Interview
As children's writer Maeve Friel launches the final instalment of her popular 'Witch-in-Training' series, she talks with Claire McCauley about childhood, her love of storytelling and everything a girl needs to know about witches.
Spellbinding...
Born in Derry in the 1950's, Friel's early education began in Waterside Girls School before moving on to Thornhill College. However, it was her parents who were her most formative influence.
'Both my parents were teachers and were passionate about books and music. I have vivid memories of my mother reading poetry to us every night before bed. I've always had a love for books, when a house is so full of books I think you end up making up your own stories.'
In spite of a lifelong passion for literature, Friel admits to an initial trepidation in undertaking a career in writing.
'I had been writing for a long time but never submitted anything. I had always made excuses like I didn?t have enough time but it was a lack of confidence. It wasn't until I was in my thirties when I moved to Oxford with my husband and a cardboard box filled with unfinished stories that I thought I might give this a go.'
Friel's first break came when she wrote a number of short stories for the Sunday Tribune, one of which won the Hennessy award. 'This was a confidence boost and, after it, I decided lack of time was no longer an excuse. I had to carve out the time if I wanted to make it work,' she says.
Despite a hugely successful career in children's writing, it was not an area she consciously chose to work in.
'I can't remember what attracted me to writing for children but it's so important that there are good books written for them. In many ways they live very circumscribed lives but through expanding their imagination you can promote tolerance and respect and give them alternative views.
Personally I write for children simply for the sheer joy of it. People think it's easier than writing for adults but you face the same problems. It still requires all the essential elements of a good book, a good plot, a believable setting and you have to set your characters realistic objectives and obstacles.'
The accessibility of Friel's stories has resulted in their translation into multiple languages, however, it is her desire to inspire children to think independently that has made them truly universal.
'I hope that any child can identify with the characters in my books. It is so important to entertain children through literature. I don't want to be didactic. I want to instil the sheer joy of reading and open up their imagination, enabling them to make up their own minds; showing them rather than telling them.'
Friel's central characters are predominately positive, exciting and adventurous young girls, an image she actively promotes and identifies with.
'I don't know if many people know but the colours the witches wear in the books are actually the colours of the suffragettes. All the witches have full time jobs as well as witchcraft. I feel it's important to show these young witches living productive lives.
Two of my characters Tiger Lily and Jessica, the Witch-in Training, are avid readers with an adventurous streak, I?ve never really thought about it but there's a lot of me in these character, perhaps it's given me chance to delve into the little girl within me'.
After leaving Derry, at the onset of the troubles, to attend university in Dublin, Friel travelled extensively but now divides her time between Dublin and Spain. While the freedom this cultivated had an impact on her writing style, she retains a discipline in her approach.
'For children, where you grow up is terribly important in forming you. I haven't lived in Derry since I left but the eighteen years I spent there have definitely shaped me. However, travelling has given me sense of space, for example, in the Tiger Lily series while there is no mention of a specific place, there's a strong sense of space.
When I write, I aim to be disciplined. I sit down and work everyday for several hours. Some days, when things are going wrong, it feels like the last place in the world I want to be but it's really important to carry on.'
Friel has actively embraced an interactive online presence containing colourful links to word searches and reader book reviews adding another dimension to the joy of reading.
'It is really important for me to actively embrace all forms of new technology and use it to make my books fun, exciting and interactive so the Witch-in-Training series are being made into e-books. Is the internet the death of reading? In my opinion it is most definitely not. Children read on the internet as well.'
Friel was one of the writers involved in the hugely successful Children's Book Festival 2007 and feels that literature can play a significant role in the lives of children.
'For some it plays no role at all, but this is the same for some adults who have a need for stories which is met through soap operas or films. For others it plays a huge role their eyes light up with enthusiasm and they become animated about books. As a mother I read to my children and, as a new grandparent, I intend to, and have already begun bombarding them with books'.
Despite being an award winning writer she is not motivated by acclaim but by her passion for writing.
'I'm not driven by awards but by the desire to tell stories and to keep coming up with new ideas. When advising other writers I would give the advice my editor gives me 'just write the next sentence'. It's a solitary job all you can do is sit at your desk and do it!'
As for the future, Friel's prolific output will continue to enthral her devoted readership but may spell the end for a much loved little witch.
'At the moment I'm writing a thriller; it's a bit of an exciting departure. I've been asked to write a new Tiger Lily book, which is due out in autumn 2009, however, The Last Task will be the finale in the Witch-in Training series. I was asked to write four, I've now written eight! It's time for a change. I think I'm a bit 'witched out' to be honest!’
