What’s it like to learn with AWC?

I wanted to refresh on the basics of writing picture books. Online was a good option and only took 5 weeks. It was affordable too.

I enjoyed the course, the materials were comprehensive and the mix of audio and handouts was good. I like that there was a place to ask questions and got some helpful comments from other participants.

I feel I'm starting in a better place with drafting picture books now, like I'm not starting 5 steps behind. It was also good to focus on improving skills rather than the pandemic and all that is wrong and scary in the world.

If you're seriously interested in writing a picture book, then do the course. Without it you'll waste a whole lot of time getting nowhere.

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 want to start writing children’s books and when I came across this course I thought it could really give me a taste of what it’s all about and what I need to do.

I think Zanni gave constructive feedback which was great. I enjoyed all the weekly assignments and the way that it was designed so that you could see what everyone else was doing and hear their feedback too. I also liked the comments page.

I’ll have to see what happens with my writing from here but I definitely feel like I have a much better understanding of what I need to do and the process involved.

The course was very informative and user friendly.

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.

I enjoyed the daily word count expectation. I am making myself write something everyday. I learned that it doesn't really matter how many or few words you write, it is all about just writing something.

The course is amazing. You give loads of ideas and inspiration.

I was looking for some guidance around dialogue for my novel, which has a lot of dialogue scenes. I enjoyed the resources and being able to learn at my own pace.

It made me realise how good I was at writing dialogue already, but gave me some additional tools for improving on this skill.

Easy to use courses full of useful and accessible information to make your writing better.

Zanni's feedback helped me to be better at writing a picture book. The feedback each week motivates me to be better in my writing skills.

It's a good start if you have an interest in writing a book.

I wanted to do something creative just for me after juggling a very busy period of work and homeschooling during COVID-19. I have always loved writing and I have heard great feedback about AWC courses. It is in my nature to be hesitant about new things and I had the usual doubts about not being good enough and comparing myself to others. But I am trying to overcome this and remind myself that there is no harm in giving something a go.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has commented upon completing this course that they had no idea how much is involved in writing a children's picture book. There is so much topical information clearly presented - it's amazing how much is packed into a 5 week course!

Zanni provided great feedback and is clearly very knowledgeable about children's literature.

I enjoyed challenging myself to write stories for the assignments. It was the kick up the derriere that I needed! It was great to hear feedback on my own and others' work.

It was beyond what I had expected and I learned so much! It has really inspired me to take small steps every day towards writing a children's book, whether that be market research, polishing my writing, following publishers and authors on social media, etc. While it made me realise just how much is involved in writing a picture book, the course has also given me very clear steps and guidelines on how to go about this task. I may not ever get published but I have a much better idea of what to try! I have a heap of information to digest and ideas to work on, and I am excited to get started.

There were so many 'aha' moments, it's hard to narrow it down to one. I highlighted many sentences while I was taking notes! For me, the information on literary merit and what makes a good picture book was crucial.

This course is structured really well, with a huge amount of information presented in a 5 week timeframe. Definitely worth the money! I learned so much and loved learning about how to improve my writing.

I loved that the course presented material in a way that made me feel that maybe I could actually write a book! It gave me a sense of confidence and I loved being immersed in the world of picture books during the 5 weeks. I'm sad it's over!

Thank you so much for a wonderful course, AWC.

Bernadette is full of practical and realistic information, and always provides honest and constructive feedback. It's great listening to the feedback about other students' work and learning from it all.

It has made me think how I can push my freelance business further.

I would say this is a great base plate for branching out into an area of writing you want to focus on.

I have a good amount of reference material to revisit and ensure I fully understand the basics of writing. Feedback was thorough, the tutor was professional and displayed a good level of knowledge.

I enjoyed being creative... and letting my mind wonder... I believe with the right tools you can write...

I had no idea creative writing would help me to better write about my art practice - for eight years now I have had a story about a character and I have done a couple of paintings but didn't know how to extend the story and hence be able to do more paintings - but now I think this character is going to travel to a few places to do what she does best...

Annabel is very thorough and knows her stuff. Helpful attention to detail that I had totally missed or wasn't aware of.

I enjoyed the writing exercises and the feedback.

To be honest, for me, it was hearing Annabel's positive feedback and realising that I was a decent enough writer to give it a go, that I didn't just think I was good and actually be rubbish.

Thank you. What a great organisation AWC is. There's everything a beginning writer could want.

Zanni answered people's online questions in a timely manner. The assessments were good and the fact that you could complete the modules at your own pace was helpful.

Although I don't think I am ready to devote time to sit down and write a children's book to be published yet, hopefully it will be something that I can come back to in the future. I think that completing this course has given me a basic understanding of how much more there is to know.

There is so much to writing children's books!

A wake up call to stop dreaming and start working!

A straightforward format easy to follow. Gives an opportunity to learn enough to know if it’s for you or not. If not, there’s plenty of other options to choose from. Thankyou.

I value everything that I have learnt.

Resources and audio lessons were fantastic. These will be very useful for future reference.

My online tutor was Zanni Louise who was very honest and genuine in her feedback to my writing and stories and this I valued immensely. I am a better writer because of Zanni.

I enjoyed each of the tasks that we were assigned each week and the sharing of my work with other students. I felt connected with everyone as we worked together towards the same goal.

