Hi. I’m Tanya. I live in Melbourne’s south-east with my husband and two kids. We have a pug called Atticus.
Over the years I have worked with kids and adults in a number of training environments. I assisted drama classes for primary and secondary aged children at The Old Drouin Butter Factory Theatre. I have worked as a yoga teacher and a driving instructor. After I completed my Diploma in Professional Writing & Editing I worked for Macmillan Publishers as an editorial assistant for customised text books for primary and secondary schools.
I have produced copy and edited documents for website content, published feature articles in a lifestyle magazine, designed and produced anthologies for writers’ groups, performed spoken word and numerous theatre productions.
I have friends who read novels. I know very few people who write for pleasure, and even less who write fiction. I know some incredibly creative people—cake makers and building designers, photographers and visual artists—but even these creative folk only write for business purposes or to pass a university subject. I wonder how many English and Literature teachers are still in the habit of creative writing, or who are, at the very least, curious readers. When I read other people’s work, I come at it from a place of well-worn practice. If a student is suffering from a particular problem, I can almost bet I’ve been there before. I hope this knowledge translates into empathy that is both helpful and supportive.