Raven Ramsey
Staff Writer
Hailey Staszkow, a senior at Mira Costa, is currently in the process of getting her book published on the importance of mental health.
Staszkow has always been a lover of writing, from poetry to songwriting, to short stories since she can remember. Six months ago, she took this love for writing and began writing a manuscript, and has since been looking for companies to publish it.
“I’m still in the process of finding a company to publish me,” Staszkow said. “But I have been doing research and I intend on emailing them my manuscript and getting their advice.”
Staszkow wrote her book in order to raise awareness and bring attention to the dangers of mental health problems and how important it is to talk about it.
“The hardest part is trying to wrap my head around how to get a book like this out there,” Staszkow said.
Staszkow’s book takes place all in one night and focuses on a girl experiencing a mental breakdown, along with other mental hardships, she must learn how to deal with it. Staszkow used her own journey with mental health to get inspiration for her story.
“My book is about mental health and how scary it really is,” Staszkow said. “It shows how she is forced to overcome the challenges of dealing with her mental health, and how she copes with it.”
Staszkow doesn’t have a team of editors, so she goes to her English teacher, Ms. Sieker, for advice. Her favorite part of the writing process is being able to get creative in whatever she feels is best.
“My favorite part is being able to sit down with a blank screen in front of me and find creative ways to articulate the ideas in my head,” Staszkow said.
Staszkow is going to James Madison University and will be majoring in Communication Disorders and Sciences, but she plans on writing more in the future to help people become more aware of mental health struggles and how important talking about it is.
“I have no idea what [else] I will write, but I absolutely love writing and the outlet that it has become for me,” Staszkow said.
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