ones have provided me with the opportunity to learn from a master storyteller.

I believe a good writer should understand proper grammar and punctuation for clarity in any forms of writing. Refresher course for me as a newbie writer.

The bite-sized learning modules are simple to understand. Absolutely love the content and listening to the audio helped sealed into my memory. Having these notes on hand as reference is vitally important. It's like a handy dictionary to flip over and over again.

The difference between how a writer writes and a reader reads are addressed in these modules. I am beginning to transition from a reader to a writer in this course. I have more confidence in novel writing without going through the pitfalls of getting tenses mixed up in the story.

The course gives you a roadmap of understanding the basics of grammar and punctuation, which is a must for every level of writing. Definitely a go-to fast track English lesson for serious writers!

I enrolled in this course on a whim. Children's novels? Hadn't read any for years. Then I watched a doco on Harry Potter and all the great books I'd read with my son when he was little came flooding back. Children's novels? Yessss!! Was I mad? I'd just finished Freelance Writing 1 and here I was thinking of doing something completely different! So I think I enrolled the night before it started :)

Pamela was absolutely brilliant. So spot on with her comments, always very positive but also constructive with lots of take-aways. I lapped up not only her comments on my work but also for other students - she gave out so much information that underpinned what writing children's novels is all about. I feel I have a solid basis to go forth and write my novel!

The feedback from Pamela was incredibly helpful, but the structure of the course and its content is very spot on, practical and vitally important in order to write a children's novel that can be read, understood and enjoyed by children.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I have struggled for a while with knowing the 'rules' of picture book writing, since I come from the point of view of an illustrator who creates characters and worlds visually. I was itching to be able to write the stories to accompany my own illustrations so I signed up!

I was really happy with Cathie's approach to giving feedback. Her honesty is really essential as it helps you cut out bad habits from an early stage in the course. She offered some invaluable insights to me as an illustrator too which I was happily surprised by.

I enjoyed the opportunity to learn at my own pace and to be able to receive individual feedback from a professional in the industry.

The 'show don't tell' concept has been my biggest revelation. I had heard of it before but now I understand it better and can see how it's an entire world to be studied. The lessons about using potent verbs and active tenses, and about what to cut out were absolute gold to me.

The course has given me the confidence to approach publishers and a newfound self-belief that I CAN write impactful picture book manuscripts.

If you are wanting a real industry-centred writing course then definitely enrol with AWC.

The commitment of a few hours a week for 5 weeks seemed achievable as a first step for me, with two young children and a business to run. The cost seemed reasonable, and since completing the course I can confirm that it was good value for me.

This was a great introduction to writing picture books. I didn't expect to learn so much about pitching and how to establish my online presence as a writer. The 'Bonus: Insights from an industry expert' was really useful, in addition to the course content.

Cathie provided useful and meaningful feedback. This meant a lot coming from someone of her background in the industry.

I enjoyed the writing, and seeing my stories improve with practice and applying Cathie's feedback.

Since completing the course, the idea of publishing picture books has gone from a vague dream to something within my power to achieve. Although it will require plenty of work (I won't pretend it's easy), the path forward is clearer.

Whether you're a complete novice (like I was) or have been practicing the craft for a while, there is something in this course for any unpublished writer curious about writing picture books.

A big 'thank you!'

Cathie obviously brings a great deal of experience and knowledge to picture book writing. She's a master crafter!

I enjoyed seeing my improvement over the course.

I've been writing and submitting stories to publishers, unsuccessfully, for over 25 years. I didn't know there were so many techniques and requirements that I needed to have perfected.

An outstanding opportunity... Thanks for offering such a great course!

I wanted to hone my writing skills and learn the craft of writing children's picture books. I couldn't wait to start!

Cathie is amazing! I'm so grateful for her guidance and knowledge.

I enjoyed absolutely everything about the course. I have a better understanding now of how to structure a picture book.

The AWC is a fantastic hub and learning centre that offers great courses, webinars and has a supportive community.

I found the ability to choose my own time to complete the work and the tutorials very helpful and it allowed me to design my own program. The writing guidance assisted in focussing my thoughts and made the overall process more engaging.

My aha moment was when I realised I had slipped out of the main POV into description more than once. I will keep an eye out for that now.

Pamela is a craftsperson and she shares her craft knowledge within the feedback. It's not always what you want to hear but it is what you need. Also the nuggets of approval are so welcome!

DO IT! you will find your skills and talents and learn new ones. All your work is appreciated and your efforts validated. It's well worth it for a twelve-month subscription to the course.

Michelle explains things well. I am not tech savvy, but she made the process seem manageable and even fun.

I enjoyed the step-by-step instructions about how to set up and then maintain your own author website. Breaking down a challenging process into doable pieces.

I realise that I have to put some time into self-promotion as well as writing and it confirmed my need to start a newsletter so that I can connect with future readers of my books.

The AWC is a great place to find online courses that you can complete in your own time.

Having quit my full-time job with a strong corporate writing component, I am starting on my freelance writing journey. I wanted to learn more about running a business. Having now completed the course, it was definitely the right one for me.

I enjoyed the fact that all the videos were in short, bite-sized chunks. It was easy to watch a few and feel like you're really making progress. Valerie is a wonderful teacher. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge on this.

