Story Creator and Writing Mentor
Peeping inside my writing life.
Looking backwards.
Hello. In my earlier life I was a midwife helping women to birth their babies, now I birth stories. I hope my words of encouragement and the sharing of resources I have found helpful will give you the courage to birth your own stories or poems.
Here are some of my babies.
The Duck With No Quack A picture book for 3-5 year old children.
Self published.
A poetry chap book From The Heart.
Self-published.
Poems and short stories published in these anthologies; Between the Leaves, Mangoes on Fire, Raining on the Sun, Cracks in the Canopy and Category 5.
And stories in two editions of Short and Twisted anthology.
A series of 3 e-books celebrating stories, poetry, coffee and Italy.
Short 'n' Black, Libro Uno, Due and Tre.
Available on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Diane+Finlay+ebooks
My greatest joy is writing for children. I have an ever growing collection of funny, quirky short stories for kids of primary school age. Jasper’s Problem, The Lima Bean Queen,
I Hate Picnics, Emily the Emotional Onion and Cumquats and Wotnots, all published in
The School Magazine www.theschoolmagazine.com.au.
I am a graduate of Jen Storer's Scribbles Academy and gained Highly Commended in the Junior Fiction Writing awards with What Have You Done? You can see what else Jen, a highly acclaimed children's author has to offer here: https://girlandduck.com/
Where am I now?
Works in progress include a series of novels for children who love space adventure and a Young Adult novel for those readers who enjoy classic fantasy tales.
The professional organisations I belong to are SCBWI - The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. I'm in the ANZ chapter and the group leader of the Cairns branch. http://www.scbwiaustralianz.com
The Queensland Writers Centre is another wonderful resource. https://queenslandwriters.org.au/
The project which inspires me and gives me immense satisfaction is being part of the
Cairns Tropical Writers Festival. I'm a committee member helping to shape the festival into an exciting and dynamic event. 12 - 14 August 2022. www.cairnstropicalwritersfestival.com.au
My Philosophy.
I set out on my journey as writer with huge passion and very little knowledge, However over the years I have been privileged to spend time with many successful writers and have soaked up their wisdom. I read voraciously, almost as if words might go out of fashion. I practically suck the words off the page. Reading has taught me how other writers write.
Mistakes and mis-steps are a regular feature but each one lifted me to another level of understanding. My advice is write, start writing the only way you know how and do your best.
Be willing to get it wrong because it can be changed as you gain confidence and skills.
Lets do this together.
I aim to share wisdom, mistakes and the hints and tips from experts in the field. I hope this will be helpful, inspirational and a spur to dare greatly.
You can join me here https://www.facebook.com/Word007/
Let's stay connected.
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