How seriously do you take your writing? It’s a question every author must ask themselves repeatedly throughout their writing journey. It’s also the question we hate to ask. The journey of an author is tough. It’s grueling. It can be isolating and discouraging. To write is one thing. To write for children is something else entirely. Author and freelance editor Brooke Van Sickle is here to help improve our understanding of what it takes to write for children.

Brooke Van Sickle is the internet maven behind Journey to Kidlit, a literary website that provides insight, tips, and interviews with industry insiders. She also leads a Middle Grade / YA writing group and is a Regional SCBWI Webmaster. Learn more about Brooke at her social links throughout this interview.

Brooke, you’ve established yourself as someone serious about children’s books. You even quit your old job to make writing children’s books and helping others create books for kids your career. How did you know it was the right time to take such a serious step into #KidLit and what has that transition been like?

I decided I wanted to be a children’s book writer almost 5 years ago, but I’d always treated it as a hobby. Instead, I’d worked unfulfilling jobs to pay the bills, provide insurance and security, and always told myself that “one day” I’d get to leave. Until one Saturday, I was alone for 6 hours working in an apartment property management office and I found some videos on Youtube to pass the time. (I’d been getting into personal growth and focusing on my mindset, so it was a law of attraction type video.

This particular video said, “Whatever you’re spending your time doing is what you WANT to be doing with your life”. And that’s when it hit me – I was working a job I liked enough but ultimately wasn’t my end goal. I knew I needed to make a change. So I went home, explained my hair-brained idea to my fiance (then boyfriend), created a Powerpoint for how I would do it, gave my two weeks, and never looked back.

The transition hasn’t been easy. I didn’t have a job or health insurance when I quit, but I was so happy, I didn’t care. I’ve found contract work and flexible side jobs to help provide my half of the living expenses and still have time to fully commit to my craft. This has allowed me to write well over a million words in a year, create a space to connect with other writers through my blog Journey to KidLit, and focus on where I want my career to go as a writer. Choosing to leave was the best decision I’ve ever made!

As a freelancer and entrepreneur, or authorpreneur as some are calling it now, no one is grading you. How do you measure your performance and how do you know if you’re making the mark you want to make?

Since I do a lot of my work from home, I’m tempted with all the distractions – Netflix, cleaning, naps, my dog, etc. So I’ve had to really work at and study discipline in order to wake up at 5AM, maintain a regular exercise and work schedule, and accomplish everything on my to-do list. But I also allow myself to be human, especially a creative human.

There are days when I’m so creatively drained, the idea of writing anything fun or new sounds like the worst thing possible. On those days, I allow myself to work on other things like blogging, editing, or contract work. I also give myself permission for a break throughout the day, like I’d take at a normal job I’d be working at. So long as I see new stories being written, edits being made, and progress showing on my blog, email list, and social each month, I know I’m doing things well. But the biggest indicator is when people reach out to me via email or social media to tell me how much my post or writing helped them — they are, after all, the reason I put this work in every day.

Creating children’s books are in a world of their own. It takes the right words, the right pictures, and the right process to go from idea to bookshelf. As an author yourself, how do you navigate the children’s market? What do you tend to focus on when you’re writing manuscripts or editing other people’s work?

Agreed, writing children’s books takes lots of skill and practice! In order to understand what it takes to write for kids, you have to be reading kids’ books — especially those that have been published in the past 3-5 years. Before I start a new story, I will research if there are any other books that already exist with the same idea and go read books that are similar to make sure the idea is viable BEFORE I start writing. As for editing, that takes skill from knowing the craft, which is something you learn by studying writing on a regular basis.

The most obvious mark of a professional is that they show up for work, day in and day out. Without anyone holding your feet to the fire, what do you do to stay consistent in your work? Do you have any strategies to combat the feeling of wanting to give up all together and chase those ever alluring distractions (a.k.a. new ideas)?

