What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I was impressed by my online tutor because of the detail of information and the kind delivery of advice on how to correct my mistakes that I had made in my haste. The feedback was helpful and it was enjoyable to hear the good comments too.

I am reading and writing more each day. I love all the information that I have learnt, and I am inspired to work harder and be more focused on the craft.

Even though I am still redrafting my manuscript, my 'aha' moment was achieving the task of completing my manuscript. Also, that reviewing other students' manuscripts really opened my eyes to the art of storytelling and fresh ideas.

AWC courses are great. Choose one you like and get started. You will achieve your goal of writing and improving your craft.

Pamela's advice is credible, carefully considered, and delivered with such grace and empathy to novice writers. I enjoyed her manner and knowledge. I also love that you gave good examples to illustrate everything that was said in the advice videos.

Has made me much clearer about what to include and not to include in the opening of a story - all the factors to consider and questions to ask myself.

Can't wait for the next thing I've enrolled in haha - well done!

The discussions with participants, who came from every age level and lifestyle, was extremely helpful and interesting.

The tutor was exceptional. Jude not only shared her immense knowledge and information, she managed, so well, all of the varied personalities present.

The course has given me knowledge that I needed to be able to proceed in a positive way.

This is an excellent way to go; you have nothing to lose, but everything to gain.

I wanted to learn how to write picture books using ideas from my own experiences raising three boys. Stories that send positive messages to other kids. I also wanted to give them to my kids as a sentimental gesture and then they could pass them on to their children. AWC was recommended by my cousin.

I enjoyed learning the structure and details needed to write an effective picture book. Also, improving my writing each week after each module and Cathie's feedback to see my story evolve!

The course has increased my confidence and inspired me to complete the Writing Chapter Books for 6-9 year olds course as well. It helps knowing I can get advice and feedback from AWC and also connect with other writers.

Thank you very much for all the content and feedback! I look forward to learning more and more and more!

I've been considering writing about a non-fictional subject for a few years. Although I have written for work over an extensive period I did feel the need to underpin that with the rigour of a structured course.

I enjoyed the ease of picking up a lesson when I wanted and not being forced to follow a strict timetable. The overall structure of the course was great. I feel I gained most value in the later stages with the discussion about editing and publishing. This was very useful.

Loved Bernadette. She was practical, inspiring and gave well-thought-out feedback and encouragement with the assignments as well as adding years of expertise.

Gave me the confidence to expand from feature writing to copy.

If you are thinking about it, do it :-)

I have always loved children's books. I have a 3-year-old who has been through some challenges and I found it hard to find the right book to help her to understand her situation. I thought, if I can't find one, maybe I could write one just for her!

Judith was fantastic! She is a great teacher and I felt heard and I learnt so much. There are so many ingredients that make a good picture book… I had no idea!

I loved the words of encouragement, and I also loved Judith reading to us. I also loved hearing other people's fantastic ideas. The group was warm and supportive.

I am now inspired to write something and try to get it published. This had only been a very vague idea in my mind, but it has now become a reality!!

Thank you so much Judith. I loved the course. You are so knowledgeable, kind, and encouraging. Your passion for children's books is inspiring. Your kindness to our group of aspiring writers won't be forgotten. Thank you!!

You must do it! It is wonderful, and creative, and inspiring.

I wanted to strengthen my writing skills and understanding in order to make my CV look more impressive, and potentially qualify for more freelance opportunities.

I liked being able to work at my own pace and take my time digesting the content. Due to other commitments, I completed this very gradually over 11 months!

This course has helped me be more aware of my writing structure, based on the templates provided.

The course content - videos and handouts - were outstanding. The tutor feedback was really valuable - especially being able to watch everyone's feedback. I really appreciated Mark's feedback to everyone. It was insightful and very helpful.

I enjoyed everything about the course - I can't choose just one. My work may not have been the best; however, I came away with more confidence and enthusiasm to pursue copywriting as a side hustle.

The course was informative, insightful and fun. I thoroughly enjoyed the learning experience and the challenge. I will be revisiting some modules over the coming months, while I still have access. Very thankful for this.

I have had an idea for a story and, while I made a start on it a few years ago, I haven't got very far with it since then. I decided that I was going to have a serious go at it this year, so I thought I should begin with this beginner's course.

Petronella did a great job each week in summarising the material and giving us our feedback. She was both positive and honest, which was encouraging and helpful. I liked that she seemed to enjoy many aspects of the scenes we wrote. As students, that was also very encouraging.

I thought that the content was just what I needed at this early stage of taking writing more seriously. With the notes I took and the handouts I have stored in my folders, I have plans for the next 3-6 months to play around with all my story elements. In that way, the course has been extremely good value for money. I also enjoyed the flexibility of the course, combined with the discipline of having to put an assignment in each week.

I feel that the course has empowered me to take the next steps in my writing journey. I believe that I've been given the foundations of storytelling to work with over the next 3-6 months.

Well done AWC. Thanks Petronella.

The course exceeded expectations largely due to the practical experience and professional skill that Jude Rossell as the presenter brought to the course. She made everyone feel at ease and provided positive and helpful feedback. The group of attendees were delightful and a pleasure to meet. The venue was great with enough amenity to support the classroom experience. The many children's picture books that Jude brought along and read to us to demonstrate various aspects of the process, structure and style of writing a children's picture book were not only helpful in developing understanding but absolutely delightful to hear and be the 'child' in the moment. I thoroughly enjoyed the two days and can't wait to refine my story and see where it takes me. Big thanks to Jude.

