Starting my studies with AWC
Although I had been casually playing with writing for a long time, my entire mindset changed with a single dinner.
March 18th, 2022: a simple anniversary dinner with my partner at a nice restaurant. Great food, beautiful view of the lake. And yet, I was unhappy.
A frustrating, amorphous dissatisfaction had been building in me for a long time, with no clear cause and certainly no clear solution. All I knew is that there was something missing that I desperately needed, like an iron-deficiency or breathing too-thin air.
As we worked together to nut out the reason for this feeling, we shared one of the most important conversations of my life:
“What makes you happy?” my partner asked.
“I don’t know,” I replied.
“Well, you come alive when you talk about your writing,” he said. “Why don’t you take that more seriously?”
I had been neglecting my artistic side for a while, blaming a busy work schedule. But the broader truth is that I was tired…and I had forgotten what gives me energy.
I needed focus and accountability to get out of that slump. After spending many years playing around with stories, now was the time to bring in a coach.
This is what led me to the Australian Writers’ Centre, and I cannot recommend them enough! I started with Creative Writing 101 and eventually completed their 6-month Write Your Novel course. The best thing about these courses is that you share your own writing and receive personal feedback from your fellow students and tutor.
Yes, it’s scary
I was nervous about sharing my writing for the first time. What if I wasn’t good enough? What if this little dream was a huge waste of time? But in the end, it was the best experience of my writing life.
Sharing my writing taught me so much about how my stories and style could be improved, as well as giving me confidence in my own ability. An objective perspective is so important to highlight both the good and bad you might have missed, just like how I needed an outside perspective to remind me about what gave me joy.
Another huge benefit is learning how to review the work of your fellow students. This taught me how to look at writing with a critical eye, identify weaknesses and find examples of storytelling done both well and poorly. It also allowed me to practice giving feedback in a kind, constructive way that best helps the person receiving it instead of tearing them down. This skill is so crucial, no matter what industry you work in.
Filtering the feedback
Although I highly encourage everyone to seek as much feedback as possible, I would never advocate for you to action everything that comes back.
Personally, I accept about 60-85% of changes suggested to me, depending on the individual. If more than one person makes the same suggested change, then I’ll accept it 99% of the time. We all have different preferences in reading and writing, so what one person might interpret as a problem, another might love. But when you’re getting the same feedback from multiple channels, it’s a big red flag that something needs to be addressed.
Developing a community
By far the most important benefit I gained from joining AWC courses was finding my writing community. I was introduced to fellow writers whose skill I trusted and respected, and have built a firm enough friendship with to continue sharing work after the course had long finished.
Community is everything, and without them, I would have given up many times over.
If any of you guys read this (you know who you are), know that I love you immensely xx
“Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection.”
— Kim Collins
– Kim Collins