I used to fall into this trap a lot. I like to think of it as shiny object syndrome. But once I knew I was committed 100%, I had to get grounded. Like I said earlier, I’ve been studying a lot about discipline and how to show up day-in and day-out when sometimes it can feel like you’re not going anywhere. These are a few things I do to stay focused:

• I have very specific goals written down and laid out in front of me. Including a giant vision board hanging up in my office with my business plan.
• I’ve learned to bite the elephant one step at a time — meaning I don’t just chase any new idea or desire that comes to my mind. Instead, I think of where it fits in the vision and lay out the steps that I need to do first to make it happen.
• I plan out my days in blocks. I have one of the BEST planners that allows me to create a to-do list and schedule each day, as well as, monthly focus for what I want to accomplish.
• I celebrate the small wins. Whenever you’re chasing a big goal, it can feel like forever before you see the end result. So I’ve learned to celebrate victories when they come — from earning 1,000 Twitter followers, to having 2,000 shares on a post, to growing my email list to 500 — they’re all wins, even if I have bigger plans later on.

It’s interesting that on a children’s books focused site like yours you showcase many interviews with accomplished authors. What criteria do you consider when selecting someone for an interview and what role does gleaning insight from others play in our own development as authors or illustrators?

I absolutely LOVE doing interviews! In most industries, you have a senior employee or boss that can work with you as a mentor, which is how I view other published authors. Because this is “Journey to KidLit”, I like to focus on the publishing journey and what it took for each author to get where they are, plus how that can help other aspiring writers. There aren’t any prerequisites for my interviews, other than you have to have written a kids’ book and had it published — I can always find the spin I want to take afterward.

You also provide book reviews. What makes a great children’s book? What separates the great books from those that miss the mark?

My book reviews are a little different in that I’m focusing on what authors can take from successful kids’ books. A great book is one that you can’t stop thinking about and want to share with others around you. A lot of the time, authors miss the mark with their own books because they’re either too focused on the message they’re trying to tell or rushing the writing process just to finish.

As a children’s book author and editor, how would you describe the optimal path to go from unpublished and unfamiliar with the industry to successfully published author or illustrator engaging children all over the world?

One thing you learn quickly about the publishing industry is no one’s journey looks the same. Which is awesome, because that means there are no rules! Yes, there are certain methods and steps you need to take to get a book published, but ultimately, how your book gets published is completely up to you. Which is why at Journey to KidLit, we focus on the writer’s goals for their book and not just teaching one way to get published.

With the ever growing rise of social media, what steps should authors and illustrators take with social media to build their platforms before they even have a book to sell? Which social media platforms work well for children’s book creators?

I’m so glad you asked this, Rhys. So many authors I talk to find marketing and using social media to promote their books the hardest step in the process. Which is unfortunate, because it’s the most vital thing you can do to sell your book.

I believe it’s never too early to market. If you want to be a writer, you should at least have a Twitter to connect with the #WritingCommunity or join a couple of useful groups on Facebook. You don’t have to post 10 posts every day, but you should pop in for 15 minutes just to see what’s happening and make sure you’re connecting with other people. Social media is simply online networking, except easier because you don’t have to talk to anyone in real life. And once you build your small network, then you’ll have supportive fans that can’t wait to help you share your book!

We’ve focused a lot on how other people can write for children. Let’s focus on you for a minute! Can you share any projects you’re working on? What type of publishing method do you focus on the most?

This is so exciting because I just announced I have my first book coming out next spring!! It’s with BiblioKid Publishing, which is an awesome little press that gives portions of its proceeds back to help fund education. (Something that’s SUPER important to me!) I just made the announcement on my Youtube channel, Journey to KidLit, which is where I’ll be posting any new developments and updates.

What’s the future hold for Journey to Kidlit? What can your readers expect to see from you in the next 1-2 years and how can we best keep up with your work?

The future is big at Journey to KidLit! We just started branching into courses to offer even more in-depth teaching, plus started a new publishing house. In the next couple of years, you’ll be seeing me more at conferences speaking to writers and schools to help inspire kids. At Journey to KidLit, we believe EVERY book deserves a place on a child’s bookshelf if you write it well enough, so it’s our mission to help that dream come true for as many authors as we possibly can!

If you enjoyed this interview with children’s author Brooke Van Sickle, give it a like, share your thoughts in the comments, and tell your friends about it on social media using the buttons provided. Connect with Brooke on Twitter @AuthorBrookeVS.

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Also, check out the interview Brooke Van Sickle held with me at her website regarding How to Build Your Brand as a Creative.

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