An amazing interview with Line Dalile, a 15-year-old female university student, writer, poet, blogger, and even an advocate of education.
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In an interview with Line Dalile, who self-published her poetry collection 'Typing Finger' at age 12, attended classes at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology while homeschooled at age 15, contributed to The Huffington Post and other blogs based on the idea that 'children are incredibly creative' in an effort to reform child education, and spends her free time drawing and playing golf, Dalile has published an interview on Doers . He offers a series of statements that are hard to believe come from a 15-year-old: 'Success is pursuing something you strongly believe in,' 'Don't be afraid to follow your instincts. Never think, 'I'm too young,' 'It seems too hard,' or 'I can't do it.'' 'Every idea starts with a setback, so no matter what difficulties life throws at you, just tell a good story or a good picture. The rest will follow.' The interview is below.
Line Dalile, 15-year-old Author, Blogger and Advocate
http://doers.bz/interviews/line-dalile/
This is Line Dalile.
◆Can you tell me everything about yourself and what you do?
I'm 15 years old, homeschooled and taking classes at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. I'm passionate about writing and honestly, I discover the world through the written word. I love doing things that make me think and spend a lot of my time coding, writing, and golfing.
◆Can you tell us about your plan and why you started it?
Well, I published my first collection of poems when I was 12, simply because I wanted to share my poetry with other kids. My second book (which is already finished and will be on Amazon soon) offers tips specifically on poetry and writing. As a child, I was somewhat saddened to hear that my friends didn't like reading or writing, so I hope that through the books I write, I can help children discover the joy of reading and writing. It's a different world to open the doors of your imagination and join in on the things you've only dreamed of.
I've also recently started writing about education reform. I feel particularly connected to it because I have a long history of experience, having been to public and private school and now being homeschooled. Ultimately, I want to share my thoughts on what's frustrating about school, and this relates to a lot of kids. Hopefully, I can contribute to some big changes in education. I also have a lot of projects I want to start in the near future.
◆How do you manage to get through university courses at just 15 years old?
I started homeschooling when I was 12, which allowed me to learn at an accelerated pace. School wasn't very challenging. Customizing my learning at home allowed me to skip a few steps and start focusing on my passions. I started taking college courses when I was 14, and it's been so much fun and challenging ever since.
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◆How did you realize at such a young age that you wanted to be a writer or poet?
My childhood was surrounded by books. My mother started reading me short stories when I was very young, and each story sparked a love for writing and reading within me. I was excited by everything inside my head, and I began to use my imagination to create and write. Edward Gibbon once said, 'It is more fun to build castles in the air than on the ground.' Writing began to become a habit. It was an escape from reality, but also helped me make sense of it and what was happening in the world around me. My grandfather also wrote poetry, and reading his poems at a young age further fueled my passion for writing my own. I love the idea of creating characters, the time it takes to create them, and the proud moment when the written words come together and become readable.
◆Please tell us one of your favorite poems.
'Kindles don't smell the same.'
Once I reached for an old leather-bound book
It smelled like the nostalgic old days
The musty smell of old, yellowed pages and the scent of the stories hidden between the lines
If only I could capture the smell of a book in a bottle, like tearing a page
The smell of new things and the smell of books I've had for years.
I want to leave it on a wooden library shelf with a note saying 'Smell me.'
Then, out of curiosity, you take a deep breath.
With fingers as slender as a hand model, the scent of countless stories, legends, and myths emanated from the books and filled the air.
Your fingers flip through the pages like an accountant counting money
People call you the 'Book Professor' because you judge books by their smell.
Someday you will invent a palm-sized machine that can smell things.
But until then, we'll keep snorting
The smell of books is like knowledge getting old
The plastic Kindle boasts of being a 'best seller'
The pale white pages are unblemished and unaltered.
The story is incomplete
Kindle doesn't smell the same
By maureen_sill
◆As a young 15-year-old writer and poet, what challenges will you overcome?
Age is a limitation. Age is just a number. I like being the youngest in the room sometimes, but people might not take you seriously on first impressions. But hey, limitations and rules are there to be broken.
What inspires your stories and poems and where do you find most inspiration?
Everywhere. From the nature that surrounds me. Or even just observing how people behave and their actions. Inspiration comes from everyday life. Everything asks me to play with it, twist it and add a touch of magic to it.
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◆When you decided to pursue your interests, what lessons did you learn along the way?
