What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I have enrolled in many of the Australian Writers' Centre courses now. They are enjoyable and full of great advice about writing. I am doing all I can to learn how I can improve on the skills and knowledge I already have.

No matter what stage of writing you are at and what skills and knowledge you have, these courses will teach you new skills, tell you what is most popular and accepted currently and it will give you confidence to keep going if you need encouragement.

I'm at a crossroads in my life and just knew this course would be perfect for me while I wait for the Freelance Writing Stage 1 to start. I knew it would motivate me to start making changes in my life and start writing!

Love the course, and love hearing from people who've done courses with AWC and gone on to be published.

It has motivated me to make the change and get started!

These guys are great, the content is amazing and there are so many courses to choose from.

I have been receiving AWC email content for a few years now and have never acted on it (shame on me), but I have made 2023 a year in taking small steps to fulfilling my dream of becoming a fulltime writer. When this little introductory course found its way to my email inbox, I knew I needed to act.

I was so surprised by the endless career paths writing can take you. I have always wanted to be a novelist but have been so afraid of my creative intuitions for a long time, to the point when I have constantly ignored the screaming voice in my head. I really did enjoy hearing the experiences other graduates have followed in their paths to fulfilling their dreams and I really do believe I can forge my own path. Like Valerie stated throughout the course, "small steps," it will not happen overnight but with dedication, belief and hard work, there is no earthly reason why it won't happen.

REINVENT YOURSELF is an introductory course and sets out to motivate, inspire and inform. Valerie has done just that. It is the perfect "first step" for anyone considering a career or "living out a dream" in writing.

Valerie is amazing. Not only does she introduce a potential writer to the experiences and successes of graduates in all forms of writing, but the whole concept of the Australian Writers' Centre is surreal. To have such a professional teaching vocation available to people from all walks-of-life across Australia and beyond is a privilege that should not be taken for granted. Valerie wants you to succeed. AWC wants its graduates to become the best version of themselves. Having the convenience to achieve your writing goals on-line is just the "strawberry on top." I am really excited about what I can achieve.

Please, please do not hesitate. If you want to become a writer in any field, AWC will set you on the right path.

I've tried to use Scrivener but felt overwhelmed at its complexity. After the course, I now have a really good understanding of what Scrivener can do and it's prompted me to start writing. Thanks!

It has helped me to understand how to structure my ideas for writing and how to overcome blocks, as well as storing things and labelling things. Really helpful.

I was prompted to shift scenes in a way that altered how the story was told. This brought excitement to my writing and I felt less bogged down. Corkboard thread, composition mode - it all opened my creativity.

Do this 2-hour course. It will kick off your creative ideas. Natasha is an excellent and thorough teacher.

I loved how this course was broken down into sections with many examples. Lots of information to think about.

I am an emerging writer and currently taking in all of the information. My "aha" moment is all of the topics to think about (i.e. language, format, characters etc ) when writing chapter books. It is rather tricky, and yet I am amazed by the creativity.

I absolutely love the Australian Writers' Centre. I shared with my friend something that I had written, and she replied, "OMG! Where did you learn that?" Of course, I told her about AWC.

The tutor is a wonderful lady, very knowledgeable and I know to refine knowledge from an academic background into a simpler form was some achievement. I loved her feedback - having been doing a postgraduate degree myself I am used to constructive feedback and Bernadette was very nice, giving helpful advice and very fair to every student.

I feel much more confident about writing copy and found ways to stop my writer's block and imposter syndrome. She nailed it when it came to all the little issues we face.

Awesome course.

I am in the process of reinventing myself and thought it would be a good tool to sense-check how I am going and give me some extra information or inspiration

Valerie was very honest and practical, always reinforcing that reinventing yourself as a writer can be done.

In conjunction with other AWC courses, I have actually started my freelance writing business.

If you want to be any kind of writer, AWC has a course for you and it will be well-structured, allows you to manage your time and other priorities and deliver valuable skills to help change your life.

This course appealed to me as I've always held a wee pipe dream to write a children's book :) I hoped to understand the processes and intricacies involved (and I did!).

Our tutor Cathie was great. Her feedback was constructive, thought-provoking (for me), and written with care.

I feel MUCH more knowledgeable. I still have a long way to go... and, perhaps I'll enrol in another course :)

I had pantsed the first part of my novel but felt I had lost control of it and didn't know how to progress the story in a way that made sense. Definitely word spew, to borrow another writer's words. I saw the Write Your Novel course as a way to provide structure to my work and give me deadlines to ensure I completed the first draft.

The course is so comprehensive and I feel Cathie has just the right amount of push and reward with new writers. I learnt so much and really enjoyed the process. Cathie's direction and feedback were excellent. I've come back for round 2, so that indicates the respect I have for Cathie and the course.