The AWC is a great place to start on your writing journey. It's a great way to gain confidence and get a sense of the skills you need.

There are so many different types and angles. It makes it easier to target a specific type of writing.

Having the easy templates available in pdfs was great - easy to refer back to when practising writing those certain angles.

I enjoyed hearing how other authors make it work, and their different approaches. It reminded me that even authors who have multiple published books still have to work to fit writing in, and not many actually write full time.

Definitely try an AWC course. There is such a wide range of different courses available, as soon as I finish one, I can't help looking for what's next.

I really struggled with choosing the right scenes to write, and somehow they never came out how I intended for them to when I was first planning them. I knew I needed to improve my scene writing, and after doing a course with Pamela, I was convinced that this course would be able to help me. I was right!

The way that this course provides you with specific information, specific ways of structuring scenes, and specific ways to use scenes throughout an entire novel was invaluable. And the module on settings is bound to improve my writing so much!

I especially enjoyed module four, which went through common pitfalls and how to fix them. This gave me a new way of looking at scenes, which helped me identify what was missing from a scene I'd just finished writing in my work in progress.

I wanted to get some baseline info about Scrivener before purchasing the program.

Natasha explained things in a way that was extremely clear. I was able to pick things up quickly and rarely needed to pause or rewind.

I am still early enough into my manuscript that I have words down and a general idea, but not far enough to have a full grasp on things. Trying to keep track of notes, ideas and direction has been so difficult and putting me off writing at all. I had an idea Scrivener would suit me but after completing this course I am really looking forward to importing my WIP and get organising - I can already see how easy it will make things.

Having now completed a few AWC courses, I feel confident in recommending them. I find the structure very easy to use, especially when you have other commitments and need to stop and start. I have also liked all of the tutors and found them easy to learn from.

I really loved getting feedback from Jo - she was always really balanced and provided great insight into the work required to write a book.

The most enjoyable part was realising that writing a book is within everyone's grasp - even mine! Given me confidence, and also the skills and knowledge to get started.

Great practical steps and support to help anyone get started in writing a book.

Cathie's feedback was really good. She was encouraging while detailing what I should improve. I enjoyed seeing my writing improve over the different assignments.

I was already a writer of fiction but I had never done any course and felt that I learned a lot in this course. I want to go back to my published book and use what I learned, even if it's not a picture book.

If you want to improve your writing with professional advice, don't hesitate and register with the Australian Writers' Centre.

It really sharpened my skills and with the feedback helped me see my writing in a fresh way! If you want to get serious about your writing, this is the course for you!

Thoroughly enjoyed the course! Fun! Educational, inspired and 'on song'.

I was drawn to this course by the fact that it was beginner friendly and so open to anyone and everyone. I also liked the idea of being accountable, with weekly tasks to complete. My only concern is the one I have every time I sit down to write, which is 'Am I good enough?' This course reminded me that in some ways that doesn't matter. I love to write and the main thing is to be in it and doing it.

I loved Jo's kind but constructive approach. Her video feedback was warm, personal, humorous and gave us plenty to consider.

I enjoyed it all! I loved learning through the recorded modules, I love that I have the handouts to refer back to repeatedly, and I loved how we could see the diversity of one another's work. I just wish I hadn't been travelling as I would have liked to have more time to reciprocate and feedback on my classmates' work. I do intend, however, to use the bonus exercises to extend this course and keep flexing that writerly muscle.

I want to keep going and do more courses. It's also forced me to finally start writing the story I've been daydreaming and making notes about for a very long time. That can only be a good thing.

Don't hesitate or wait for the right time. If you want to write, scratch that itch immediately and just make it work. The AWC teachers are kind, constructive and established authors who know their stuff. They will provide you with the guidance you need to propel you along whatever path you may end up following.

I have loved this course so much it's made it hard to even like my day job that much anymore! Working through the lessons and assignments has unearthed a passion I knew I had, but I had relegated it below several layers of everyday life and responsibilities. There's no way it's going back into its hiding place now!

I think this is a good, solid start to thinking about and practicing creative writing with a group of aspiring writers. It is a good length and value for money. There is a lot of material to digest, so I want to spend the next month going back over it and completing more of the optional exercises.

I liked getting the assignments each week and completing them. It activated something in me; I respond well to deadlines. I loved seeing what other people had done and I started to gain confidence that my work was okay. I loved it when Jo said, 'time for feedback', and I would rush to the video link to see what she'd said.

The course has shifted my internal mindset of fantasising about becoming a writer to imagining it. Writing scenes, showing classmates, showing close friends and relatives has triggered something positive. That I can do this. I print out my words and I imagine them in a book, 500, 1000, 10,000, 50,000. The building blocks. I have a regular writing ritual, I am reading more and critiquing what I read in terms of what I have learned. Your course has contributed enormously to my self-belief.

Just thank you. I feel I have found a community. I am more open to workshopping ideas and putting them out there, I want to give more feedback to my classmates' work and I intend to, as analysing is a great way to grow and I really appreciate when people take the time to read my words. I feel energised and excited, and I want to keep up the momentum. Something that seemed unattainable before feels a little bit more attainable. It is a comforting, absorbing pursuit. Thank you all.