Pam wnes i ysgrifennu’r nofel Madi? Ugain mlynedd yn ól sgrifennais sgript ffilm o’r enw Lois am ferch yn dioddef o anorecsia. Ni ddefnyddiais llawer o’r gwaith ymchwil manwl ac felly penderfynais bod gen i ddigon o ddeunydd i adrodd stori newydd wrth ddefnyddio gweddill y nodiadau. Mae cyfrwng y nofel yn rhoi mwy o amser i awdur ddweud y stori a dod i adnabod y cymeriadau - dyna’r fantais fawr. Ond er bo’r ffilm a’r nofel yn pori’n yr un pwnc, nid oes cysylltiad rhwng y stori na’r cymeriadu yn Lois a Madi. Why did I write the novel Madi? Twenty years ago I wrote a script for a film called Lois about a girl suffering from anorexia. I did not use much of the detailed research work and so I decided that I had enough material to tell a new story using the rest of the notes. The medium of the novel gives the author more time to tell the story and get to know the characters – that is a great advantage. But although the film and novel feed off the same subject, there is no connection between the story or characters in Lois and Madi.

Mae cefndir trist i’r ffilm a’r nofel. Bu farw fy nghariad cyntaf - Lis- yn 1981 o ganlyniad anorecsia/bwlimia. Roedd hi’n 22 mlwydd oed. Ond rwy’n pwysleisio nad oes unrhyw gysylltiad o gwbl rhwng Lis a’i theulu a’r nofel. Teulu dychmygol sydd yn y nofel (a’r ffilm) ond cafodd y syniad ei sbarduno gan ddigwyddiad go iawn. There is a sad background to the film and the novel. My first love – Lis – died in 1981 as a consequence of anorexia/bulimia. She was 22 years old. But I must emphasise that there is no connection at all between Lis and her family and the novel. The family in the novel is imaginary, but was inspired by real events.

Mae’r cyflwr anorecsia/bwlimia ar gynnydd trwy’r byd gyda’n cymdeithas fodern yn edrych fwyfwy i’r drych gan chwilio am berffeithrwydd mewn byd amherffaith. Mae pobl ifanc- yn enwedig merched yn eu harddegau- yn cael eu dylanwadu’n ddrwg gan wefanau cymdeithasol, cylchgronau, teledu/ffilm , ac yn y blaen sydd yn eu gwneud iddynt deimlo’n ‘hyll’, yn ddiwerth ac yn eilradd. Maen nhw’n credu eu bod y colli rheolaeth ar eu bywydau ac yn mynd ati i geisio adennill rheolaeth trwy reoli eu cyrff. The condition anorexia/bulimia is on the increase throughout the world as modern society looks more and more into the mirror seeking perfection in an imperfect world. Young people (especially girls in their teens) come under the malign influence of social websites, magazines, film and television etc, which make them feel ‘ugly’, worthless and second-rate. They believe that they are losing control of their lives and set about trying to win back control by regulating their bodies.

Nid am fwyd mae anorecsia, ond yn hytrach am reolaeth ac hunaniaeth. Roeddwn yn dymuno codi ymwybyddiaeth am y cyflwr erchyll a dinistriol hwn; mae’n debyg mai hwn yw’r llyfr cyntaf yn y Gymraeg i ddelio á’r pwnc yn fanwl, onest a chignoeth. Anorexia is not about food, but rather about control and identity. I wanted to raise awareness of this terrible and destructive condition; this is probably the first book in Welsh to deal with the subject in a detailed, honest and explicit way.

Rwyf yn aml yn sgrifennu o brofiad personol neu o brofiad rhywun yr wyf yn ei adnabod neu’n gyfarwydd ag ef, neu hi. Gan mai bywyd go iawn yw sail y dramáu a’r nofel, mae’r profiadau a bortreadir ynddynt yn teimlo’n real, er mai ffuglen a chelwydd noeth yw’r cwbl! I often write from personal experience or from the experience of someone I know or am acquainted with. Since real life is the basis for the dramas and the novel, the experiences which are portrayed in them feel real, although the whole thing is fiction and a barefaced lie!