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

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!

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!