What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I thought the course delivery was fantastic. I particularly liked that the audio was split into 15-minute sessions. I found the way the modules focused on the primary parts of content right on the money.

I have been working on a couple of manuscripts for children's novels for a long period of time now. One I have self-published and now taken off the market with the goal to get it properly published. I have done a few courses with the AWC, all of which have added to my skill set. I wanted to make sure I was on the right track and discover more about what it takes to create a polished manuscript both publishers and agents would like and readers of this age will love. I also wanted to repolish my writing skills as I had a bit of an absence from writing.

I was nervous about studying a writing course again as I feared I would be rehashing previous content I had learned. However, I found that every module was completely different, and valuable information, making reference to previous learning.

I found Suzanne extremely helpful and thorough with her guidance throughout the course. I really enjoyed the feedback given, not just for my assignments but for all the assignments. Reading other students' works and then connecting the feedback given helped to strengthen my knowledge and understanding of the course content and enhance my writing. The feedback I was given helped confirm where my strengths were in my style but also the areas of improvement I need to further strengthen my overall work.

I found myself engaged with all modules of the unit. The character development particularly impacted me. Although I had experienced some of this before, seeing the importance of it in middle-grade novels has changed my mindset and focus on my writing.

AWC courses always teach you something new and broaden your understanding of how much work you must put into a manuscript and researching publishers, competitions, building a pitch etc to give you the best chance of being successful in becoming published.

Suzanne's feedback was helpful and insightful. I enjoyed the audio lessons and assignments.

I found it extremely valuable in boosting my understanding on what's required in a children's novel.

I enjoyed the course material, audios, and feedback on assignments, and comments by other students on each other's work...in fact I enjoyed it all.

I really liked the way Suzanne presented the feedback. She was very encouraging. I also liked that she pointed out where students were going wrong.

At first I felt shy about posting my work for the other students to read, as it had been a long time since I had written anything creative. But I was pleasantly surprised. I learned a lot reading the other students' work and hearing the critiques that Suzanne gave them. I also enjoyed reading other people's comments on my own assignments and on those of others.

The major learning for me was that writing a novel is a craft that one can learn, and that you don't have to be born with a special talent.

Doing the course is so much better than trying to learn the craft from a book. If you really want to write for children, then the course is a fun way to learn about the various techniques of good novel writing, as well as about things that may not be found in a book.

I liked that it was positive feedback and delivered in a kind way. Putting out your writing when you're not confident in it can be extremely nerve wracking so having positive and yet constructive feedback returned was a nice little confidence boost. It makes me want to keep trying. I saw a few comments in the chat that were encouraging too and I appreciated that.

I really enjoyed the assignments. They didn't feel overwhelming or unachievable and forced me to think about different aspects I wouldn't have considered before. Also the audio lessons were easy to listen to and I enjoyed the option not to have to listen to all the modules at once. Having it delivered in "bite size" pieces made it all so much easier to digest and I feel like I really was able to absorb so much more that way.

If you're thinking about trying your hand at writing but don't know where to start, this is a good place to learn some basics. It's a positive environment and encouraging and you'll come out of it feeling inspired instead of overwhelmed.

Thank you for a really fun few weeks. I hope I can save my pennies and do some more courses because I've learned a lot!

Loved loved loved the course!

Suzanne was honest, and helpful in giving feedback. I really enjoyed listening to the audio feedback each week - it was especially helpful hearing the feedback for what I had written - the good bits and the helpful pointers as well as the feedback given to others on the work they had done.

The actual coursework was fantastic - it taught me things that I didn't know. I came into the course having a broad understanding of what writing for children was like, but each week I learnt more of the nuances of character development, plot and structure. There were so many ah-hah moments and I feel quite inspired to write now, knowing that I have a greater understanding of the craft of writing for children.

Just do it - realistically, there will never be a 'right time' so whenever you enrol has to be the right time.

It was easy to understand and listen to the tutor. They sounded like they knew what they were doing and gave positive, constructive feedback, not just negative. I feel I've learnt a lot from the feedback given by the tutor.

The tutor didn't deliver the audio in a way that sounded like they were reading off a script. They injected humour into the talks and supplied examples. I liked how easy it was to listen in and learn.

Hearing the feedback from my first assignment was an awesome moment. I had no confidence that my character would be received well but hearing someone else voice what I had been trying to convey about the character was a big learning moment for me.

Strongly recommend. AWC tutors are friendly and know their stuff. If you're serious about writing, it's worth it.

It has been a long-time dream to write novels for children. After reading through the course outline this seemed an excellent place to help me get started.

Pamela gave succinct feedback that was easy to understand and made perfect sense. Each week I came away with food for thought on how I could improve my writing.

This is a great course to get you started on the road to writing children's novels. From opening scenes to character and plot development, it's got it all covered. And the feedback is awesome!

I found the content so thorough, helpful and relevant - a lot has changed in the world and in writing for children since I first started learning and writing for this audience.

Pamela was wonderful, generous and encouraging to everyone. Her feedback was insightful and helpful. She really was an amazing tutor and made everyone feel so at ease and encouraged.

I enjoyed the writing exercises and feedback the most.

If you're interested in writing, just do it! The AWC provides a great supportive environment and you will learn so much.

Pamela was an absolute gem. She got the exact balance right between being encouraging and being constructive in her feedback.

I got such a lot out of these 5 weeks. Even when it was just confirming things I instinctively knew - just knowing I was doing okay and my book didn't sound terrible was immensely helpful. Now I have to do the hard part and finish writing it.

Pamela was very knowledgeable and encouraging. Her feedback was clear and helpful. I really enjoyed listening to her thinking aloud process during feedback. It was constructive and gave me direction to improve my writing.

The pace and the exercises were a lot of fun. I liked that we developed the character before writing the narrative.

This has been a fun learning experience. I had a very strange 5 weeks though, a big restructuring suddenly happened at work, then I got COVID, but I was still able to fit this in. I am definitely going to keep making time to write.

It is worth the time and effort. If you want to learn about writing, then this is the way to do it.

I knew Pamela would be experienced and knowledgeable, but what I was impressed by was her thoroughness and dedication and that she seemed to immerse herself in each piece of work and care about every would-be author in the course.

I enjoyed seeing the beginnings of some fabulously creative pieces of work and recognising that the comments from Pamela would make these pieces even stronger.

From Valerie's beautiful speaking voice to Pamela's insightful critiques, and the in-depth course content, I was hooked.

Pamela's critiques via video were so helpful. We were encouraged to view everyone's critique to gain more knowledge. She pointed out areas of concern or delight and said why she thought that.

If you are serious about writing for children, this is the course you should do. It is definitely worth the money. A bonus is the camaraderie between the students who post helpful comments.

Thank you, Pamela and Valerie, for this excellent course. I have been saying to myself, no more courses, that's enough. I'm so glad I did this one.

Pamela really knows what she is talking about. I was impressed by the way she was able to provide detailed and relevant feedback to a variety of writers.

I liked that it is available all week, but with valuable feedback at the end of every week. I enjoyed getting valuable expert advice on my work. It was good that we could listen to everyone's feedback and learn from each other too.

AWC teachers are experts in their field and the teaching is practical and relevant.