How to come up with a title

This was actually very last minute. We suddenly realised there was no title. All this time we'd just been calling the manuscript Mythil. Ameena, the publisher, asked me to think of some good titles and I think I came up with a short list but nothing seemed right.


One was Mythil and the Yakas. But that spoilt the element of surprise - it told you up front that the story would have real yakas in it.

Another was Mythil and the Masked Ones but of course that was far too long and obscure.

Then I hit upon Mythil's Secret. It was short and sweet and was in keeping with the 'mysterious' element of Eranga's fantastic cover design. Ameena loved it. I loved it. And that's how the title came about!

Favourite author/book

I don't have one. I have too many and I'm very fickle when it comes to a favourite author or book. Also I prefer to go by books/stories than authors. Here's a short list off the top of my head (with apologies for misspelling!):

The Hobbit - J R R Tolkien
The Amulet of Samarkand - Jonathan Stroud
Witch Week - Diana Wynne Jones
Spirited Away - Hayao Miyazaki (animated film)
My Friend Totoro - Hayao Miyazaki (animated film)
Clean Break - Jacquelin Wilson
Cold Tom - Sally Prue
Inkheart - Cornelia Funke
Thief Lord - Cornelia Funke
Six Bad Boys - Enid Blyton
Those Dreadful Children - Enid Blyton
Good Night Mr Tom - Michelle Margorian
Just William - Richmal Crompton
Anne of Green Gables - L M Montgomery

Do you write as you go along or plan the story first?

The story unfolds as I write it. So my first chapter was pretty much as I first saw it. Sometimes the ideas come too fast for me to write them out so then I use bullets so that I don't forget and flesh them out later.

The ending took me a long time to figure out. So for ages and ages the story was 3/4s done and it frustrated me no end wondering how the story would conclude.

Chapters

When you've written your story, how do you divide it into chapters?
Well, what I did was to look at places in the story where the reader would just have to turn the page and read on. That's where I put my chapter break because I didn't want people to put the book down for too long once they started reading it.

Opening line

Here's a question we discussed at Book Buzz!

What made you open the book with the line 'Go outside and play Mythil?'
I felt that it was a line that most of us could identify with. Have you ever noticed how when adults want to discuss matters that they think children shouldn't hear they think of the most unimaginative ways of asking you to leave the room? The line is also significant to the story on several levels. First, Mythil's worries stem from the fact that he is excluded from such adult conversations and left to imagine the worst. Ironically, sending him out to play, which was meant to shield him from worries, actually led to his first encounter with the yaka and all the problems that follow. Second, as a writer I guess this is a point I wanted to make - a theme, if you like, that runs throughout the book - you can't keep talking down to kids. Sometimes it's best to include them and explain adult issues so that they don't seem so scary. The book explores Mythil's thoughts and feelings as he tries to make sense of the adult world on his own.

Book Buzz

What a truly exhillerating time I had at the British Council last Saturday. A group of keen young readers and writers (two of them Young Commonwealth Essay Competition winners) asked me a host of intriguing questions about writing and Mythil's Secret and that set off a lively discussion on what interests them as readers.

Over the next few weeks I will try and answer their questions here. But for now I will just say how thrilled I am that many of them were so serious about being writers. I wonder how many other youngsters share this ambition? Best wishes to all of them! Whatever type of writer they eventually become, I certainly hope they will take time to write a few stories for Sri Lankan children.

And of course many thanks to the British Council for organising this Book Buzz!

For kids or grow-ups?

I've been asked whether Mythil's Secret is for children or adults. Well I wrote it for the pre- to early teen age group because when I was that age I couldn't find any English language books that I could really relate to.  Of course there were fantastic books set in Middle Earth or Narnia or England or America... but hardly any set in Sri Lanka for young Sri Lankan readers.

If you are a frequent reader of these types of books you'll know that books written for older children often appeal to adults too. The first three Harry Potter books for instance, or the Hobbit, or so many of Jacquelin Wilson's books. They deal with adult themes because children of that age are aware of them. So many of the books talk about grown up issues but deal with them from the view of a child. This doesn't mean the stories have to be simplistic or watered down.

I think that if you've written a book for older children and you find that adults also enjoy it... then maybe, just maybe your younger audience will get hooked on it too!

