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...latest news Writing the Rough Times Away… How many people – at the tender age of sixteen – get to publish their own book? Not a lot, that’s for sure. But Sasha Smaili, a high school junior at the American School of Bangkok (Sukhumvit Campus) took a great leap and did just that. It is a rarity to read a book about teenagers that is actually by a teenager, author Sasha Smaili’s primary goal with Rough Times being to let teenagers know that they are not alone and that we all go through the same problems…
“I’ve always told my daughter that she is a good writer and that she should put her abilities to good use,” says Mrs. Smaili. Although she suggested that Sasha write a children’s book, Sasha felt that she should hit a target audience that she would be able to relate with herself. Inspired, she went back to her unfinished freshman prodigy, albeit chaotic mind, and decided to transform it into a book for teenagers. “People always come to me for advice, so I though:
‘Why not write a book about it’.” Sasha stresses, however, that her book
is nothing like the Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul series that
hopes to advise their target audience with familiar anecdotes on life.
No, Sasha’s book is not merely an anthology of stories by different
teenagers that one might be able relate to. It is no secret that
teenagers go through rocky times and rough patches in this rollercoaster
high school life. Sasha hopes that no matter how crazy or wild the ride
gets, this publication may serve as the seatbelt that keeps troubled
teens locked in and safe – a guidebook of some sort to those in need of
such guidance. It is a book based on the personal experiences of Sasha
herself and those close to her, teaching others how to overcome
complicated obstacles, as well as deal with some of the dangers in life. Sasha wrote for six to twelve months after which she decided to take a break. “There was no hurry,” she states since she lacked resources of publishing her manuscript anyway. During this break, Sasha presented her manuscript to the ASB Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Alice Cove (who passed away a few months ago – may she rest in peace). As her huge stack of disorganized papers and thoughts lay on Mrs. Cove’s desk, the owner of the school, Mrs. Lakhana Tavedikul walked in and saw the mound of papers. “She was quite impressed,” recalls Sasha, “even though the only thing she saw was the title and my name on the cover page.” Mrs. Tavedikul was so astounded with this student’s work that she offered to sponsor more than half of the money that Sasha would need to jumpstart her journalistic career. Half a year of proofreading, revising and editing later, Sasha sent the manuscript to the printers and voila! – the birth of Rough Times of a Teen for Teens. This is definitely a huge achievement for a mere high school junior. Where did Sasha find the time? “I discipline myself. I’d tell myself to write for at least an hour or two a day. Sometimes, I’d find myself in a roll and not even sleep. I sacrificed sleep a lot of times just to get things done,” Sasha explains, also citring that she wrote the book for her fellow students in hope of making their lives easier. “Although I started writing this book through the motivation of my mother, my primary goal with Rough Times is to let teenagers know that they are not alone, that we all go through the same problems,” she continues. “It is a rarity to read a book about teenager that is actually by a teenager. I wish I had this book through my early teenage year myself. I knw it will help the youth.” Although Sasha has had no professional experience in writing befor this, she has written for the school newspaper, basically “in charge of the whole thing.” Writing for The ASB Times helped her vocabulary grow immensely, and the experience honed her writing skills. “My book is written in a manner making it easy to read. But although it covers a lot of topics, it doesn’t cover everything,” adds Sasha. And because of this, Sasha plans on writing Rough Times of a Teen for Teens 2, although she first wants to see how popular her first book gets. Sasha’s book premiered at ASB’s Sukhumvit Fair on the 10th of November 2007 for 390 baht, complete with author’s signature. Books are now available for 450 baht through the author herself. At the fair, people passing by were amazed to see Sasha’s name smack in the middle of a book. “You didn’t write this,” her teachers exclaimed in disbelief while others just stared with their jaws wide open. At the premiere, Sasha sold fifty books. Actually selling her hard work at the fair made Sasha realize that her dream of being a write has come true. But where does she see herself after high school? “I hope to get into the college that I want and be able to write more books. I plan to write one per year. Hopefully my writing career will be a huge success.” By: Arianna Angeline Rodriguez
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This site was last updated 01/28/08
One
night, some sixteen months ago, a young girl named Sasha Smaili went
through what every teenager goes through: chaos. In layman’s
terms, this chaotic phase life is simply called high school – that, and
all the drama that comes with it. Not knowing who to run to, Sasha sat
down and started writing – with no end in mind…yet.
