Recounting My Writing Journey - Chapter 6

WHAT I DO KNOW / 2023

Throughout my childhood, I was fascinated by the idea of writing and illustrating my own books. I'd craft and staple together books of all kinds, and always on the front "cover," usually made of colored construction paper, I would write "WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY" big and bold in crayon or marker or whatever else I could find that makes thick lines and deep impressions. I would parade these works around the house, showing anyone who would look these books that I had made. 

As an adult the idea of writing a book alone was daunting enough, but illustrating added another layer of fear that I wanted desperately to overcome, but I didn't know how. I've written a handful of potential children's books since my introduction into the publishing world, but whenever it came down to actually illustrating them (or finding someone who could illustrate them for me), I just couldn't get myself past that fear. 

Then, something wonderful happened. I had my son. In the first month and a half of his life, I found myself constantly writing things down that I needed to learn about, look up, or do differently. As I suspect many parents do, I had a difficult time transitioning to having this little human to care for despite meticulous planning. More than that, however, I wasn't prepared for how much love I would have for the little guy. I was compelled to write everything down in a way that I could share with him as he grew up, and thus, What I Do Know was born. 

I wrote and illustrated What I Do Know with permanent marker on plain white printer paper, and I actually wrote and illustrated at the same time, drawing and writing new pieces as I went. When I was about halfway finished with the first draft, I showed it to my husband, who was so moved. I felt like I was doing something good, creating something not only so special that I could share with my baby boy, but something I could share with other parents out there who have been through the same experience. So, I kept at it. 

When I finished my first draft, I scanned the pages I'd drawn and imported them into Procreate, the digital art platform that I use (and love) for my book-related art projects. Using Procreate, I brought those permanent marker sketches to life, adding color and texture and even more meaning as I went. I also went through and erased most of my hand-written text so the book could have a more consistent and professional look.

Now, I have to tell you here that there are some things I know now that would have made this process a lot easier, and my book look a lot better. For example, I did not know that you can add text to your images through Procreate (I know, what a newb, right?). The amount of time I would have saved if I'd just played around with my program a little bit more still comes to mind when I think about my process for this book. All the digital aspects of this book's illustrations were done either using a round-tipped stylus or my finger, which also took quite a bit of time and left me frustrated more often than not. I also hadn't realized that there's actually a recommended number of fonts to use within a book, and I definitely exceeded that number. 

Despite the things I didn't know when creating this book and putting it out, I was able to get the text added, illustrations completed and adjusted, book proofed, and finally, published. As far as marketing goes, I increased the amount of social media posts I did, including announcements and cover reveals, and even got to do a little bit of in-person marketing when I presented at a conference for work the week after What I Do Know was released, when I ran into some people I worked with when I was teaching, who asked me if I was still writing books. 

What I Do Know, my first illustrated and published children's book, is dear to my heart for so many reasons. I'm grateful I can share a sliver of my experience with other parents and their kids. I'm thrilled that I get to share it with my own kid as well, who pulls this book off the shelf to flip through all the time. I'm also incredibly grateful that this book helped get me past yet another of my fears and allow me to learn amazing things along the way. 

Next week's post will catch me up to the present, and my current projects. Check back next week for chapter 7, where I'll write about my experience in writing, illustrating, publishing and marketing my second children's book, Especially You.​