About Me — Chantelle Atkins
Writer, Creative writing tutor
I often think of myself as being addicted to writing. As a child I was introverted and bookish, and I can still remember the pure thrill of realising I too could put words on paper, create worlds, new friends and adventures. It felt like magic and it still does. As a writer you are never lonely and never bored, because even if you don’t have writing materials to hand, you can daydream in your mind, make up dialogue, flesh out characters and picture scenes.
Writing was my addiction as a child. I couldn’t think of anything more exciting or worthy of my time, and it helped me get through my teens in much the same way. What dented it for me were the opinions of others — people who claimed writing was not a real job, writing was a waste of time, writing would not lead to any kind of meaningful employment.
Sadly, their views rubbed off on me and for ten years I didn’t write. Instead, I went to university, started work and had children. It wasn’t until my then youngest child started school that the urge to write returned. Slowly at first, tentatively and shyly, first in my head and then on paper. I found myself returning to stories that had accompanied me through my youth and I realised that time was running out for me to write them.
Ten years on and I’ll soon be releasing my eighteenth book. I’ve written articles for Author’s Publish and I now run my own writing-based business, so I like to think I proved the naysayers wrong. Chasing Driftwood Writing Group began as an adult writing group because I couldn’t find one to attend that fit in around children and work. It soon led on to more and I now run eight writing clubs for children via Zoom or within schools. We also run workshops for adults and children online and in person. We are a Community Interest Company and have just recently started a new venture called Chasing Driftwood Books — our very own indie collective publishing company. Our aim is to support struggling writers through every stage of their journey. From writing groups, workshops and support when writing, and to editing, proofreading, marketing and publication after.
To me, writing is the best thing in the world. It’s still my addiction, my comfort, my therapy, my release. It allows me to figure out how I think and feel about things. I live in the real world but I also create my own to escape to whenever I want. Sometimes the lines between reality and the fiction I write feel increasingly blurred, and again, that comforts me. I can’t think of anything else I would rather be doing than writing and encouraging others to write.
Writing is pure magic.