Full Transcript for How to Write for Children: From Idea to Self Publishing | Jennifer Ballow

and we did 37 00:02:53.280 --> 00:03:00.840 it for eight years and their writing improved greatly. They 38 00:03:00.919 --> 00:03:04.960 were so happy to have this bond with the chief theory, 39 00:03:05.759 --> 00:03:09.560 and so I wrote this book to encourage other families 40 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:16.159 to do similar traditions to help foster that creative outlet 41 00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:19.680 for their children and the bond that it creates with 42 00:03:19.800 --> 00:03:23.800 care herevers. So hopefully that's a good background for you. 43 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:28.800 Absolutely absolutely so. In terms of your book. If I 44 00:03:28.879 --> 00:03:32.319 understand this is your first book or you have written before, 45 00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:34.919 that the idea of writing. See, you want to do 46 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:37.879 a lot of things, but the idea of writing can 47 00:03:37.960 --> 00:03:41.240 be a lot of responsibility also at the same time. 48 00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:45.879 And not everyone finds this so easy or difficult in 49 00:03:45.919 --> 00:03:48.520 their own way. I want to understand that part of 50 00:03:48.599 --> 00:03:51.919 your mindset, your thought process, how it came down to 51 00:03:52.360 --> 00:03:53.840 writing this particular book. 52 00:03:54.400 --> 00:03:59.599 Yes, so I've always been interested in publishing a book. 53 00:04:00.520 --> 00:04:04.240 I really enjoy writing, and I have a history of publishing, 54 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:07.719 even from high school. So I was editor of my 55 00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:14.360 high school yearbook, and so I understood publishing and you know, 56 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:20.279 putting a book together and writing and photography. So that's 57 00:04:20.279 --> 00:04:23.879 always been in the back of my mind. And I 58 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:27.199 had this opportunity to take a class from these women 59 00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:30.680 that had a big book of their own that was 60 00:04:31.000 --> 00:04:33.399 like a New York Times bestseller, and they were offering 61 00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:36.319 this class how to write a new you know, a 62 00:04:36.439 --> 00:04:38.560 New York Times top bestseller. And I said, well, that 63 00:04:38.639 --> 00:04:41.759 sounds interesting. So I took the class and one of 64 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:44.920 the assignments was to send over your ideas. So I 65 00:04:44.959 --> 00:04:49.519 had several ideas. I sent them. Some were like a memoir, 66 00:04:49.600 --> 00:04:53.319 some were political, they were sort of all over the map. 67 00:04:53.439 --> 00:04:56.360 And then I sent them this idea, this children's book 68 00:04:56.360 --> 00:04:58.639 idea about letters to the tooth theory, and they loved 69 00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:02.639 it and they said you should do that. So I 70 00:05:02.680 --> 00:05:05.639 said okay, And then this idea sat in my drawer 71 00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:10.639 for several years until one day I was like, you 72 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:13.319 know what, I really want to do something about this, 73 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:16.920 you know. And I had a friend who is a 74 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:22.519 productivity consultant and she kind of, you know, helps you 75 00:05:22.639 --> 00:05:27.399 get things done that's on your list. And she said, well, 76 00:05:27.480 --> 00:05:32.959 you know, I know this author coach that helps people 77 00:05:33.000 --> 00:05:37.399 publish a book, and I think you need to reach 78 00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:41.360 out to her. So I did and I met with 79 00:05:41.399 --> 00:05:45.839 her and she said, yes, I can definitely help you. 80 00:05:48.040 --> 00:05:50.399 Of course, there is a fee for her services, so 81 00:05:50.439 --> 00:05:52.959 I had to really think about that and just was like, 82 00:05:53.319 --> 00:05:56.879 are you sure that you want to do this? And 83 00:05:56.920 --> 00:06:01.000 so I decided after a deep contemp and myself, I 84 00:06:01.040 --> 00:06:04.199 said yes, I want to. I want to go for this. 85 00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:10.759 So it took us about six months. She we did Amazon, 86 00:06:10.839 --> 00:06:15.279 KDP and Ingram Spark. She had written her own book 87 00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:19.519 that was actually a memoir, but she knew the ins 88 00:06:19.519 --> 00:06:24.319 and outs of how it works, how you set up 89 00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:27.279 the book with graphic design, how to do a cover. 90 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:33.040 We went through the whole gamut. She actually also helped 91 00:06:33.079 --> 00:06:38.680 co write this with me. We came up with because 92 00:06:38.680 --> 00:06:42.040 I couldn't just do letters to the two theory. I 93 00:06:42.040 --> 00:06:45.079 think I needed an actual book with a plot beginning, middle, 94 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:50.360 and end, a story arc so with characters. You know, 95 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:55.639 that takes the reader through some themes. So there's trust, faith, 96 00:06:55.720 --> 00:06:59.160 and forgiveness and teamwork. Those are some arcs in this 97 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:03.360 book as well, and a list of characters. So we 98 00:07:03.399 --> 00:07:07.879 had to develop all of that. And there was some 99 00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:11.879 time when I would just go kind of in the mountains. 100 00:07:12.279 --> 00:07:16.399 I'm in Texas, but there's in West Texas there's some 101 00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:20.519 mountains called Big Bend, and my family would go out 102 00:07:20.519 --> 00:07:23.480 there a lot. And so I sent some time just 103 00:07:23.560 --> 00:07:27.879 sitting there and writing some dialogue on my own, just 104 00:07:27.920 --> 00:07:31.360 to get some free flow from that, and I would 105 00:07:31.399 --> 00:07:34.399 share it with her and then she would give her ideas, 106 00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:38.959 and then after many edits, we came up with something. 107 00:07:39.639 --> 00:07:46.879 I found an illustrator in Pakistan through

