Chelsea Allen

What was your favorite book as a child?

I used to be a lot into adventure stories. My most favourite one was a Bengali novella — Hire Manik Jale by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. I think it’s where I first learned about the power vivid imagery can have in storytelling.

What was the original reason or motivation why you started writing creatively?

I first started writing creatively as a way to escape my reality. I never wrote about what bothered me, in fear that it wouldn’t bother anybody else. Creating other sorts of pains for the characters instead, was a relief.

What was the most adventurous or thrilling thing you ever did/experienced?

Once I snuck out of my house at midnight while everyone was asleep and went for a swim in the community pool which was, naturally, closed, so I had to climb over the wall to get in, and then stayed for over two hours before sneaking back home and going to bed. Nobody saw. That’s about the most thrilling thing I have done so far.

Do you listen to music while reading or writing?

I don’t, while reading. Lyrics get too distracting, and instrumental pieces can create a different mood than the intended mood of what I’m reading. While writing, however, I listen to instrumental pieces on loop. It’s like a background score for your story.