Author Interview: Ariel Bernstein

Last week, on Perfect Picture Book Friday, I shared YOU GO FIRST, a highly relatable story for all ages that addresses the fear of trying something new, especially when that something new is a playground slide that’s BIG and CURVY and might be TOO exciting and provide TOO much fun. Today, as promised, I’m happy to bring you the interview with Ariel Bernstein.

Me: Can you take us back to the exact moment you knew you wanted to write books for children?  

Ariel: I don’t have an exact moment as it was more a build up over time. I loved reading books for children back when I was an actual child of course! And then I fell in love with children’s books again when I started reading them to my kids. It was when I was reading them to my kids that I began to think of some story ideas, and realized I needed to learn how to write a good manuscript.

Me: What were the first steps you took on your journey toward publication? 

Ariel: I found critique partners, joined SCBWI, and attended a conference. I also researched a lot online through websites like kidlit411.org and subitclub.com.

Me: What is the most challenging or favorite aspect of writing a picture book?

Ariel: The most challenging aspect can be figuring out how to improve a ‘good’ manuscript to something worth submitting to editors. That’s when critique partners can be incredibly helpful for getting an unbiased opinion on what still needs work.

My favorite aspect of writing a picture book is creating something from scratch that I end up being proud of. You don’t have to write a picture book to do that of course as it happens anytime someone creates something new like a song or dance, etc. But it just feels very cool whether it ends up being published or not.

Me: An idea pops into your head. (I love it when that happens.) Take us through the steps you take to write a picture book. 

Ariel: I’ll read a bunch of picture book mentor texts to get into the ‘picture book mindset.’ I write down whatever notes I have about the idea. Sometimes before I write I’ve already thought of a character, or line of dialogue, or even the title. But mostly I just start with a sliver of an idea that seems interesting and see what comes up when I start writing. If I get stuck, a walk helps a lot, and sometimes taking little breaks. Often when I sit back down to work on it again, I figure out another layer of the story until I finally reach the end. 

Me: Where do you most love to write, and what makes this place special to you? 

Ariel: I love writing in my living room, either at my writing desk or on the sofa. It’s a very relaxing area with big windows that get some nice sunlight with lots of pretty trees to look at. If I’m not working on non-book things, I appreciate having the room to myself during most weekdays when my kids are at school so there aren’t many distractions.

Me: For each manuscript I’ve written, I remember the Ah-Ha moment that sent me running to my laptop to type up my ideas. Can you share the source of inspiration for your book, You Go First?   

Ariel: I wish I could, but I can’t with this one! The original story was told in first person and was about a pig who was scared to go on a diving board. It kept changing with every revision so there really wasn’t an ah-ha moment. It was more of a gradual progression to the current version.

Me: If you could go back to the first months of your writing journey, knowing what you know today, what advice would you give to yourself? 

Ariel: You don’t always have to say yes to everything. It’s okay to pick and choose what works for you, whether it’s a writing schedule or which critique partners you work with or what promotion you feel is a good investment. I burned myself out a bit in the beginning by doing too much, and eventually realized it’s not necessary or the best way to manage my time.

Me: What was the best comment or reaction you received from a child about your book? 

Ariel: I got a message through my website from a young reader telling me how much he enjoyed the WARREN & DRAGON chapter books and asking very politely if I could please write some more. I felt bad having to explain that it would only be a 4 book series, but gave him a ton of other chapter book recommendations. It was just so nice to know directly from a reader how much they liked the books and wanted more. It also felt great to hopefully lead him to some other wonderful titles.

Me: What were your favorite books/authors when you were a child?

Ariel: Definitely Maurice Sendak, Beverly Cleary, Bill Watterson, and Shel Silverstein. I would have read anything CALVIN & HOBBES countless times.

Ariel is the author of eight books for children, so if you love You Go First as much as I do, I hope you’ll check out her other books. Click on the titles to read more about each one on Amazon.

We Love Fishing

Where is My Balloon?

I Have A Balloon

and her four-book series: Warren & Dragon

You can visit Ariel at her website: https://www.arielbernsteinbooks.com/

See you next Friday!

Leslie

Why I Write For Children.

Yesterday, while I browsed through posts on my blog from 2015, I reread one I titled, Why I Write For Children. Three years have passed, and my reasons are still true today. Here is that post.

Earlier today, I visited a blog that invited writers to answer why they write for children. To answer the question, I only had to look at my daughter.

