It turns out writing a book is hard

I’ve been told: Children’s books shouldn’t rhyme.
Or was it: I won’t even consider reading a book to my daughter if it doesn’t rhyme..?

I’ve been told: If you’re telling your personal story, it needs to be written in the first-person.
Or was it: You need to tell the story from the third person perspective so a broader audience can see themselves in the character…?

I’ve been told: It needs to be 1,000 words maximum. Kids have a short attention span.
Or was it: Tell the story the way it needs to be told. There is no limit as long as every word has a purpose…?

I’ve been told: You can’t talk about Israel, it’s too polarizing.

Or was it: Tell the story the way that it is most meaningful to you…?

This was just some of the conflicting advice I received throughout the process of writing my upcoming children’s book Baseball and Belonging.

The impetus to write the book in the first place came from my Rabbi. He heard that I was speaking to Jewish audiences around the country about how I had found spirituality and identity through playing baseball for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic. He told me it would be a mitzvah (good deed) to share this message in the form of a children’s book. So I figured I’d give it a try.

The process was intimidating and frustrating. Eventually it became incredibly collaborative. Everyone I went to for guidance was generous with their time and advice. But as you can tell from the opening contradictions, often the advice was inconsistent. Frequently what I was told directly conflicted with the exact concept I was actively working on.

Ultimately, I needed to make my own decisions. The most important of which was to decide what kind of children’s book I would want to read. Luckily, I’ve been reading children’s books to Blake for almost 13 months. I ended up modeling the outline for B&B after the two books on our shelf that I enjoy reading her the most (Giraffe’s Can’t Dance and The Gruffalo).

The structure goes as such:

1. Introduce the character.
2. Give us enough information about them for us as readers to care about them.
3. Introduce the problem. Why is it such a struggle?
4. Watch as the character learns how to solve the problem. Something personal to the character but also universal.
5. End on a note that leaves the reader feeling good about the world.

I’m not saying that this is the format for everyone. But this is what I’ve found I like when reading dozens of other books. I ended up with a final manuscript that I am really proud of. And the artwork created by my illustrator, Chris Brown, is incredible.

The final step is to put his art and my words together into a layout that enhances the reading experience. I can’t wait to share it with you.

Let’s Go!

– Ryan