The course has given me a sense of confidence that I do have something to say that might be of interest to small children. This makes me feel more encouraged about trying to write a story for small children. Having spent the two days learning about structure and style and the various approaches to these has given me useful frameworks that will support my writing practice.

I am still smiling and can't wait to get back to the pages...

Give it a go, you will be surprised.

Perfect location, good pace to the course and everything made sense.

Judith (Jude) was exceptional. She engaged with all participants and made everyone feel part of the learning. Her experience, guidance and attitude all sparked the group members. Sincere gratitude to Jude.

Clarified my thinking, gave me confidence and impetus to get a PB published. See, I even know the slang now! (Thanks Jude)

Register now. Don't wait.

I enjoyed Petronella's style of feedback. She was very honest and helpful and it really soothed my worries about feeling inadequate.

It's motivated me and encouraged me to focus.

Enjoy it, give it a go and let it motivate you.

I'm an illustrator and have always had a love for learning and picture books. I think they're a brilliant vehicle to address complex and difficult subjects while providing tools for learning how to cope, inspire curious thinking and encourage a deeper understanding of our emotions. To understand the manuscript on the writer's side will ultimately help me to make better decisions when illustrating for others. I also would like to tackle both roles for stories I'd love to tell.

I did research other courses on the market, but found this to be a better fit for what I was looking for. The bonus content for illustrators was a big draw for me, in addition to the background and experience of the tutors for the Australian market.

Cathie has been wonderful. She has been direct in her feedback and comments to my assignments to help guide and support my learning and I've found this to be invaluable. Cathie's insights have been incredibly helpful and I feel more equipped to pursue submissions to publishers.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed the writing the most. I know that's odd to say given this is a writers' course, but I thought I'd struggle much more than I felt I have. I think that's due to the delivery of the course and feedback from Cathie and my peers.

I'm focusing on developing one of the stories visually in a focused picture book drawing class next term. I wasn't sure I'd have a manuscript polished enough to be able to jump right in, but I've been able to pull a story together that's been buzzing away for some time, so I'm very grateful and optimistic for the future.

The Australian Writers' Centre has been invaluable to my learning as an aspiring children's book author and illustrator. The content in the Writing Picture Books course was informative, easy to understand and flexible so I can learn around my other commitments. I have a new appreciation for the format and, as an illustrator, the bonus content has clarified the working process in the event I'm working with other authors. I have found the content and tutor engagement so invaluable. I'm looking at enrolling in other courses to continue my learning with AWC in future.

Great feedback, very constructive criticism - I believe the feedback given by the online tutor is what makes this course stand out from all others. Learning is so much more intense when we can see our stories grow and blossom, and I have definitely experienced that with this course!

I enjoyed the possibility to revisit the video classes at any time. Handouts were also very helpful. The community within the course is very supportive, and makes a world of difference to be in a supportive learning environment :)

Definitely the place to start for someone new to picture book writing!

I had several story ideas that had been building in my head and somewhat on paper for years, and to have the tuition and feedback to be able to craft layers into those stories is so exciting. Cathie has such a wealth of experience and background of knowledge of the industry and her feedback was always clear and so productive.

I enjoyed the opportunity to read each other's stories and see their ideas build and evolve throughout the course. And of course applying myself to the course content and listening to valuable feedback in order to build on my own writing skills. So excited for myself and the other participants for what may lie ahead.

I've been reading picture books to young children since I was a child myself, and selecting books for Play School for over 20 years, so I felt pretty confident in understanding what makes a really good picture book from a reader's perspective. Thinking through the complexity of the layers and probing deeper into the rhythm of the language has been such a bonus. And of course, learning more about the role of the illustrator and how the publishing industry works, plus the involvement of all the other stakeholders, has been so informative.

The time flexibility is great and allows you to fit the modules in around your other work. I've learnt so much - beyond my expectations!

I wanted some guidance on writing a novel as I had never attempted a long piece of writing before. I thought some help on structure would be good.

Cathie was great. She gave very considered feedback and tips on what to look out for and how to improve.

This course forced me to make decisions that I had been putting off - just little things like my character's name and the plot! I now feel much more confident that I will finish the novel I'm writing. I'm not totally sure what the final plot will look like but I'm a lot closer now than before.

The AWC is very professional, very collegial, very much worth doing a course with.

Bernadette is wonderful. A great teacher and full of knowledge and experience. I really loved how the principles unpacked in this course can be applied to other small businesses.

This course isn't so much about writing, but is coaching on how to build a business - this is a foundational skill.

Highly recommend - you will learn practical and useful knowledge and skills from experienced tutors - they know what they're talking about!

I have a lot of stories in my head but needed more technical information. I'm an avid romance reader and really wanted to try my hand at adding to the ever-growing romance community.

I enjoyed the fun, relatable and relaxed course audios. They kept me wanting to listen and never tire of the study I'm doing. The links and references were also a great help in expanding on what I am learning.

It really helped me plan and organise the stories I am trying to write. I went over stories I'd already written and adapted them with the structures mentioned in the book and I found I loved my stories more using the techniques I'd learnt.

It was invaluable to have a professional of Cathie Tasker's calibre on hand through this process. Terrifying, but invaluable. Cathie is friendly and approachable.

Over the 10 weeks, a real dynamic and connection was made between the class members. I hadn't really expected that. Being in a like-minded, respectful space.

For me, every module contained an ‘aha' moment. Now, it's my aim to fully understand, and apply these. Apart from the obvious educational angle of the writing craft, the process has ignited a passion greater than I was aware was there.

AWC offers an incredible resource of industry talent, combined with solid educational content, professional courses and access to so much more.

Thank you for the inspiration. Now, I only hope I have the ability to turn a dream into a reality.