AustLit

Richard Harland reflects on writing Worldshaker, a 'very long story' based on ideas that came from 'a couple of dreams' (2). He describes three phases of writing the novel in terms of 'world building', 'growing of characters' and 'thematics' (2) and says one of its aims is to convey how 'childhood is far more precarious that we like to remember' (3). In this sense, Harland attempts to present 'growing up out of childhood [as] a time of strangeness, half facts and uncertainties' (3) through the genre of fantasy, which he says, has a tendency to 'bypass adult censorship and unlock forgotten memories' (3).

Discussing her writing methods, Larbalestier says she wrote Liar 'out of order and in small chunks' so that 'in some, ways, it was more like writing poetry than a novel' (6). She talks about the impact of 'being an Australian living, on and off, in New York City" (6) as shaping the novel, however she also briefly refers to a number of significant events in her own life and the geographical landscapes that influence and inform the narrative. These include attending an alternative high school in Sydney (6), the death of a close friend (7) and the 'hyper urbanized' environment of New York City where 'Nature and wilderness and city co-exist' (7).