At least that's what I think - and I'm no expert.

Peter Pan

J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan was one of my favourite stories.

Apart from the magic and wonder of it all - which you never really forget - what I like most about it now is the ticking crocodile. In the world of the-boy-who-refused-to-grow-up and Wendy and the lost boys, Hook was the one adult who made their lives miserable. How ironic that Time (in the form of a crocodile with a clock in it) should keep snapping at his heels and finally be the end of that deliciously dastardly pirate. 

A much gentler, invisible version of time turns Wendy into an adult. But in her place there is always another child, a daughter or a granddaughter, ever ready to travel with Peter to his world: 'second to the right and straight on till morning'!

Ukranian Folktales

I was talking to a friend the other day about a big book of Ukranian folktales I used to enjoy reading as a child. Wouldn't you know it - most of the stories are available on the internet! Including the same pictures that were in my book!

Here's a link to one of my favourites - I even remembered the name of it from my childhood. It's called Telesik Little-stick.

I remember many of the stories featuring snakes and dragons. In this story snake and dragon are used interchangeably! Strange!

Image courtesy of: 4to40.com

The reader's hook

What keeps you hooked on a book?

Original storyline
Interesting characters
Fast-paced plot
A good ending

Have I missed anything?

I also think that the plot and characters should be 'real' no matter how surreal their world is. Does this make sense?

Modern vampires

Vampire stories are on the rise - to state the obvious. The Twilight series (books and now films), and Vampire Diaries and Supernatural - two TV dramas that I've been following on DVD.

Why is not so easy to answer - one theory is that identifying with 'undead' vampires helps people temporarily escape their fear of death. Immortality is a subject that the vampires wrestle with. But in the Vampire Diaries particularly you'd think that 145 years would have made these creatures a little wiser than they appear to be!

Whatever the reason for their rise in popularity it's interesting to compare these modern vampires with their mythical ancestors.

What's common to all three stories is that the vampires are likened to addicts. Every minute of every day the 'good' vampires have to resist the temptation to drink human blood. And none of these vampires turn into bats. In fact that legend apparently got included after the 'discovery' of blood-drinking bats in South America.

The vampires that appear in Supernatural seem to be the closest to the old legends - perhaps that's because vampires are peripheral to this TV series and the writers weren't too interested in presenting them any other way. The creatures usually hunt by night. If you're bitten by a vampire you become one.

In Twilight the vampires are beautiful to look at and their skin shines like diamonds in the sun, but sunlight itself does not harm them. Their bodies are as cold and hard as granite and they have pale skin. They are almost indestructible. In these stories too all it takes is a single vampire bite - the venom takes three painful days to turn the victim into a vampire.

In Vampire Diaries the vampires have to wear a magical ring to avoid getting burnt by sunlight. But none of the usual things like, garlic or holy water adversely affect a vampire - only a herb 'vervain'. Becoming a vampire is more complicated though. A single bite isn't enough. I won't say more on that. One interesting folkloric element this series retains is the fact that a vampire cannot enter a house unless it is invited inside. So... be careful who you bring home?

Yakas among us?

A lot of people have asked what made me think of doing a story about yakas (closest translation - nature spirits?). And whether I'm an expert in yaka lore and whether I heard a lot of yaka stories as a child.

Funnily enough the answer to the last two is no.

The yakas in Mythil's world are different to the ones you hear about in folktales. I like to think that they have evolved to be able to live among humans, mostly undetected.

But I've given them a history that you won't find in folklore. It's to do with portals and other worlds... But for more you'd need to read the book.

Where to buy

You can buy Mythil's Secret from:

Paradise Road (all shops)
Barefoot

Lake House (main, Liberty Plaza and Hyde Park Corner)

Vijitha Yapa

Sarasavi

Mackeens

Plate

CG Associates

Social Scientists Association

all hotel bookshops

and of course from the publisher's offices at 80A Dharmpala Mawatha, Colombo 7

You can also buy it online through the publisher's website: Perera Hussein Publishing House.And Vijitha Yapa again - they do local and overseas shipping.

Character origins

What inspired the characters in the book?  This is a question I get asked a lot. I don’t have black and white answers.

