“To be measured against a standard bearing the name of a literary giant like Edgar Mittelholzer is intimidating. So, to have won the prize bearing his name is like having a little nod of acknowledgement from him. In short, it is its own brand of happiness and achievement,” said Daryll Andrew Goodchild, whose short story ‘Lucky Stars’ won the Edgar Mittelholzer Prize recently in the Open Short Story Category of the Guyana Annual Competition.
Daryll also entered another short story, ‘Thrown in the River’, which was shortlisted.
Speaking about ‘Lucky Stars’ and how much time and effort were spent on it, Daryll laughed as he confessed that writers are excellent procrastinators, and he is no different. In fact, the story was completed just days before the competition deadline. He said he forced himself to write the story from one night into another.
Daryll’s writing goes back to when he was nine. Writing serves as his best expression and he humorously recalled complaining to his parents about a sibling by way of a letter. He laughed as he recalled that it was 15 years ago though it seems longer. At 23, however, he believes his life has only just begun.
Daryll, the youngest of seven children, documented his thoughts and experiences from the time he was young in journals. “Every now and again, I go back to them, cringe at my petulance at age 12, and shake my head at my 15-year-old angst… It’s entertainment for me. Cheers me up on the rainy days,” he reflected.
His writing also extends to poetry. Daryll has written classical and spoken words poetry among other forms. To date, he has penned more than 30 poems, but said many of them will never be seen by the public as he mostly wrote them for himself. As regards short stories, in his designated corner for writing, he has boxes of content, as well as on his laptop.
So far, he has published the short story ‘Crassin De River’; poems, ‘We The Invisible Poor’, ‘An Undocumented Police Report’, ‘New Growth’, ‘Not About Me’, and ‘The Voice Of Comfort’; and prose, ‘Tickets to Board’, ‘De Bus Driva’, ‘Cul-cha Day’, ‘Yuh Waan to Crass de Riva?’ and ‘Scare Tactics’. He also wrote ‘Old Mr Greaves’ which saw him win the A J Seymour prize in the Guyana Annual last year. Daryll also mentioned ‘Crekateh’, which he said was dear to him.
His talent he believes comes from his mother or his father, or both. He said they both share his passion for writing. Daryll’s mother was once employed with the Guyana Annual. A former St Stanislaus College student, Daryll’s favourite subjects were English Language and English Literature. He loved Social Studies also.
Although he loves writing, Daryll noted that Guyana has not progressed to a point where authors are supported and can earn a favourable income. So, for now, it is a hobby. He hopes that one day he will be able to support his living expenses by writing.
Daryll, who currently works in human resources, shared that as a boy, he never had just one dream job, joking that his aspirations changed with the tropical weather. Even now, he still does not know for certain what his intended career is, but he is not too worried about that. At one time, he wanted to be a veterinarian. However, because he never had the stomach for blood and the other messy stuff that came with being a vet, he settled for getting pets instead. He has a dog named Jessie and a cat named Tigger.
“I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer,” he told The Scene, “but writing can sometimes be a solitary affair. It’s up to you if you are writing to make sure you don’t write in isolation. You can read to fill the silence opposite you, or you can call up other writers. Yes, they do exist. No, you’re not the only one. Another challenge is not having a good feedback loop. If you plan to write for others to see it, you need a sandbox where you can fall and fail without getting hurt too badly. A good feedback loop is sometimes difficult when your family and friends lack interest in literature or don’t have any experience reading or writing to advise you on your pieces.”
Writing can be a blessing too. Daryll explained that he has the misfortune of a quick, and witty tongue, which of course can sometimes lead to trouble. As such, writing he noted, is more deliberate and thoughtful and he gets to pay closer attention to the words he uses, to understand how much of an impact they will make and figure out whether what he writes is also his true intention. Writing helps nip the reckless speech he would have used and allows him to have more control over his words.
Writers are readers foremost and as such Daryll has a few loved books and authors, though he said he has no true favourites. Among Caribbean writers, he likes the work of Imam Baksh. For classics, he loves Edgar Mittelholzer’s Corentyne Thunder. “…In general, I consider the work of Khaled Hosseini, an Afghanistan writer to be one of my favourites. [He is] famously known for Kite Runner, but I liked him for A Thousand Splendid Suns [as well as] And the Mountains Echoed.”
Why does he write? Daryll responded, “Why does a painter pick up a brush? Why does a cook tend a flame? Whether for artistic reasons or from the sheer necessity of the act, for a cook must never go hungry, writing for me is both. And it is part of who I am and have actively chosen to be.”
A more progressive system for writers here, he believes, would see the installing of a local publishing house where editing, publishing, and marketing services are offered. Aside from that, it would also be a great thing to have a panel in Guyana where work can be submitted for review through which they can acquire the greenlight for a regional press, he enthused.
At present, Daryll holds a Diploma in Communication Studies from the University of Guyana. He is also a constant entrant in the Commonwealth Writers Short Story Prize Competition.
He is working on a personal blog where glimpses of his past work will be available.
His book, Crassin De River is currently on sale and can be purchased from him. He can be contacted on Instagram @daryllgoodchild or via email: goodchild_daryll@yahoo.com
An excerpt from Lucky Stars:
Usually during the week, he would have to stay at home and look after the baby, but today, just for today, he could escape with pockets jangling with coins to broader horizons.
The yard and wood shack on stilts were seemingly designed to break Sonny’s spirit, so he sought out “higher, more stable” ground in the cracked pavements of Low-land’s Dream Street. Once there, the sound of passing cars and the wheezing exhausted exhausts spouting dreadful clouds of smoke made music with the chirpy, upbeat tunes of ‘Play the dream’, and ‘Money in yuh pocket’. Here his steps adopted the style and swagger of a betting man, which he was. At least, as long as the carefully counted coins bagged in quantities of two hundred dollars each, lasted. When his steps no longer made discordant music, he went home, anxious and a little more broken.
“Stap yuh daydreaming and go fine wuk fuh do,” nagged his wife with her hands on her hips. Lila had nagged ever since he met her in small clothes. She had called him dirty and lazy for most of his life; stopped calling for him at all as they attended high school, then again gave him her undivided attention, mothering him after all these years. Lila had a philosophy in life, ‘dirty rag gon tek wash, but clean one guh tear’. He, she had decided, was her dirty rag, and that counted for something.
