What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I completed How to Write for Children and Young Adults and was impressed with the quality of the course and tutor. Novel Writing Essentials seemed to be the next logical step for my further education in writing a novel.

The course content made so much sense and was invaluable for developing a mindset of persistence in what is, for many, a very abstract or romanticized endeavour: writing a novel. The technical advice and feedback provided by the tutor and audio modules was exceptional in quality and delivery of information/education.

Angela impressed me with her professional communications (to me and other students) and critiques. Like other tutors at AWC, to be encouraged, educated and critiqued by someone who's established in the industry like Angela, gave me confidence to keep going with my writing and feel great about the decision of having enrolled in the course.

I thoroughly enjoyed and learnt a lot about how to refine and control my writing. Angela is generous with her comments and positive with her critique. Her comments were detailed and invaluable.

I am motivated and will keep going and am looking forward to writing my first story.

If you want to write you must go through at least the creative writing course - it is brilliant for putting you on your track to write.

Pamela was straight to the point with her feedback, in both what she liked but also in what needed improvement and why. I like that she would give examples to explain where and how improvement could be made and the impact this may have on the story.

It has given me the self-confidence to keep going. I have been accepted into the 12 month Write your Novel course next year.

Just do it, don't hesitate, you won't regret it and you can only go forward.

Two of my friends were doing the course and highly recommended it. I just love to write and find hurdles in getting through the editing and keeping inspired.

The tutor was great and the feedback really intricate and helpful. I do like how our characters and writing are taken seriously. I enjoyed the reading of others' work and the interaction and receiving feedback on my own work from tutor and peers.

I have novels in drawers (files on my computer) that are only first draft and now I feel excited to be able to revisit them with more knowledge around structure and character development and plotting. I don't have a problem with getting the words down; it's all in the editing. I feel more confident now to tackle that.

The course helped change my perspective about me being a never published writer - it has given me hope!

I got a lot out of this course. I tried out a lot of the new techniques (e.g. I wrote one scene in 6 different voices) and used the templates to help me figure out more about my characters and structure my work. I also valued the feedback I got and was surprised what I learned when commenting on others' work.

I like that Pamela chats with us in the comments section, and for my synopsis I very much appreciated the feedback on my work. I'm looking forward to further comments tomorrow.

I enjoyed reading other people's stories and meeting like-minded people.

If you're stuck creatively and want some direction, go here.

Angela gave great feedback on each submission and generously shared her knowledge and experience of the industry throughout the course. It's reignited my commitment to the novel I'm working on. It's also changed the way I look at my writing as well as any other printed material. Thanks to Angela and her highlighters of doom! :P

AWC provide great courses. I've done two online and the time commitment was very do-able. The tutors are knowledgeable and supportive and the format encourages a nurturing environment for participants. What's more, the modules are available for a full year so you can revisit them to keep you on track if you want to finish what you started - which I do!

Thanks very much!

I liked that it was a mixture of theory and workshopping. A previous course I did was just workshopping which I felt didn't cover what I really needed. And the theory modules were wonderful. Very practical and also very encouraging. I liked that they addressed exactly the type of fears I have about my writing.

It's really encouraged me to believe that I can and will finish my novel and that it will be worth reading.

I found the course really helped with my writing. The flexibility of doing it online and at a time that suits you is great.

I've been wanting to write fiction for years, but have always got caught up on the 'how to', so the 8 weeks of content and the accountability of getting 20,000 words done in two months were the major draw cards for me.

I was worried that my perfectionism would kick in and I'd get caught up on making my submissions "perfect", before missing my deadline and giving up. (I've done that before!) But the structure of the course and the invitation to share imperfectly really did allow me to move forward in "good enough" mode, which was a massive relief!

Angela did a great job. Her feedback was practical and actionable, and she was happy to share resources that she thought would help, in addition to the coursework. I found reading her feedback on other students' work super helpful as well.

I enjoyed the writing habit that I established, and the lessons themselves. I've discovered that I like to learn and work in a particular way, so the coursework combined with uncovering my own process were my highlights.

It's given me the regular creative writing habit I've wanted for years, and the confidence to just let my first draft be a mess. I've written nearly 70,000 words since we started the course, and the momentum feels fantastic. I've also got a much stronger idea of structure, plot and character development to carry into the rest of the book, as well as the (many, many) subsequent drafts to come.

