What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I was nervous about taking this step, whether I'd be up to it. It did wonders for my confidence. Bernadette was a great tutor, very encouraging, really helped me develop confidence about my ability as a writer.

I appreciated the care and attention Bernadette gave to all of us, the opportunity to read fellow classmates' writing and the feedback given to them. The support of an encouraging yet discerning tutor stayed with me all week.

I enjoyed the weekly deadline as a motivator, as well as the opportunity to work alongside my classmates.

The course material is so interesting, I will relisten and reread it as I feel it really enriched my writing. I have extended some of the exercises, e.g. imagining fully the location & setting before writing, character building and using POV, and have found them incredibly useful to improve my writing.

The effect of the course has been both practically and emotionally supportive. The structural guidance has been delicious! I wish I learned these techniques earlier. Surprisingly, I felt encouraged by the creative 'risk' taken by my classmates. The way we were gently upheld and firmly guided has been a revelation.

The course material is informative, helpful and never patronising. The course is structured well. Each week you have the opportunity to apply new techniques and receive supportive feedback. If you are keen to learn the fundamentals of creative writing then this is the course for you.

A heartfelt thanks to this organisation. I have already signed up for one of the Fiction Essentials and plan to do more.

I wanted to create a solid foundation in my creative writing and decided to start with the basics.

Stephen Hart is a great tutor who gives constructive and objective feedback, giving everyone a fair chance in this course. I really enjoyed seeing other fellow writers and their works, helping each other to improve and grow in creative writing.

This course really helped to build a solid foundation in my creative writing, especially with creating characters, which has always been a challenge for me. A major learning moment for me was when I realised how much actually went into creating a character, even minor ones.

This course is beneficial, easy to access and reasonably priced. Definitely worth checking out and giving a go if you want to get started with creative writing.

I was inspired by the So You Want To Be A Writer podcast and continue to be inspired. The price made me pause, but it was worth it. My writing has improved in leaps and bounds.

The course really stretched my writing muscles. Bernadette's feedback was helpful and constructive, without pandering to our egos. I really appreciated having her 'by my side'. The writing exercises made me try new things with my writing and that was invaluable.

Learning how to imagine a scene and character before starting to write has made an incredible difference to my writing. Also, taking into account the Yellow, Black, Red and Blue colours of scene writing is something I will refer to for every scene.

It's a worthwhile investment with an outcome that is tangible and effective.

THANK YOU! I have tried a few other courses elsewhere, but the AWC Creative Writing Stage 1 course has actually delivered what it promised - and then some. Thank you so much for being the shove I needed to get going.

I was hesitant about the cost and online nature of the course. Afterwards, I didn't think over the cost as I found it so valuable in many ways. The online format worked much better than I expected.

Nicole always provided constructive feedback, was encouraging, and seemed to emit a warm, welcoming vibe even though it was all online. I really found her very helpful. Being affirmed of what I had done well was also very reassuring, and her suggestions were always spot on! I'm very grateful for her input.

I came away each week with a much greater appreciation of the art of writing. I realised the weight of each word on the page and the meaning it could construe. The feedback was invaluable as I have found it difficult to find someone who can give me specific feedback. It was reassuring to know I was on the right track in some parts and what I could do to improve.

To be honest, I have been mass consuming books with my addiction to reading for so long that it was only during this course that I developed an even greater respect for writers and authors. I never fully appreciated them and the journey they went on to complete and publish their work. It is an enormous commitment, a soul baring art form - it takes a ton of self-motivation and evaluation and picking yourself up again and again after feedback that can be deflating even if it is true and helpful and well-meaning!

That's not to mention that my eyes were opened to the weight of each word, phrase, sentence, paragraph, scene, plot. Mind blown. Makes me overwhelmed but strangely also driven.

If you enjoy writing - do it!

Thank you for running such worthwhile classes!

I am still trying to digest the massive amount of helpful information included in the modules. So much I didn't know about the nuts and bolts of writing.

It was obvious that Bernadette had taken the time to read every piece in its entirety. Her remarks were always positive. I also found the mp lessons made for easy listening.

It made me want to keep going - I had stalled for quite some time before this course came along. Now I can look at my writing in a new light. I found that I was much more aware of what to look for and also have a more realistic idea of long it actually takes to get a novel to publication stage.

If you want to write and you are wondering where to begin, try this!

I thought the course and the handouts were very thorough, as expected. It was however the emphasis on what is important in the lessons that really impressed me. The lessons were definitely the highlight. It was also a bonus being able to listen in the car on the way to work.

I was very impressed by the tutor's knowledge and helpful suggestions.

I can now see that writing is a craft that I can learn and get better at.

AWC understands the basics of good writing and how to do it. The course was thoroughly enjoyable.

Stephen is very thorough, considered and compassionate in his feedback. I enjoyed the motivational force of having feedback every week.

It has confirmed that the germ of an idea for a book that I got while doing the Writing for Children course in 2014 is a viable prospect for a full length novel.

I have always loved creative writing and wanted to explore it further and further my skills and knowledge in this area.

I really enjoyed everything about this course.

Stephen was very knowledgeable. His feedback was always constructive and he always gave you something to try next time.

I am now more confident in pursuing my dream of being an author. It's an amazing and informative course with plenty of support available.

The tutor was encouraging but he was also able to critique in a positive way.

I enjoyed writing the pieces and listening to the feedback. Having never read "To Kill a Mockingbird" (which was on my must-read list) was a bonus.

I am more confident now and I am keen to re-read what I had previously written before the course as I know now what makes an ok story into a good story.

Have a go. It is not as scary as you think; it's easy to follow. The more you put in the more you will get out of the course.

I was impressed with the thoroughness and professionalism of the feedback process, as well as the focus on the positive. I enjoyed the ability to give and get feedback.

I had begun to wane in my drive and inspiration, but my love of writing has been rekindled.

I would say that it is a great way to connect with like-minded people who wish to develop their writing skills in a supportive environment. Thank you.

I wanted to learn more about creative writing. This course stood out due to the online method and the experience of the teachers. It was very good, better than I thought it would be. I hadn’t studied writing before so everything I learnt was new.

Annabel is fantastic. Her feedback was exceptional and from her feedback I was able to increase my knowledge even further.

I liked everything about this course. I now know that I wish to continue learning about creative writing and have started writing at home in my spare time.

Give it a go. It’s a great course to do online and everyone is welcoming.

The tutor's feedback and approach was great. It was also great to see other people's work and their feedback. Such a broad range of students too meant there was alot to learn from their approaches (what worked and what didn't).

"Show don't tell" and "less is more" seem like small things but they put language around something that I could see in mine and other people's writing when it wasn't quite working so now it's so much easier for me to avoid it and edit it.

Annabel was a great tutor. It's motivating and nice to share your work with others even if it's far from perfect and you're just learning. It felt like a safe space.

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 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 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 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 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 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 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.