Fintan Walsh's story a big winner

John Paul College student Fintan Walsh has been named the winner of the Rotorua Writers Group's short story competition. Photo/Ben Fraser

Creative writing is something 17-year-old Fintan Walsh can't get enough of.

The Year 13 John Paul College student recently won the Rotorua Writers Group's short story competition for Year 12 and 13 students, walking away with $100 cash and the opportunity to have his work published in the Rotorua Daily Post. The prizegiving was held at The Arts Village on Saturday.

Entrants had to write a fiction story, less than 1000 words, which was based on the title Playing with Fire or Mandy, Jake and Tiger.

Fintan's story Playing with Fire told that of a schoolboy, with whom two girls were besotted.

"It wasn't biographical or anything, I just wanted to write a funny piece and not take the topic so literally," he said.

Fintan was thrilled to have won the competition, after he had spent several weeks writing and then tweaking the story.

"I've always really loved to write, it's something I've always been into, creating characters and fictional situations.

"It's so different from most of the stuff you write at school."

Keep an eye out for Fintan's story in the Rotorua Daily Post in the coming days.