Shaira Sultana

What was your favorite book as a child?

Growing up, I loved reading the Dear Dumb Diary series by Jim Benton. All the books in the series are written in the form of comedic diary entries from the perspective of a middle-schooler, and something about the funny yet relatable nature of the entries kept me hooked for years. The main character, Jamie Kelly, felt very relatable to me at the time of my life when I was reading the series. I’d like to think that it’s because of the series that I started writing my own diary entries.

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

Originally, I started journaling about my life as a way to process the things I was going through in my early adolescent years. Moving countries and having to learn a new language from scratch had a big toll on me, and I felt quite lonely throughout my first few years of elementary school. So, I spent a lot of my time reading books, journaling, and eventually writing poems and stories. However, it wasn’t until middle school that I really started taking writing more seriously. I remember my grade 9 teacher telling me how talented I was and how she believed I’d eventually break out of my shell to share my creative gifts with the world. Her words inspired me greatly, and I kept writing creatively ever since then.

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

The most adventurous thing I’ve ever done is try treetop trekking. Treetop trekking is essentially an aerial course experience where you climb trees via bridges, ropes, and obstacles while being attached to a safety harness. Although the trekking part of it is very fun, the best part is actually the zipline that takes you from the top of the course to the bottom. When I rode my first zipline, I remember feeling like it was the most exhilarating thing I’ve ever experienced. It also made me want to travel in the future, so that I could eventually try out bigger and longer ziplines.

Do you listen to music while reading or writing?

Because I’m a horrible multitasker, I usually tend to avoid music of any kind while I’m reading or writing. This is because music lyrics can sometimes be very distracting for me, and I find myself unable to fully concentrate on whatever reading or writing task I’m working on in that moment. However, if I’m reading for a long time or editing a piece that’s already been written, sometimes I’ll put on some lo-fi or jazz that is purely instrumental. Since lo-fi and jazz are not as stimulating as typical songs with lyrics, I am usually able to concentrate while listening to them.