Consistency is key. Getting up and writing my 1000 words a day is literally the only way my book will get written. Recognising that sometimes those words will be terrible, and it ultimately doesn't matter, has been really liberating.

If you're looking for a nudge (or a friendly push) to get your writing underway, then do it. Every course I've taken with AWC has given me some kind of important discovery about my own work and I've now got an almost completed manuscript to show for it.

The communication from AWC has been excellent, and the coursework has been brilliant and I'm so grateful to everyone who works at AWC. Thanks!

I had completed the How to Write for Children and Young Adults course as I was curious about writing. I've always wanted to write a novel, just didn't know how to go about it. During that course I discovered that I really enjoy the writing process and gained some insight on how to go about it. I came up with a rough idea for my novel and then enrolled in this course to continue and learn more.

Angela was great - insightful and helpful feedback, which I will put into place in my subsequent drafts.

A great course that got me inspired to actually write a novel.

Pamela Cook was a brilliant tutor. I had her for Creative Writing Stage 1 as well, and she does a great job with her feedback, pointing out areas to improve and how we can move forward. I learnt so much through listening to her feedback given to other writers in the group too. She was very giving of her time, answering additional questions we had. Also shared her insights on the publishing industry at the final wrap event which was very useful. She was also fantastic at instilling confidence in me as a writer, to the point where I feel like I can tell people I'm a writer, I'm working on a novel!

It has greatly improved my writing skills, my understanding of novels, characters, POV, setting, plot and so much more. Most importantly, it has built my belief in myself as a writer. I know it's still a tough road and getting published isn't easy, but I'm going to give it my best crack, as I now have belief in my work that I didn't have before.

The courses at Australian Writers' Centre have been instrumental in developing my skills, knowledge and self-belief as a writer. I've completed quite a few, Novel Writing Essentials being the latest one. It has propelled me forward with confidence, and I now have 65,000 words down for my first novel. I've written for years - probably the last decade - but doing these courses has put me on the right track in terms of learning about structure, plot, character, dialogue, setting, POV (just to name a few). I couldn't be more proud and am very grateful for AWC and the tutors. If you're thinking about starting a course - don't hesitate. You will not regret it!

I completed the Creative Writing Stage 1 course last year and, much to my surprise, started writing a novel. I was stuck at around 4,000 words and signed up for Novel Writing Essentials to learn how to move forward. I was also interested to get feedback on my writing style to determine if I should keep going.

I was a bit hesitant about having my work read and critiqued, but it turned out to be a very useful, and not too painful, experience. I was also concerned about providing feedback on other people's work, however we were provided with advice on how to do this constructively.

I learnt more than I thought I would, the feedback was useful and I now have 24,000 words written.

I found Angela's feedback practical, helpful, honest and encouraging. She was generous in sharing her knowledge and experience along with useful techniques to improve structure and style. Angela answered all questions our cohort put forward and provided guidance. Overall I enjoyed Angela's class and was pleased we had her as our tutor.

What I found most enjoyable was learning more about the craft of writing a novel. It was comforting to realise that there are guidelines and structure that can help to get the story onto the page in a way that readers will enjoy. I've always read novels and marvelled at how the author creates dialogue, scenes and action that seem to just come naturally, to hook the reader and keep them reading to find out more - to learn there are techniques and guidelines to help me do the same was a wonderful revelation.

Do it, you will be surprised at the writer that's lurking within you and just needs coaxing out.

Angela was very encouraging and provided targeted advice to each writer. It was helpful to see her feedback to other students as well as our own. She provided insights into my writing that I realised were blockers and I now have strategies to overcome them. I really appreciated the 'extras' she gave us on structure and narrative too.

I'm enjoying writing a lot more now that I have a better idea of the novel writing process and less pressure to write beautifully in a first draft. The words are now flowing and I have a plan to get through my first draft.

There is no substitute for making the time to write, but the AWC can provide motivation and guidance to help you make the most of that time.

Nicole's feedback was invaluable. I really enjoyed listening to her recorded feedback not only for me but for all the other participants in my course. I got the impression everyone in my course got the confidence boost they needed to keep working on their manuscripts while at the same time benefiting from the constructive criticism and tips about what's not working.

By the end of the course I was emotionally invested in everyone's stories.

