What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I wanted to dip my toes into a short writing course that would give me a basic overview of some of the key elements of writing. I also wanted to get feedback on my work without having to do the scary face-to-face part. I was unsure how engaged I would be in audio material without being present in person, but I found the content engaging. It's also difficult to put down hundreds of dollars for an online course without being sure how much you would get out of it, but I don't regret that now.

I really liked Pamela; I thought her feedback was always constructive and encouraging. It feels amazing to get positive feedback from such an accomplished author.

I really liked the assignments each week. Although the course content is engaging, it really does help to have to put it into practice. I also like how the course is layered so each week you focus on one thing, and then bring it all together in the last week. I think this is such a clever way to structure (and I know how important that is now), the course so that inexperienced writers aren't overwhelmed and having to think about dialogue and character and description etc all at the same time from the get go.

I haven't actually sat down and applied what I've learnt to any of my writing projects yet, but now I'm SO excited to! I was wondering if I really had any motivation or skill to actually finish a piece of work, but now that's all I want to do!

I think the main thing is just knowing what to name aspects of writing now. Previously, I may have looked at my work and just been like, there's too much talking, without being able to know that I needed to add description or action and ground the characters in a setting. I also never realised how hard it is to not use filter words!

I would say that the course is:
- Engaging.
- That the course content is interesting and helpful. It gives you a great overview, but grounds them in examples so that you really understand them.
- That the feedback is constructive and the assignments are interesting. It's really helpful to give you options to share your own work, or use the scenario given.
- Cliche, but that you only get out of it what you put in. On weeks where I was time pressed and wasn't 100% happy with my piece, my feedback reflected it.

The course started me off and provided great handouts that I can use over and over again.

I found the whole experience excellent. The content was dense and practical, delivered engagingly and professionally.

The tutor was extremely competent and professional and confidence-inspiring - as well as warm and engaging. It was all really engaging and strong. Using some of the tools was fun and kind of 'revelatory'. Likewise applying it in the exercises.

I was already halfway there but without the science or the tools. It was mostly instinct. I am doing the research, using the tools and sharpening up my writing now... and not leaving so much to chance.

AWC offers a combination of good intel/guidance and practical skills in writing - whether it's fiction, nonfiction, journalism or professional writing. In my experience the courses are well organised and crafted, with excellent teachers. And they are also affordable, well-paced and easy to fit into a busy life - a great way to learn new things and acquire practical new skills.

I have been procrastinating for many years about writing a novel and thought during COVID-19 would be a good time do it and this course would give me the skills and the push I need.

I thought Pamela was very professional and knew what she was talking about. Her feedback was very helpful. I liked having to do assignments each week and interacting with classmates. It has motivated me to write every day and made me want to strive to become a fulltime writer.

Highly recommend it.

Really enjoyed the pace and also the homework assignments: helpful without being too overwhelming

The tutor was experienced and delivered the course in a way that it still felt like a two-way course. I have learnt useful tips and tricks. Writing actively not passively and using set formulas that work! I now see them everywhere.

Go for it!

I loved the flexibility as I work full time and was able to do the work in my own pace on the weekends. I will surely go back through it again to apply more insights into my daily tasks as a marketing manager.

I thought the feedback and the way Bernadette taught was great - positive, fun and energetic. Exactly what I needed! I found it great to interact with course members during the introduction and also to see everybody's assignment tasks, as I was able to learn from everyone.

I will definitely write better blogs, SEO copy and general marketing materials now. The simple formulas that always seem to work - it is so true but never crossed my mind, that it could be learned so easily. I have already recommended the AWC at work.

I was a little hesitant, as I didn't know much about copywriting and wondered if this would be the right course for me.

I enjoyed the course; it was easy to follow and I learned new skills that I can apply to my current profession as a recruiter and my personal brand.

The tutor was very knowledgeable, with an easygoing and friendly manner and encouraging style in her feedback. It will encourage me to continue this newfound hobby of writing.

The courses are fun and easy to follow, and manageable in terms of time commitment. I'm really glad I decided to enrol after my initial hesitation.

Bernadette is amazing! So knowledgable and so engaging. Feedback was constructive and positive and made me feel inspired to keep exploring.

Thank you so much!

I had written a rural crime manuscript without much thought to the more technical aspects for police investigations or trial processes. I had heard nothing but good things about the courses offered by AWC and thought this one might be able to fill some gaps for me.

The most enjoyable part of the course was the true crime examples and the resources linked throughout. i.e. transcripts, video confessions, etc. I have a better understanding of procedures and processes that I will take forward and I'm sure will be reflected in future writing projects.

I particularly loved the police interview transcripts for the back and forward between law enforcement and the accused. This is something I have used to good effect in my current manuscript which has just been shortlisted for a Debut Dagger - so it's already working!

There's no better way to learn the fundamentals of crime writing than deep diving into real life police investigations/trial documents/autopsy reports. It puts you on the fast track to sounding like you know what you're talking about!!

The course gave me confidence to use Scrivener and the tools to use it immediately. I had downloaded Scrivener a couple of years ago but gave up because it all seemed so hard. Natasha's tuition has allowed me to import my novel, set it up properly and I feel so much more confident going forward.

