What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I needed to get a better understanding of how to write so I may complete my second book. The tutor was very nice and helpful. I enjoyed being able to write freely and to be challenged. Thankyou.

I've been writing since I was young but wanted a bit of structure and to actually learn all the concepts of writing a story. My first draft was a pantser attempt and with the second draft I wanted to be able to pick up on more of the technical details so I wasn't wasting too much of my time this time.

I find it hard to share my work - I don't have other writer friends. The last writing group I joined was awkward, so joining an online group wasn't as daunting. Pamela was lovely in the way that she suggested how all the participants could better their work instead of just ripping it apart. She was very positive which I loved.

I liked it being online as I sometimes get flustered when asked to write something in 5 mins in a regular physical class. Also it was lovely to be able to sit back and read the other work by the participants.

For me, it was just having someone say that it was good work and little things I can tweak here and there. I only have my family to tell me if I can write. It was lovely to have someone in the industry to actually say - I like this. I'm a typical writer and doubt everything I write.

I would say to definitely do it. I have taken a few courses now and have loved them. It helps and you don't feel so alone. Also it's great getting help from people in the industry - people who are selling their work.

I liked that it's foundational and teaches the basics of good story writing

The online tutor was great; she gave good feedback. I enjoyed the lessons and the feedback on my assessments - so I could see where I went right or wrong.

I now want to explore other courses to expand my creative muscles.

I would say it's a great course where you can learn from quality teachers, get quality lessons/materials and feedback on your work.

I have always wanted to write a novel but didn't know how to go about it. I knew that I needed help to get started. Just going on Google was not helping me, I needed structured help.

I want to start writing my novel now whereas before I was too scared to start.

Annabel was extremely helpful. I loved getting her input about what I had written. It really helped me improve.

... I am sad it's finished. It went so fast.

It got the creative juices flowing and took me out of my comfort zone. This is the first time I have ever done anything like this, although I have fantasised about writing many times. I surprised myself by how I was actually able to come up with anything. It was not easy and automatic but I certainly enjoyed the journey.

The tutor was always positive and helpful.

I am taking on board writing every day, or at least as often as possible, for 10 minutes or maybe more if the inspiration takes me. I'll write about anything just to get the practice of writing. Anything that piques my interest on the day.

The AWC has heaps of great courses facilitated by writers. There is a course for everyone, all types of writers and even non-writers.

The tutor gave detailed and constructive comments without making us feel hopeless. I enjoyed the challenge, the fact that something had to be done each week, and the constructive criticism.

It made me feel more confident in pursuing writing as a hobby. I think that the way I write dialogue has improved greatly.

I certainly would recommend the AWC. In fact, I gave my 11 year old grandson one of your courses for his birthday. Keep up the good work.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 needed to start somewhere, and had had a good experience with an AWC weekend course, previously.

Louisa was very supportive and helpful. I should have "used" her more :-) She was very positive and helpful.

The most enjoyable part was getting over the fear factor, putting words on "paper" and sending them out. The realization that what you put down will not stay that way. The first write is just that, the first of several re-writes, just get it down! The obvious nature of writing: it's a genuine skill. It needs practice and sweat.

I'm gearing up for the next course, Novel Writing Essentials. The AWC pathway is very helpful for a novice, and suspect it's helpful for fleshing out subsequent ideas, too.

If you genuinely want to write, if you want to prioritize writing, this course is a great start.

I hesitated at the cost but in hindsight it has been worth every cent.

Having a schedule to follow! It made me carve out time to focus and learn. I also really enjoyed the person who voiced the lessons.

It's knocked off one more excuse on the list - "I have no idea what I'm doing!" Still true in many ways but that excites me now.

The many times the phrase "if something isn't working, often this is why" was used. So many of them applied to me and now I see why.

Do it! You won't regret it! It's professional, supportive and hugely valuable as a learning experience.

Just thank you. It's been a really difficult few months stuck at home and this course has kept me connected to my creativity.

I needed help in providing structure to my writing and some tips on how to push past roadblocks in my writing.

I'm grateful for Stephen's feedback and the suggestions he was able to provide to mine and others' works. It definitely gave me things to think about. It has given me some tips to try to move past the usual roadblocks in my writing. It has given me motivation and a group of fellow writers with whom to interact!

If you are looking for a structure (weekly topics and expectation of submitting your work every week to motivate your writing) and community from fellow writers looking for that extra push, this is the course for you!

I was struggling to write - I would make time for it and would last about 3/4 of a notebook page before I either got anxious, disheartened or just confused. I needed some guidance, advice and more knowledge on crafting a story from scratch. It was a bit of a shot in the dark and I didn't know what I was going to get myself into. It was a personal thing and I didn't tell my missus at first. Funny story - two days after I enrolled in this course, she came to me and showed me the Facebook ad for the course and told me I should do it and I said, "I've already enrolled!"

Stephen was honest and caring with his feedback. My week 4 assignment wasn't the best, but Stephen's input helped me improve my writing. I didn't feel disheartened but motivated to improve, which shows what good feedback can do.

I'm super confident, in the sense that I can approach my writing with bravery and not get disheartened. The first draft is me telling the story to myself and that's become my motto so I don't abandon work early. The other night I wrote for two hours in a notebook, which hasn't happened for a long time.

I'd say go for it and please interact with others because you learn a lot. I'm now doing the short story course and I'm just as excited with that course as I was when I started this one.

Money well spent. Thank you!

Absolutely wonderful experience. I just loved Valerie and her recordings. Very enthusiastic, engaging and overall insightful.

I always got nervous and excited (adrenalin rush) waiting for people's comments on my work after I hit 'post'.

Overall I am much more confident in writing my scenes now. There was something I always included in my story even before the course. Emotion and action (Red & Black). But, environment (yellow) was not something I focused on. I love that we got taught about this and now I am always closing my eyes and imagining my character's surroundings before (or even in the middle when I'm stuck) I write.

So glad I spent that money on this wonderful experience. I am sad that it has ended though. But am planning to join the Facebook page so I'm sure I'll get to keep in touch with a lot of wonderful and intelligent people.

I've been listening to the podcast on and off for a number of years and I really want to make the transition to being a full time writer.

I liked Stephen, he offered great feedback and I felt like I improved over the 5 weeks. I feel really confident in my writing, and that I am following the right path.

I would say it's money well spent, jump on and get started.

My tutor LA Larkin was fantastic at giving encouraging and constructive feedback. I have more confidence in myself to write now and know I am on the right track.

I also found the audio tutorials really great, I loved going for a walk while listening to them.

I learnt to express a character's feelings more through action of the character rather than saying how they feel, which is really helpful! I would say it's a great way to start your writing journey and learn everything you need to be a great writer.