#BrokenAsides with Rochelle Hanslow

When did you first feel like a writer?

In all honesty, I didn’t class myself as a writer until the start of 2022 even after self-publishing three children’s books and writing for M.E Support UK for many years. It wasn’t until I started working with Fiona Thomas and her ‘Inspire, Write, Repeat’ program that I realised I was a writer and that I didn’t need to be a multi-million best seller to class myself as such. 

What’s the most interesting thing that has inspired your writing and what was the result?

My first children’s book was based around pet bereavement. It seems like a very big subject for children to tackle but as a nation of ‘pet lovers’ it is something that is common and parents have no idea how to respond. 

I wanted to make it more bearable, I lost my ‘doggy soulmate’ in November 2018 and my boys were quite young but still felt the gap of his presence. I told them he went on his own adventure and would end up on rainbow bridge to watch over us. I had a really good response to the way I made it a story that can be read over and over again and I got some very heart-warming messages and videos from readers. 

Paint us a picture: what does your writing process look like? Do you write in coffee shops at night or only on an old type-writer?

I am a chronically ill and neurodivergent writer so the majority of the time I write either from my bed, my desk space or my sofa from home. When I am able to, I use the quiet writing spaces in the local library. 

If I have an idea I will brainstorm it and the first thing I write down on any new project is my ‘why’ as I strongly believe this is the foundation of each book, blog post, poem etc. I am a very visual person and I see a lot of pages, layouts, characters etc in my head first and then I put them down in black and white. 

Describe your ideal reader: who would your work speak to?

My ‘Why’ for writing is to try and help anyone who can resonate with my story, my vibe or truth. I want to be the voice for those who often feel like they don’t have one and I want to help those who have ever felt in similar places realise they are not alone. I often write with inclusivity in mind especially for anyone who is neurodivergent, dyslexic, chronically ill or visually impaired as everyone should be included in creativity. 

Who’s an author you’ve changed your mind about and why?

To be honest, it’s not an author I’ve changed my mind about but this author made me change my mind about the romance/ romantic comedy genres and that was Alexandra Potter. I read “Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up” by her and I was really surprised to connect with it so quickly. Alexandra writes in such a relatable way and the story she writes you can actually picture yourself being in, it’s completely plausible and not at all nauseating which I have found to be the case with others in that genre. 

If you could interview any other writer/artist, who would it be and why?

For me I think it would be poet Laurette Laurie Bolger. I have taken many of Laurie’s workshops and I love her enthusiasm and passion no matter what the subject. Laurie allowed me to start writing poetry about inanimate objects and make it interesting and even though I have worked with her, I would love to get to know the deeper inner workings of her mind and how she perfectly encapsulates the everyday and makes it wonderous. She is very much main character energy in her life. 

What motivates you to keep writing?

For this I have to turn to Sylvia Plath and she said it best;

“I write only because there is a voice within me that will not be still”. 

I feel like it is something that I have to do, whether people read it, whether it even becomes a project or published, it is a very deep-rooted part of me and if I don’t keep writing then I lose a big part of who I am. 

How do you deal with writer’s block or being overwhelmed by the writing process? 

I am currently creating a creative writing program about this as it is a really big mental health issue for writers. For me, I feel it best to not force a project if it’s not coming naturally to me or if I’m not feeling it. I will try to continue my writing practice but tackle a different genre and try to make sure I keep writing fun and explorative. Making sure you do self-care in whatever way it is meant for you is really important because I find it often has nothing to do with your abilities as a writer and everything to do with imposter syndrome, life pressures and self-esteem. The main thing I think people need to know is that you don’t need to be writing every single day to class yourself as a writer. 

Where would you like to see yourself in a decade? A creative writing teacher? As a best-seller? 

I would love to have success in my mission to have people use creativity to help them heal and fall in love with all that can be found with writing and other creative roots. Of course, I’d love to be a best-seller but for me, I’ve come to find that as much as money is absolutely more than welcome, for me it’s about who my writing and voice is helping. 

I can see myself focusing more on poetry and possibly in a mentoring position in the future also. 

What has your work taught you about yourself?

Writing has taught me about who I truly am and allowed me to embrace the light and dark within myself. It has shown me that I have a purpose and that my ideas have always been valid. I never thought I was enough and always dismissed my desires to write and put my work out into the public but now I see that everything I need I have accumulated along the way and I am in a position to help others with that and it’s a very humbling and empowering feeling.