It has taken me to places that no aeroplane has been able to, taken me back in time, and it has also given me moral dilemmas that I have never experienced in real life. Oh, and I have murdered people, too. Yes, that is right. I just love to write. Good or bad, finished or not, published or unpublished, writing brings me immense joy. It is both my escape and my anchor at the same time.
I am a teacher by trade. I work with international students, love it, and it has led me to meet people from a number of different countries, some of which I can only dream of visiting. At no point in my career have I been scared to utter the words: I am a teacher. However, ask me to say I enjoy writing, and I suddenly get a huge sense of imposter syndrome.
I have thought about this issue on numerous occasions, and I have also asked some of my fellow writing friends for their views. Some feel like me, and they tell me similar stories of hiding their joy of writing from others for the fear of being judged or appearing to have ideas way above their station. And yet it really should not be like this.
Language belongs to all of us, and it is ours to be creative with. However, despite the fact that there are already some excellent organisations to represent the North, opportunities at grassroots level to get everyone writing, regardless of age, ability or background, are arguably still lacking up here. So, how do we solve this lack of representation and access to creative writing? Let me introduce you to Helen Aitchison.
Helen Aitchison, director of the CIC Write on the Tyne
I first came across Helen Aitchison, director of the CIC Write on the Tyne, in June 2023. Earlier that week, I was walking past my local library when I saw an advert for a Writers of Wallsend event. Curiosity piqued, I made a note of the time and date, keen to see what it would be about. Having attended the event, it struck me that the people talking about their joy of writing had my accent. They were not scared to write, they were actively doing it, and they were proudly waving the flag for the North East at the same time.
Founded in 2022
Helen’s CIC, Write on the Tyne, was founded in 2022. Having worked in social care for twenty years, she has successfully combined her previous experiences to promote inclusion and representation and regularly runs courses to get people in the local community writing. Her courses include writing for wellbeing, novel writing and memoir writing, and she also runs courses on how to get published. Her courses are engaging, inclusive and well informed, and there is always a sense of encouragement and achievement in the room.
3 novels published
In addition, she kindly passes on the details of organisations that are wanting submissions to encourage fledgling writers to write more. To date, Helen has published three novels, and she stays true to her roots by getting involved in local projects that help put the North East on the map in terms of creative writing and representation. Her business also has a publishing strand to it, and, as a result of her courses, others have been inspired to set up their own writing groups in North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Newcastle to keep the ink and ideas flowing.
We have a rich linguistic history here in the North East, but, when it comes to representation for creative writing compared to other areas of the UK, we are perhaps not as widely represented as we should be. It is time to change the narrative, and we do that by being part of that very narrative. We can change things from within; we just need to start. Therefore, if you like writing, start writing. It has allowed me to imagine new worlds and express myself in ways that I never thought were possible. What will it do for you?
