Although he has always been conscious of the Booker Prize – its long and short lists, and winners – Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka admits that when it came to writing his prizewinning book The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, there was no thought of winning a prize.
“You don’t think of winning prizes; you just hope that the story works – and you can finish it, and that someone will be silly enough to publish it!” he exclaims.
Already working on his third book, Karunatilaka prioritises the hard work put into the writing process rather than idea generation. “The idea part of it is really the easy part… but after the idea, it’s making it work, sitting down and writing 200 pages or more about it… that’s the tough bit,” he reveals.
His writing process includes researching, incubating, brainstorming and then editing. “It’s just a lot of hard work and patience; but that’s how it is done,” he says.
The winner of the prestigious Booker Prize for Fiction encourages young writers to read, which he says is the starting point for writing. He urges them to read what they would enjoy, be it thrillers, romance novels or mysteries, and add a classic to the list.
He notes: “Don’t force yourself to read the classics exclusively. Reading should be a pleasurable, enjoyable activity. Yet, challenge yourself; read things that are not aimed at your demographic or your generation. And I think you’ll find value in it. Balance your veggies with your ice cream.”
Karunatilaka believes that writers should focus more on hard work than pure talent: “I think talent exists but only takes you so far. You need to put in the work.”
And he stresses that writing is a learnable skill, and urges budding writers to make use of the plentiful advice available freely on the internet and elsewhere. He also thinks that the stereotype for writers is outdated: “I think we have this idea of the writer as a genius who just wakes up, types out a symphony, then drinks lots of wine, goes to sleep and dies tragically.”
“Most of the writers I know are hardworking, jobbing people who keep themselves healthy, read a lot and just work on their craft,” he explains, elaborating that writing is “a learnable skill; it’s a teachable skill; it’s a trainable skill. I think anyone who’s willing to and is patient enough should try it – and should do it.”
According to Karunatilaka, writing is also an inexpensive craft. He notes: “I feel I’m on the same page as someone sitting in New York [City], Paris, London or Tokyo. I think all the tools you need are with you. A pen, a pencil, paper, imagination and patience.”
The prizewinning author is a living embodiment of the phrase ‘failures are the pillars of success.’ He shares how one need to “plough through the mud” to get where you need to be and that writers should embrace failure.
He continues: “You just have to have faith in the project – that if you do it properly, it would be readable. And you have to expect the failures. You will realise that each time you pick [your writing] up and revise it, it gets better.”
“The secret to good writing is that you keep revising something and it keeps getting better. You have to believe in the story you’re telling – and believe that it will get better, and be patient,” he adds.
To this end, the author of The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida appeals to writers to “listen to as many narratives and many points of view as possible… And if you feel that none of them is telling the truth, write your own point of view.”
He hopes that more Sri Lankans would write, read, listen to each other, and learn from the past: “What’s important is that we all listen to each other’s stories and learn from each other. I think empathy, compassion and concern for each other will come when we don’t just accept the single narrative that’s handed down from governments, schools, the media and social media, and we’re able to form our own opinion.”