I have some confidence that I can actually write (of course there is lots to improve). Before doing the course, I was wondering if I was wasting my time.

DO IT! It's money well spent and the worst that can happen is that you discover your novel hasn't got legs. In saying that though, the course content is highly engaging so you're highly likely to be inspired to start another story that does have legs.

Nicole was a skilled writer and I found her feedback on all our submissions to be informative and supportive.

One, I grew in that I finished the course and committed to it the whole way through. Two, I learned from others that there is no magic - it's giving rein to your imagination and then, word by word, scene by scene, putting your story down. Three, don't agonise over making your first draft perfect - you'll change it anyway later.

Well-organised, practical lessons and handouts. Thoughtful, detailed feedback from the tutor and AWC's coordination/moderation of workshopping means that feedback is constructive and useful and not scary.

I love the AWC. Your website is so informative, welcoming to new writers without being patronising, and honest about the writing process without being intimidating or gatekeeping. It's one of the best decisions I've made to enrol in Creative Writing Stage 1 last year, so I knew that the next step would be even more informative and engaging.

Pamela was wonderful. Very honest about feedback given, but never in a way that was impersonal, overly harsh or unhelpful. Very thorough, detailed comments that gave me a really good springboard for my further drafts.

I enjoyed the video feedback format from the tutor. I like how different learning styles were incorporated - some people respond better to detailed text instructions, whereas some digest them better in video or audio.

I now have a very confident path to forge ahead with my planned novel, and during these uncertain times of lockdowns, it's fantastic to have something you can confidently focus on.

After completing Creative Writing stage 1, I was hooked, and found myself writing a story. The Novel Writing Essentials course felt like perfect timing.

Pamela's feedback was very useful and I found myself having many aha moments during her feedback. I enjoyed reading all the other stories from classmates and receiving their feedback. The audio lessons are fantastic!

I was using a lot of flashbacks in my story and, after the useful feedback from Pamela, I have re-written many scenes using story present. As a result, I am feeling a lot happier with those scenes and feel closer to my characters too.

I highly recommend taking a course with the Australian Writers' Centre. My understanding of plot, characters and individuality as a writer has transformed my approach to my writing and I feel very encouraged about where my story is going, thanks to what I have learned through the course.

I look forward to signing up to the novel writing course next, although I am going to pause to zone in on my story for a few months just using what I have learned from the Novel Writing Essentials course. I plan to go over the coursework again and continue to workshop with the group privately for the time being. But I will certainly be back for more courses.

Pamela was very helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. The environment was encouraging.

I'm working hard on completing my novel and thanks to this course I am out of the thinking stage and into the active writing stage.

As I worked on writing my own piece and providing feedback for my fellow course-mates, I realised that the important thing was to get the story down and that it doesn't have to be perfect. As long as the story is written I will have the opportunity to make it better as much as I want.

The Australian Writers' Centre provides a friendly and encouraging environment, especially to someone like me who lacked confidence in her work and was afraid of criticism. The experience is constructive, inspiring and overall fun.

I completed a creative writing course a few years ago and had started writing a novel. I hadn't looked at it in a year so wanted to get motivated to write again. I have listened to the podcasts for quite a while and enjoy Allison and Valerie's banter, so thought I would give Novel Writing Essentials a go.

Pamela was amazing! Her feedback was so useful and made perfect sense. She gave a lot of tips throughout the course interwoven through her various feedbacks. I learned a lot from listening to her feedback to other students as well as my own.

I enjoyed the learnings from the feedback sessions - both Pamela's and the other students. Also, reading other submissions and seeing the many different writing styles/genres.

I have started writing again and I feel like I know (sort of) what I'm doing now.

Even though I have completed a couple of creative writing courses over the years, I regret that I didn't start with the Australian Writers' Centre creative writing course.

Pamela Cook was an excellent tutor and gave great feedback throughout this course, not just to myself but all the students.

The opportunity to read the work of others and offer feedback, and receiving feedback, was fantastic as it has helped improve my own work.

These courses are great, the tutors are very helpful, the classroom is respectful to your work and the feedback others offer is fantastic.

I really enjoyed meeting other writers on this and other courses run by the AWC. I feel like I have made a real connection with some of the other students and may have found not only some new friends but really wonderful long term beta readers.

Anyone with dreams of being a writer would be helped by a course run by the Australian Writers' Centre. It is a great starting place.