It has given me the confidence to continue writing. Also, this has been a time of transition in my life and the course and the contact with the other students has helped me keep my chin up.

If you are serious about wanting to advance your writing and give yourself a good chance of being published, the courses at AWC will give you the knowledge and confidence to persevere until you have that well written manuscript.

I'd like to thank Cathie Tasker and everybody at AWC, including the administration staff and course writers. I've sat in on some of your other podcasts and I always learn something new.

I appreciated the tutor taking the time to read assignments and found the feedback useful, as both positive aspects of the assignments and tips for improvements were identified.

I enjoyed the challenge of producing writing that incorporated the techniques we had been given in each module. And then waiting in anticipation for the feedback to see where I could improve.

The course has given me the incentive to really focus on my writing and inspired me to think more critically about the craft of writing.

The Australian Writers' Centre can give you tools to help you develop your creative writing skills and the incentive to try them out.

I enjoyed and appreciated the specificity of the feedback as well as the encouragement.

It helped me get a good understanding of some of the basic building blocks of writing that I was unaware of. I am now equipped with tools to work with before starting to write and to use when I get stuck in my writing.

While this course comes across as being more tailored to writers who have already had books published, it contains plenty of tips for writers who are still in the beginnings of their writing journey, like me.

I enjoyed the clear presentation, good use of examples to illustrate, deconstruction of complex technological concepts.

It has given me an impetus and tools to improve my author website which is long overdue.

Listening to all of the feedback and the lessons gave an amazing insight into the depth of your knowledge of story and the industry.

The tutor was exceptional. The experience and generosity of Pamela was wonderful.

It's great value for money and I would advise anyone who is thinking about doing an AWC course to just go for it! You will not be disappointed.

The AWC is an amazing hardworking community of writers that are incredibly welcoming. I would encourage anyone to try one of their courses...I think this one has been my favourite so far!

A heartfelt thank you to Pamela and all at the AWC, keep doing what you're doing, you are making a positive difference to people's lives.

I have been meaning to pursue writing for a while now and I decided one evening to take the bull by the horns and just do it. With the support of my husband, we both began an internet search for creative writing courses, and he came across AWC.

I found this course very informative and welcomed all feedback from Victoria and my fellow classmates. I found the worksheets very helpful in being able to put the audio modules to practice.

I looked forward to Monday's feedback sessions far more than I thought I would, to the point that I would often keep an eye out and refresh my webpage more than usual in anticipation.

I enjoyed the release of each new module and would stay up so that I could see what it entailed. I also enjoyed the writing challenges especially the one where we were asked to rewrite a previous assignment in the point of view of a different character to represent how each character has a different take on things.

I found the AWC to be a great place to start on your writing journey and there are multiple courses to choose from to best suit what you are looking for.

The tutor was very experienced and adept at analysing the written pieces and communicating the feedback in an insightful and encouraging way. I appreciated the comments about her own experience in writing and publishing that was relevant to particular pieces of writing. It gives me hope and sheds some light on the potential road ahead.

The feedback from the tutor not just about my work but others' work too. I also enjoyed reading others' writing and giving each other feedback. This was very worthwhile in learning how a reader interprets your writing and showing your blind spots.

Even if you are tentative, if have even a small stirring within to write, you should definitely jump off the cliff of doubt and enrol in a course that resonates with you. You won't regret it!

I loved the course!!!

I found the most enjoyable part of this course (and other AWC courses) to be that it was so enjoyable! The videos and handouts are easy to digest and the information so practical.

It has given me more confidence to start writing, knowing I have the program and knowledge to organise my work. It's scary to be heading down this path so all sources of confidence are much appreciated!

AWC courses are very easy to digest, very practical, and pave the way for a career in writing.

I'm struggling with my manuscript opening. I knew it wasn't right but needed guidance.

This seminar was a straightforward look at what to do and, more importantly, what not to do with an opening, plus examples of good openings. It has given me some tools to use when I re-draft my opening.

I really like that so much handy info/templates are provided - super helpful.

I have learned, through this and other courses, that a lot of the hard work in writing is setting the structure - there are so many angles that can be simply followed.

Just do it!

I had an idea for a children's picture book, but did not quite know how to get started. I looked for a course and found the AWC.

The tutor was very knowledgeable and helpful. I enjoyed doing the coursework, feeling motivated and receiving feedback.

Money well spent. Enjoyable and rewarding. Two of my manuscripts are in the process of being published!

I have wanted to be a writer my whole life, and after signing on for the Copywriting Essentials the self-doubt kicked in. I was doubting my abilities and wondering how on earth I could even contemplate changing the path I was on at my age. I saw this course and it sounded like the motivation I needed.

I loved hearing the accounts of former graduates and how they had overcome their own doubts and feelings of "surely I can't do this?" And the practical suggestions were exactly what I needed.

I really feel that I can make the change and finally become a paid writer.