The character of Mythil appeared first. He was a shy little boy who took a while to introduce himself. I called him by different names until I realised that his name was Mythil. He is a lot like I used to be at his age; shy and unsure of himself.

Asiri didn’t have a name until almost the final draft. There’s a lot of Mythil in Asiri and I think that’s one of the reasons why Mythil is so angry with him in the beginning. He sees his own helplessness reflected in Asiri. He is impatient because Asiri is so accepting of this helplessness.

Ianthi is interesting because I think she would have made a good ally for Mythil if she hadn’t been so intent on growing up. In that respect she’s very different to me.  I don’t think I’ve grown up yet. I think I knew children like her when I was a child. If you’re a dreamy sort of person it’s good to have this type of friend around you to help bring you down to earth now and again.

I’d recently lost my grandmother so I knew that Mythil’s Archchi would be similar to mine. The story Archchi tells Mythil, about the robber is almost exactly the same one my grandmother told me. I was as close to her as Mythil is to his grandmother. She had great faith in my scribbles and gave me all my grandfather’s letters and stories to read for inspiration - he certainly had a way with words although he apparently wasn’t much of a talker. He died when my mother was eleven years old so like Mythil I only know him through family stories..

I had a lot of fun with the bahirawaya’s character. In the beginning he was a lot more swaggering and full of bravado. Too much like a TV character. So then I altered his personality and sense of humour. I modeled him on an old teacher I used to know.

Friends

One thing I found very useful when writing Mythil's Secret was a bank of friends I could blackmail... er... no, I mean, depend on to read the various drafts and comment on them. When I'm engaged in writing a story I find it difficult to spot things that a reader would find irritating or confusing.

Collecting feedback from everyone and then deciding which comments to act on is time-consuming but to me it was well worth the effort. I'm just going to mention *some* of the key people who took time to give me great feedback.

Sharmi and Shehan Pieris. Shehan was in the middle of exams too but still took the time to give some great comments.
Shantha Karthigesu and Aravind. I know they still have a bound copy of that early draft complete with my crude Word-drawn cover.
Ramila Usoof who made sure the psychological bits weren't complete mumbo jumbo.
Ruwanthie de Chickera whose comments led to an alteration in Serf's personality. Less swaggering bravado.
Tammy Ho and Jeff Zroback for numerous detailed comments - a professional close reading that was a real help.
Sarah Allen for pointing out the lose ends that hadn't been tied up.
Mandie Hawes for suggesting that the story's opening not be all doom and gloom!

Thanks guys!

Mythil's Secret wins the Gratiaen Prize

There was a loud buzzing in my ears when it was announced that Mythil's Secret had won the Gratiaen Prize. I've been gobsmacked several times in my life but this was the 'gobbiest'. My first thought was 'Oh no, I don't have a speech written out!' But mostly I just sat there unable to process this shocker of an announcement until a sharp nudge in the ribs sent me weaving unsteadily to the front.

I remembered to thank the judges for giving the award to a children's book and said I hoped this would encourage more people to write in English for our children. But the judges described the story as one that would appeal to both children and adults and called it a book that looks at life from the perspective of youth.

I'm glad they think the book appeals to adults. In my experience when writing for older children you need to make sure that the story appeals to you as an adult too, if you've got any hope in entertaining younger readers!

MacGyver kid

So yesterday I was rushing out to office and half way to the bus stand I remembered that I hadn't checked to see whether there were any traces of my jam sandwich around my mouth. A surreptitious check with my tongue told me this was a distinct possibility. Fortunately, I was able to whip out a mirror and tissues in the bus and look 'respectable' again.

The incident reminded me of when I was 11 or 12 years old and hooked on the TV programme, MacGyver. Like a lot of kids my age back then I was fascinated by how 'Mac' could get out of trouble (or into it as the case may be!) using any old thing he found lying around, from a paper map to chocolate. I remember asking my grandmother to make me a satchel out of some leftover upholstery material (because of course since I had a perfectly good school bag my parents didn't see why I should be bought another bag). Into this satchel went everything I could possibly think of that would come in useful.

pencil and note paper - for writing clues in case I was kidnapped
string - for all sorts of reasons
a compass - for obvious reasons
sticky tape - couldn't get my hands on duct tape in those days
candle and matches - in case i found a cave to explore
torch - in case the cave was windy and the candle blew out
chalk - to mark the walls of a labyrinth in case I was lost in one
mirror - to signal with if I found myself adrift at sea
measuring tape - because my mum had several of these to spare
Swiss army knife - a treasured birthday present
paper clips, pins, safety pins, an airline sewing kit, a scissor...
Well you get the picture.
I am woefully unprepared for adventure these days. All I carry with me now are the mirror, the pencil and the pen knife. I suppose a true MacGyver kid wouldn't need much more than that...

