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!