Do you want to be a published author one day? Southville alumna and gifted writer Jayra Almanzor shares what she does.

1.) I write whatever comes to mind. One thing I always see when my classmates from Canada approach me with their novels-in-the-making is that they’re always just two chapters in because they keep editing. While editing is integral in writing, it should, in my opinion, be done at the end as it only distracts one’s flow when writing. In other words, throw away perfectionism in your first draft and you’ll finish in no time!

2.) I drink coffee or tea while writing. This fuels me while I write!

3.) I don’t blindly use a template when writing. When I was in Grade 10 English (2nd year high school), I was introduced to Joseph Campbell’s monomyth pattern. It goes something like this: call to adventure, crossing the threshold, mentor, tests and trials, helper, reward, and return home. While it is somewhat true that many stories follow this pattern in one way or another, those stories can also switch the stages around, and that’s totally fine. If you strictly follow a template, the writing process won’t be fun at all.

4.) I write something I want to read, not what’s popular. If I just copy, for example, Harry Potter or The Hunger Games, chances are, there are a lot of other books that followed this cookie cutter trend and your book will drown the pile of “mainstream” books. Write something unique and something you want to read but has not been written yet.

5.) I listen to music. Believe me, this works! An alternative would be listening to relaxing sounds like rain!