Banyan Tree

I love trees. All kinds.

But of course banyan trees are the most exciting. Unfortunately the only time I lived next door to one, its ropey roots were out of my reach for swinging on.

Araliya or frangipani trees are also super because they are so twisty that its usually easy to climb them.

Hmmm. It's been ages since I climbed a tree. Need to go find one.

Grandmothers

Grandmothers are treasure troves. My two grandmothers told me so many stories from their childhood and young-adulthood that I think if I had stepped into a wormhole that took me back in time to the early- to mid-1900s I would have managed to fit in without anyone realising I was from the future.

I think being a girl in those days was a lot safer though. Here's a story from each that has to do with chivalry and facing bulls.

From my paternal grandmother who had 6 sisters. They were out for a walk with a male cousin when a bull charged them. Of course all the girls screamed and while some were rooted to the spot others ran. The cousin, realising, as he later said, that he was the only male, stood his ground. The bull got closer and closer and then stopped just a few feet away from the lone figure. The bull snorted, flashed his horns and stamped the ground. For one heartstopping moment the girls thought their cousin was about to be gored. But then the bull turned and nonchalantly walked away.

From my maternal grandmother. She and my grandfather were out on a narrow footbridge in Chilaw, fishing with friends. A herd of water buffalo came by but when they saw the humans occupying their bridge they slipped into the water and swam across. All save one. He stomped, snorted, and then charged. Atu, the animal expert, called for everyone to jump while he wrestled the hefty bull. Quick as lightning my grandfather grabbed my grandmother's hand and leaped into the water with the others. But at the last minute my grandmother twisted her hand out of his grasp. She couldn't swim and was terrified she would drown. "Jump! I'll catch you!" my grandfather shouted from the water below. There was a splash. But it was only Atu being flung into the water by the bull who then lowered his head and charged, heading straight for my grandmother. She turned and ran hoping to make it over land before the bull caught up with her. But the bull's hoofbeats got louder and louder till she imagined he was inches behind her. With a scream she swung around and the wind caught her saree pota making it billow out behind her. Another splash! This time it was the bull who swam away sheepishly (excuse the pun) ashamed to have been scared by a saree.

Image from bukisa.com

Toffee shock

A friend just gave me a bar of chocolate that actually pops in your mouth. It's like having little bubble-wrap blisters popping in your head. Weird!

It reminded me of course of all the extraordinary sweets you get in books. First to mind for most people would probably be Rowling's leaping chocolate frogs, fizzing whizbees and cockroach clusters.

Does anyone remember another British author who wrote about amazing sweets? Yep, I'm talking about Enid Blyton of course. Who can forget her toffee shock? The unsuspecting victim pops the toffee in his or her mouth and finds that instead of getting smaller and smaller it gets bigger and bigger until finally it explodes. Or pop-biscuits which are delictions little biscuits that burst in your mouth leaving it filled with honey.

If you could invent a magical candy what would it be?

I found this site when I was looking for a picture for my post: the top 10 grossest candies!

Image: best-chocolate-recipes-online.com

Writer or story teller?

Mythil's Secret hit the local bookshops in July last year. It is my first published book. Although I have been a writer for as long as I can remember, there's nothing like having a book published to give you that extra oomph, that squaring of the shoulders, when someone asks you what you do and you say "I'm a writer".
Then I read a Reader's Digest article in which Jeffrey Archer discusses briefly whether someone is a writer or a story teller.

Hmmm. Which am I? Am I both? After all, Mythil's Secret is written (it took me about 8 years to write!) and it's a story for pre-teens.

I enjoy writing but I enjoy telling stories more. Also I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm not a writer of the 'WOW' category. So... from now on I think I will go with the title story teller.

Er... But how will that sound?

"So what do you do?"
"I tell stories."

Ha ha.