Natasha's instructions are clear and concise. I liked that I could pause the tuition, go to Scrivener and apply what I had just learned, and then return to the course for the next instruction.

I have always wanted to use Scrivener but I found it hard going on my own to learn everything. I kept thinking that it would be better to spend the time writing, not learning new software. I had downloaded a free copy two years ago, but just found it difficult to learn enough basics to start using it. I don't write sequentially, so I knew that Word wasn't the best choice for me. Taking a workshop with Natasha, I liked her teaching style so decided to purchase Scrivener again as well as Two Hours to Scrivener Power.

The course was professional, interesting, and value for money. The resources were useful to refer to later, and I learned so much in just two hours.

I needed structure, I needed to get out of report writing mode and into creative writing mode, I needed some motivation, I needed to actually write.

Loved the feedback. Loved how positive our tutor was.

It gave me what I wanted and now I have the confidence and inspiration to get on with it.

I have three half-finished novels in my computer. They weren't going anywhere. Now they will.

A great big fat thank you.

The tutor was helpful & honest with their feedback & advice! Really appreciated the support over the last 5 weeks. And the assignments each week - it was exciting to research the variety of destinations.

With more practice, I am determined to get this travel writing right. I plan to complete more courses with AWC.

Highly recommend this course for the amazing support & advice provided by the teachers. If travel is your passion, what a great way to learn how to communicate this to the world!

Bernadette is a fantastic tutor, the course content was great, and the course went at the right pace. Bernadette was very positive and knowledgeable.

I enjoyed putting the learning into practice with the homework modules.

I have realised there are different ways to write. I have mainly written thematic reports in the past on specific industries and this SEO course has given me the ability and confidence to realise I can also write marketing copy and apply SEO. The use and placement of keywords is so powerful. Great course for online writers. Thank you!

The quality of information, clear presentation and extent of topics was amazing! Zanni seems really passionate about picture books and her feedback was on point, honest and positive.

How much more respect I have for writers of great picture books; I knew it was special but it really is an art. Also it gave me confidence that even though I am far from publishing a book, it is possible and I can start now.

It is a very complete course, very serious and professional. Worth the money.

Just, thank you, it was a great experience, and to do it during lockdown it helped to keep the creative juices flowing.

I wanted to develop skills in writing for a younger market, with a view to publishing a work eventually. It seemed like a rare and unique opportunity to learn about a niche market.

The video sessions were fantastic. I valued having Zanni read out the stories in her lovely tone; it put me right back in the child's seat. It's a rare honour to have my fledgling stories read aloud by Zanni, with her warm and considered feedback.

Finding out that I could pen a children's story and have it not be half bad. It's a brief step into a vast new world. It opened a door and showed me a new way of wading into literature. I only wish perhaps it was longer, but with more practice I'm sure the impact will be profound.

I've been wanting to learn how to write humour for a while. I need a lighthearted break from the usual genres I write.

This course was absolutely brilliant. It's cleared up some massive issues I was having with my middle-grade projects. Thank you

I absolutely adored the information given and the activities.

It's revealed that I can actually do humour. And my story ideas aren't actually as out there as I expected. It's given me the confidence to try my hand at something I thought I'd never be able to succeed at.

Zanni was fantastic. She spent a lot of time looking at everyone's assignments and gave really great constructive feedback. The way she delivered the feedback via Zoom was great as it was like sitting down and talking about it, as opposed to just reading her response.

It has started me on my writing journey. A lot of the info in the course, such as tight writing and show don't tell, is not just relevant to picture books but other forms of writing as well.

The tutor is a published author and that the course is online so easy to complete when juggling work/kids.

I would say don't think about it, just do it.

I was interested in learning more about how to construct a picture book. Zanni was very knowledgable. Learning how technical picture book writing is, more specifically how books require a theme. That picture books require themes, they aren't just stories.

It has made me want to write more.

If you think writing a picture book is easy, you need to take the AWC Picture Book course!

I'm not working at the moment due to Covid, and wanted to do something constructive with my time. A friend had 'liked' the AWC on Facebook so I googled and was impressed with how professional the website and courses sounded so signed up.

I was a little anxious about posting my assignments in a shared environment as I haven't received feedback from my peers before, however I actually found the feedback to be beneficial so got over this after the first week!

I valued Stephen's feedback; he knew the subject matter and picked up on things I had no previous knowledge of. I enjoyed learning about the 'technical' side of writing. I enjoy writing but have never studied it so learning about structure, scenes, etc, was very interesting. It's made me want to write more.

The AWC Creative Writing course will teach you how to turn your idea into a story. Thank you, I've really enjoyed this course and it's made me want to continue writing in some form.

I thoroughly enjoyed these 5 weeks. It has given me a lot. I'm going to carry on with my writing and may do a follow up course in the future.

I gained a lot of practical knowledge from this course. Very helpful positive critique. Writing the assessments and listening to the audio lessons, and feeling that I had found a familiar tribe.

It's given me a much better idea on how to go about the writing of a novel. Also, it was a liberating moment to be told to "give yourself permission to write." To keep writing and not remain stuck going over and over one piece.

I would say the AWC is an excellent source of knowledge and experience. It is very helpful to anyone wanting to begin writing a novel.