Culture of reading became culture of writing

Why did you become a writer?

I grew up surrounded by books . My father was a high school teacher of literature , and later became a lawyer. Reading was an everyday activity . The first novel I read as a kid was Ingqumbo Yeminyaya by AC Jordan. I was named after a character in that novel .

What were your influences?

One was my grandmother, who was a primary school teacher. When we visited her in the Eastern Cape, she would tell us traditional folk stories, known as intsomi. We would tell our own stories, those passed from generation to generation, and those we created or adapted from traditional ones. The strength of these stories was that they were magical, full of myths and legends. Hence the narrative mode of fiction, now called magical realism, which I use most of the time.

What makes a great story?

Every good story must be driven by a character who wants something. There must be obstacles that try to prevent him or her from fulfilling the desire. These are the major building blocks for a good story.

Your favourite books as a child?

I was enamored with Marvel and DC Comics. I also read a lot of isiXhosa and Sesotho novels as a child, and loved Guybon Sinxo and JJ Machobane. Their characters loom in my imagination to this day.

• Mda is an ambassador for National Book Week, now on