This week, the Youth Observer reached out to 13-year-old young writer Dinujaya Munasinghe, whose first book, ‘Stupid Steve’ is now out.
In conversation with Dinujaya, here’s what we found out:
Q: Can you tell us what inspired you to write ‘Stupid Steve’?
A: I didn’t start writing with the hope of getting this book published. I wasn’t even planning on writing a whole book when I first started. One day, we had to write a story at school as part of an English language activity. At first, I thought it was annoying, but once I started, I kept writing and writing, following the flow, and before I knew it, I’d written an entire page and a half.
I read what I had written and was surprised that it was actually good. At home, I wrote another small story about a child and his mischievous little brother and showed it to my father, who is also an author. He said it was magnificent and suggested I expand the story and potentially write a book. I thought that sounded nice, so I kept writing and ended up here.
Q: Are there any books, movies, or personal experiences that influenced your writing?
A: There were a lot of things that inspired me, mainly all the books I’ve read, especially Francesca Simon’s Horrid Henry series, which I used to read a lot when I was in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. This series (and my little brother) was also where I got the idea of writing about two brothers.
Other books that had an impact were Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid because they helped me find my writing style. Talking about personal experiences, I realized that many things that happened to me influenced the outcome of the book.
Q: Do you have any favourite authors or books that you enjoy reading?
A: It is hard to pick a favourite book, but I really enjoy the feeling of reading a good book. You know you’ve really enjoyed reading a book when you feel disappointed when you finish the story. Some books that made me sad to finish were from authors like Rick Riordan, J.K. Rowling, Roald Dahl, Francesca Simon, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Q: Can you give us a brief summary of the book? What’s the main plot?
A: This book is about what Jonathan, a little boy, experiences while living under the same roof as his troublesome, mischievous, annoying, and stupid little brother.
Q: Who are the main characters in your book, and what are they like?
A: The main character is Steve, a goofy prankster and the little brother of Jonathan.
Q: How did you come up with the name ‘Stupid Steve’?
A: The name came to my mind when I was eight years old. I was about to turn to the page I was reading in a Horrid Henry book, and before I did, I stared at the cover for a bit, and the keywords ‘Stupid Steve’ popped into my head.
Q: What was your writing process like? Did you plan the story out before you started writing, or did you make it up as you went along?
A: The writing process was a bit bumpy. I didn’t have a clear idea of what I was going to write because, as I said, I wasn’t planning on publishing Stupid Steve as a book. Whenever I got an idea about what to write, I’d jot it down somewhere. Sometimes the ideas would come from personal experiences, sometimes from my mother or father, and even from my dreams.
The process wasn’t what you would call organized, but it seemed to work for me. I usually exaggerated an experience and wrote different stories in different chapters.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing, and if so, how did you overcome them?
A: The biggest challenges were finding enough time to write, especially during times when there were tests at school, and finding someone to draw pictures for the book. I found time to write by writing instead of watching TV in the evening and reduced the time I spent thinking about what to write by brainstorming the story and its progression during free time.
My father also helped find someone to draw the pictures for the book by posting on social media. Many people submitted amazing pictures, but in the end, Ms. Vingi Jayalath was chosen.
Q: How did you feel when you first saw your book in print?
A: Until the moment I saw the book in print, I didn’t really believe my book would actually be published. At the time, I thought it was something only intelligent grownups could do, but when I saw it, I felt really happy.
Q: How do you balance writing with school and other activities?
A: Managing time was always a bit hard, but what I found to work for me is to just do something and keep writing. Every evening, I made time to write for at least half an hour. That really helped me get things done. During holidays, I spent as much time as possible on writing.
Q: How supportive is your family?
A: My family was super supportive. They’re the reason I even started writing. Without their encouragement, I could never have finished the book. My little brother was also where I got the idea for the book.
Q: Do you plan to write more books in the future? If yes, can you give us a hint about what they might be about?
A: I do plan to write another book with different characters, but for now, I’ve started to write a sequel to ‘Stupid Steve’.
Q: What are you most proud of about your book?
A: I am really proud of the book in general. I love how it turned out and all the positive feedback I’ve received from everyone.
Q: If the book was made into a movie, who would you want to play the main character?’
A: If Stupid Steve were to be turned into a movie, I’d like it to be in the third person perspective of Jonathan. As for actors, I’m not really sure. I think I’ll leave that to the movie producer to decide.