Never procrastinate. Procrastination seriously kills your brain cells and wastes your time. Also, there will be people who will tell you 'you can't do it,' so just cover your ears and stick to your goal.
◆What does success mean to you? And how far do you think you are from success?
Success is pursuing something you strongly believe in. My greatest successes are the people I've met along the way and the lessons I've learned along the way. People who inspire me to keep doing what I do. That's the biggest success. If I can make a difference in one child's life and inspire him or her to pursue something they love, then I would call that a success.
Many writers and artists, especially young people, lack confidence in their work. They always feel like their work is bad. How and where do you get the confidence that your work is good enough to share with the world?
I've never thought, 'This isn't very good.' If I thought like that, I'd still be hiding in my shell. I think this is what makes young writers hide in their shells. You have to have confidence. By publishing your work, you can inspire kids all over the world to start writing. My motto is, 'If it feels right and you love it... then it's good.'
I often look back at my old poems and think, 'Wow, that's terrible,' but then I quickly remember I was younger. After all, as I get older, I continue to discover new skills that make me a better writer.
Who is your favorite author, poet or artist, living or dead? And why?
Agatha Christie . My interest in reading and writing was sparked when I read her novels at the age of 10. Every novel was so fascinating I couldn't stop turning the pages. Agatha Christie's personality and writing style is an enigma in itself. I mean...let's face it, Hercule Poirot (the great detective in Agatha Christie's novels) is a great fictional character of all time. Plus, our childhoods were similar, so I feel like we can connect (laughs).
Also Robert Frost . He describes the world as he sees it, sometimes with the intense pain that we all have in part. The effort he puts into every poem makes every word mean something special. His style, too, wasn't all happy endings.
And Oscar Wilde . I've been in love with his books ever since I read my favorite book, The Picture of Dorian Gray . His novels are filled with brilliant imagination and experiences from life. To me, Oscar Wilde is... just one person who stands out from the crowd. You can see in his work that he was truly influenced by beauty. Youth and beauty shrouded in dark reality is probably what Oscar Wilde expressed to me.
A lot of the books I read are old, so I can't think of anyone alive at this very moment... J.K. Rowling made me believe in the power of imagination and where it can take you, and Dan Brown is also one of my favorite authors. He must have done thorough research before writing his books to ensure his portrayals of history were trustworthy, and I really admire that.
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When do you look at yourself? And where do you think your writing interests will be five years from now?
Five years from now... I love living each day as it comes and seeing what it has to offer. I'll probably have graduated from college with a degree in computer science or design, so at some point in my life I'd like to study English literature at Yale. Also, aside from college, I have my next novel, which I wrote in November 2011, and I'd like to publish it. I'll probably still be publishing books, contributing to education, and making cool apps.
Honestly, I'm interested in literally everything, from cosmology to IT to writing, so I don't have any set plans for the next five years. Like I said, I take each day as it comes, and you never know when your life will take an unexpected turn that will take you in a wonderful direction.
When you're not writing or drawing, what else do you do?
When I'm not writing, painting, or studying, I enjoy golf. I'm a true 'golf addict' and have aspirations to play in the 2016 Olympics. As
◆How do you process the fact that you're actually a child, but you're going to college and writing at 15?
It's not hard. I truly enjoy everything I do and nothing feels like work or study. I'm curious about everything and every second is an opportunity to discover how the world works. What I do is normal and that's what I call 'childlike.' My definition of 'fun' is a little different, but I still find time to have fun.
By Hamed Parham
◆What are your future plans?
I'm always surprising myself with what the future holds, but I do plan to put my next poetry collection, 'Typing Finger-My Muse,' on Amazon. I'm also starting a new blog dedicated to philosophy. I'm also working on some really cool projects, even though I'm just getting started.
◆Do you have any advice for young writers, poets, and artists in general?
Don't be afraid to follow your instincts. Don't think 'I'm too young' or 'It seems too hard' or 'I'm not good enough'. Focus on what you have, make something out of it and remember the saying 'ideas change the world'. Every idea starts with a setback, so no matter what challenges life throws at you, paint a good story or picture and the rest will follow.
◆Which young artist, writer, or poet would you recommend we interview next?
Adora Svitak . She's such an accomplished writer. I met her last year, we just met and spoke once, but I felt like I'd known her forever.
One last thing: my family has been supportive every step of my journey. My grandparents, parents, and my amazing sister have all encouraged me to pursue my dreams and always listened carefully to my philosophical ramblings.
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