From the time my little girl turned two, she rarely wanted me to read to her at bedtime. Instead, she asked me to tell a story I made up. She’d scrunch up the blankets in her hands, roll back her eyes, think of a character, a situation, and say, “Tell me a story about a princess with the sniffles. Ready? Set? Go! 

I had zero seconds to brainstorm a possible plot. No, not every story was good, and frankly, some lousy, but still, my daughter liked bedtime because of this game. I loved her widening eyes, her impish smile, and her wild applause when I finished.

I write for children because their world inspires me. My world, the world adults live in, is a serious, rule-filled world stuffed with responsibilities. Children openly love silliness. They accept the improbable and impossible. They thrive on magical and believe in happily ever after.

I write for children because the three-headed monster hanging out under their bed is as real to them as the bills on my desk are to me.

When I write for children, I think back to my childhood when my sister and I explored the forest around our house. A fallen tree became a ship we co-captained. Squirrels scurrying under leaves were distant pirates. A bird perched high in the branches was our lookout. Through the eyes of our parents, we were playing on a dead tree, risking infection from a splinter or a bite from a spider. Strange how they could never see the tree for more than it was.

I write for children because it’s what I love.

Why Do I Write For Children?

Earlier today I visited a blog that invited writers to answer a question: Why do I write for children? I didn’t have to take the time to consider this question. I only had to picture my daughter’s face and I had my answer.

Why do I write for children?

illustration by Leslie Leibhardt Goodman

I never imagined I would write picture books until my daughter turned two. Night after night she would tell me NOT to read her a book. Instead, she asked me to tell a story I made up–just for her. She’d lead off with a character and a situation, (a princess with the sniffles or a dragon with a loose tooth) and then say, “Go!” And I’d have zero seconds to brainstorm a possible plot. No, not every story was good, and frankly, some of them were downright lousy, but still, she liked bedtime so much more because of this game we played. I loved seeing her eyes widen, her smile grow, and hear her wild applause when I finished.

 

I write for children because they openly love any amount of silliness in a story, they accept the improbable and impossible, they thrive on magical, and they believe with all their heart in happily ever after.

I write for children because I had a happy childhood filled with memories I never want to forget. Turning those memories into stories keeps them alive.

I write for children because their world keeps inspiring me. Yes, you read that right. their world. My world, the world adults live in, is a serious, rule-filled world with loads of responsibilities. But a child’s world is lived fully. Children live in the moment without thought or care if the dishes are washed and put away.

I write for children because the monster that lives under a child’s bed is as real to them as bills on our desk are to us.

I write for children because when I do, my mind is open to possibilities.  I think back to my childhood when I explored the forest with my sister. A fallen tree became a grand ship we co-captained. Squirrels scurrying under leaves were distant pirates. A bird perched high in the branches was our lookout. To our parents, we were playing on a dead tree, risking infection from a splinter or a bite from a spider. Strange how they could never see the tree for more than it was.

I write for children because it’s what I love.

To Quote Hemingway – Wednesday Prompts and Inpsirations

 “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

Ernest Hemingway

 

Bleed.

I asked myself what it means to bleed when writing.

I think another word, equally interchangeable with bleed, is purge. For me this means to empty myself until at the end of my writing day, I am exhausted.

Not unlike some other writers, I often type with my eyes closed to block out the visuals which ground me to the present. Eyes closed, I can watch my characters act on my mind’s stage, see their gestures, envision their movements, hear their dialog with greater clarity, and enter their thoughts.

Following is a partial list of what it means to bleed when writing.

YOU MUST

believe in what you are writing.

feel joy and excitement from what you are writing.

reveal your character’s fears and desires.

connect your reader to your characters by revealing their strengths and weaknesses and motives.

lead your reader by the hand and show them what is crucial and why it is crucial in each scene.

take your reader deep into the mind of your protagonist.

imagine yourself in the shoes of each of your characters, and write with their unique personalities in mind.

involve the five senses in your writing especially smell, a powerful, underused memory inducer.

not only describe the actions of your characters, but give reasons (motives) for their actions as well as their thoughts over the outcomes.

know the back story of your characters, not to bring to light necessarily, but to keep in mind so your characters feel real.

crush your protagonists hopes.

Place speed bumps in your protagonist’s path.

keep your protagonist from achieving their goal until the very end.

 

Happy writing!