The course has inspired me to just keep writing as I am now really driven to make this work and become a published author one day.

The Australian Writers' Centre offers fantastic writing courses that are well resourced, engaging and rewarding.

I have for a long time had the thought that I would like to write a children's picture book. I love reading, creating art, have dabbled in creative writing and work in a school library, so this course seems to bring all those interests together. I wasn't sure if I had the time to dedicate to the course, with working as well. I also was not sure about paying out the money if I didn't get anything out of it.

I learned a lot during my time studying this course. I found it very informative and I easily got the assignments done on time, which was initially my biggest concern. I live in Melbourne, and the timing of the course was perfect for me, as lockdown here had just started, so it was a great time to do it.

Zanni provided some very constructive feedback to all of us studying the course. I liked the way we could all see what each other was submitting, as it helped us all to learn. Also, the way Zanni read through all of our work, so we could pick up pointers from her this way.

I found that I can actually write a children's story, even though I need to hone my skills and write a lot more before I can consider submitting a story to a publisher! This is a really good feeling! I know I have a lot to do to get better at my writing, but I am encouraged to continue after doing the course.

Since starting the course, I am now going through my day thinking of ideas that I can write stories about.

It is worthwhile doing if you are serious about writing stories. It is a well laid-out and delivered course and I recommend it thoroughly.

I wanted to learn how to write a picture book. Initially my only concerns were the cost and what I would actually get from the course. However, after thinking about why I'd looked into doing the course I decided it would be worth the money - I'd either absolutely love it and learn loads or it would be something to put down to experience. Either way I couldn't lose :)

I have absolutely loved this course. It was perfect timing as I've been on leave, taking some time to reflect on what it is I want in life. The modules and assignments haven't seemed like work as I've been so excited and enthusiastic to work on my writing.

As an educator it has given me a new passion to take back to school and a much greater respect for all those authors whose stories I've shared over the years.

Zanni was really supportive and I found her feedback to be very constructive and at all times encouraging. I also found it interesting to hear her opinions and the reasons for her liking particular stories, especially those I felt I would find more difficult to read to a class.

I most definitely enjoyed the opportunity to write for an audience and to receive feedback on that writing. I also loved learning how a picture book is written and the range of different things that need to be considered when writing one.

Being able to finally focus on getting my writing down rather than the ideas whizzing round in my head has suddenly opened a flood gate of creativity I didn't realise was hidden away.

The focus of my job is working with and supporting children at educational risk because of a huge variety of social factors. I have thought for a long time about how I could support them in a different way and have toyed with retraining in counselling as this is something I do a lot of anyway. However, I've never got beyond thinking 'oh I might look at counselling'. One thing that is very clear is that there is a shortage of stories that deal with some of the more unpleasant social issues faced by young children today and through this course I've realised that this is the 'different way' I can support them.

Since starting the course I have been filled with ideas and concepts for stories and my little writing book is getting fuller and fuller. I find myself thinking of an idea or a phrase and have to keep scribbling it down so I don't forget.

I need to think smart! I know I have some great ideas but I need to write my anger and frustrations out first and then take the best bits and work with them in a calmer, less confronting way. How I might do that is the next exciting challenge :)

Give it a go! You'll learn so much about how picture books are written. It’s an amazing 5 week journey and you'll surprise yourself with how creative you can actually be.

Thank you so much for this course it has genuinely been a fantastic 5 weeks :)

I had heard that it offered practical and applicable tips to improve writing skills. I am new to the writing profession and was looking for this experience.

I was concerned it may not be appropriate as I do not have the time capacity to freelance write yet. This wasn't an issue in the end though as the tips were valuable for my current role and have given me good ideas for the future too.

Feedback was helpful particularly on drawing my attention to structure. I also found listening to her feedback on other class members helpful too.

I enjoyed listening to the deconstruction of good and bad feature articles. It was helpful to have my attention drawn to what works well and what doesn't and has already made me more conscious about looking out for things that I do when I'm writing.

It has shown me that freelance writing is a career option and that there are many different ways it can be done. It's helped me to shake off some of the cobwebs about writing techniques and reminded me of some key stylistic and structural points to consider when writing effectively.

The Australian Writers' Centre provides practical and applicable education. If you are serious about pursuing writing, then pick a course.

The tutor was professional and encouraging, with excellent advice and knowledge.

I enjoyed learning together as a group, submitting work, and receiving feedback.

I now have a greater insight into the writing scene, particularly publishing, and the confidence to keep trying, practising, and improving.

Invaluable information given, excellent and professional advice specific to your writing, great to learn in a group.

Thank you!

I always had a dream to write picture books. I decided to jump right in.

The audio lessons were great as it meant I could come and go as needed. Very happy with how much information was given. I feel there was a lot more involved than I imagined.

I am very happy with the feedback given.

It has made me more determined to get a book published.

I was attracted to the practical side of things and the tangible skills of pitching and making freelance writing a genuine job prospect. Having already completed a Master of Journalism I was slightly concerned I may already know a lot of the content, but it was very different to the technical writing skills I honed in that course.

The tutor was fantastic. Thorough and fair. I enjoyed the online course chat section.

It is a practical and hands on way to hone skills.