Marusya Shcherbyna is 17 years old. She lives not far from Kyiv, in Bucha region. Her writer's path started ten years ago, when she started writing down the stories she was always imagining. She absolutely loved creating new worlds and suddenly lots of wonderful stories were written. After some time the first book of those little novels for children was published. Marusya kept on taking part in different writing competitions and sometimes her texts were unexpectedly successful and won several times. After her first book was published, she hasn’t stopped creating new characters and was writing new existing stories every single day. She also started writing poems that were published in Ukrainian teenage magazine. One of them even became a song. Two years later the second book was published. This time it was something completely different: two detective stories that became loved by younger teenagers. After a short period of time the third book was presented. Exiting adventures of a happy family, pirates, beautiful sea and lots of humorous situation are perfect for children and their parents. Right now Marysya is working on another books, looking for inspiration everywhere. She has thousands of ideas and tries to bring them to life.
I would very much like teens from abroad to know that Ukraine is a country with a long complicated history, wonderful traditions and fantastic culture. Unfortunately, there are lots of stereotypes about our origin and lifestyle. I would be happy, if teenagers all around the world discovered the true beauty of my country, its traditions and history, as it is unique and impressive.
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Looking out my window, you could see a beautiful garden. In spring it is covered with delicate flowers and looks just like the garden in "Ann ofGreen Gables". There are always little flocks of birds, so early in the morning you could hear them singing.
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I live in a countryside, in a beautiful village in Kyiv region. My home is extremely cozy, I absolutely love my room, our little garden, warm kitchen, everything! I adore every single detail in my home!
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The best time for me to write is in the morning. I feel that my mind is clear and it makes the writing process easier. There are a lot of places, where I can write, but I still have several of them that are my favorite. For instance, my room is a wonderful place to write early in the morning. Our cozy garden is a perfect one to create new stories in summer or late in spring. I also love exploring new places for writing while traveling with my family.
Writing a book for me is not an easy thing to do. I usually plan the plot, think about details and senses and then start writing. I try to write every day, as it is important for me to maintain my story. After I wrote the whole book, I start editing it, which takes even more time than to write a story and is not that exciting. However, I like this process as well.
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I believe imagination is the ability to see more than others. It makes the world around you unique and special.
6)It is difficult to describe Ukraine in three words only, but I would choose"courage, freedom and unity".
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The beginning of the full-scale war has affected my way of writing as well as my way of living. There have been big changes and the first several months were the most difficult in terms of creating stories. It was extremely hard for me to keep on writing the book I was working on. I could not put up with the new reality and the new world I had to live in. The only thing I could write were poems. They all were about my feelings, my fear and hope. After some time I started writing daily, which was a great success for me. By the end of the summer 2022 I have returned to my daily rate and finally finished the book I was working on for so long.
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I absolutely love reading! There are so many authors I like and look up to! There are many Ukrainian modern writers I admire: Maryana Savka, Andriy Kokotyukha, Serhiy Zhadan and others. I also like foreign authors. JoanneRowling, Jonathan Stroud, Kerstin Gir... I could list them forever!
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I really like dancing. I have been dancing since I was four and now I cannot imagine my life without it. I also like drawing, cooking, traveling and taking photos.
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My family is not big. I have wonderful parents and an adorable younger brother. The rest of my family (my grandparents and my cousin's family) are also amazing! They all are very supportive and kind. I also have to cats and love them immensely!
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I have always been creating something: stories, characters etc. I started writing it all down at the age of seven, when I went to school and learned the alphabet. The first creative piece I wrote was tale about a little frog and her adventures in the forest 🙃
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My school is not very special. My favorite subject has always been literature, and reading books I was learning to write as well. From time to time we used to do some creative projects and I liked it a lot.
The classes usually start at 8 am. Normally, we have 6-7 classes a day.During the lessons we complete different tasks, learn something new, sometimes we also take part in different projects and activities. If there is an air alarm during the lessons (which happens pretty often) we go to the shelter. Unfortunately, the classes are often canceled because of these air attacks.From time to time we study online, which is also a common thing now. Overall, studying in my school is not different from studying in any other school inUkraine)
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There were lots of books that made me cry and lots of those that made me happy. My favorite book however has always been "Pollyanna." It's a wonderful story about a girl who could find beauty in everything. It taught mea lot and absolutely changed my life. Thank to this book I became myself, the way I am now.
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I think my secret is that I do not always write good things. When something horrible happens I also write about it. I tell sad and painful stories, just in the end I still add a little bit of light and hope. Another thing is that writing something is relaxing for me. I write about my feelings and everything around seems a bit easier. It is kind of a meditation for me. And it is also the way to keep on living, despite all the dangers and risks.
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I always feel better when I dance. Long walks also help, so I try to spend some time outdoors. It also inspires a lot. I love reading and it really makes me feel happy and calm. I cook something tasty from time to time. I finish school this year, so I spend a lot of time studying and preparing for my final exams. Overall, I have lots of things to do and I believe, it helps me to handle these days.
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I am not sure about my writing style, but I was extremely happy to hear that my little story will be published in English. I consider it a wonderful experience and cannot wait to see it published! Thank you so much for such an amazing opportunity to tell the story I had in my heart!