Fiver, which is 108 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:52.240 which I think is a great platform for all kinds 109 00:07:52.399 --> 00:07:56.920 of tasks that you need. It's it's pretty incredible, So 110 00:07:57.319 --> 00:08:01.480 just looked up you know, children's book illustrations, and we 111 00:08:02.120 --> 00:08:06.199 liked her profile. So I did actually the whole book 112 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:12.199 through the app, which was kind of amazing looking back 113 00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:15.480 at it. So that gives you a little background on 114 00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:18.279 the process. And then once the book was published, then 115 00:08:18.319 --> 00:08:22.240 I went into the whole marketing phase, which is kind 116 00:08:22.279 --> 00:08:26.800 of like what I'm doing now with promotion and I 117 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:30.079 go to farmers' markets and I sell my book there 118 00:08:30.360 --> 00:08:34.919 in person, and trying to get into schools right now 119 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:39.440 to do school visits. I had a great opportunity from 120 00:08:39.480 --> 00:08:43.960 the city of Austin to do a playdate in the park. 121 00:08:44.360 --> 00:08:49.120 They had a new park that they were reopening and 122 00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:53.919 they wanted me to read my book and then pass 123 00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:58.399 out copies that they had purchased to the children. So 124 00:08:58.759 --> 00:09:01.200 it's just been a lot of fun and I enjoy 125 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:05.200 marketing and just wanted to learn what this is all about. 126 00:09:06.480 --> 00:09:10.039 Absolutely, how did you deal with what you have to 127 00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:14.919 write in the book? Because it's for children. So even 128 00:09:14.960 --> 00:09:18.840 though you had some understanding, you know, master level social worker, 129 00:09:19.600 --> 00:09:22.480 writing a book for children is a very very you know, 130 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:27.039 intensive tasking me if I look at it from my 131 00:09:27.159 --> 00:09:30.240 point of view, to understand the mind of a children. 132 00:09:30.279 --> 00:09:32.879 So that they understand what you are trying to teach 133 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:37.799 them through your book. How did that happen when you started, 134 00:09:38.120 --> 00:09:41.120 you know, thinking of the book and then getting down 135 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:44.639 to writing. Who did you have in mind? Your own children? 136 00:09:44.960 --> 00:09:45.679 Other children? 137 00:09:46.159 --> 00:09:49.519 Yeah, so I think it's really helpful. Like I think 138 00:09:49.519 --> 00:09:54.039 it kind of comes naturally to you. So feel like everybody. 139 00:09:54.600 --> 00:09:57.759 They do say that ninety eight percent of people have 140 00:09:57.799 --> 00:10:03.039 a book idea that mostly but only two percent actually 141 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:08.799 publish it. So I feel like everybody has something that 142 00:10:08.840 --> 00:10:11.960 they know, like an inner story that they that's close 143 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:14.480 to their heart, that makes sense to them, that's easy 144 00:10:14.519 --> 00:10:18.759 for them to tell. So for me, that was children's literature. 145 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:22.720 I would read to my children every night, and I 146 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:25.360 would look at these books and they seemed so simple. 147 00:10:25.759 --> 00:10:32.000 In some ways, children's literature can seem very simple. It's 148 00:10:32.120 --> 00:10:35.279 just it's a very nice illustration, which I really enjoy 149 00:10:36.039 --> 00:10:41.080 because I have the artistic background as well. And it's 150 00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:44.679 you know, like three hundred words for a whole book, 151 00:10:44.759 --> 00:10:49.080 sometimes it's like two words a page. I mean, it 152 00:10:49.159 --> 00:10:52.000 seems very simple. So I would just say, you know what, 153 00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:56.039 I could do this that this doesn't seem hard. And 154 00:10:57.759 --> 00:11:00.159 so in some ways it came naturally to me. But 155 00:11:00.759 --> 00:11:05.519 it's true that writing for children can be extremely challenging, 156 00:11:06.120 --> 00:11:13.120 and it's all about the keeping it really concise that 157 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:15.679 that can be that can be really really challenging, and 158 00:11:15.720 --> 00:11:22.279 then getting the illustrations to match the words exactly the 159 00:11:22.360 --> 00:11:25.919 right way. All of that, yes, is extremely challenging, But 160 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:28.279 like I said, I had a partner and so working 161 00:11:28.279 --> 00:11:33.240 on it together with her really helped. And I do 162 00:11:33.399 --> 00:11:38.080 encourage that for people if they're having writer's block or 163 00:11:38.200 --> 00:11:42.519 a hard time, you know, really figuring out the structure 164 00:11:42.600 --> 00:11:48.279 of the book working with someone else can make a 165 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:52.480 huge difference if if you're open to that. Some people 166 00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:55.320 like that it's better if they work on their own 167 00:11:55.440 --> 00:12:00.480 that that fits them. But yeah, I think it's figuring 168 00:12:00.519 --> 00:12:07.399 out your style and how your most productive and all 169 00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:09.799 of those types of things. 170 00:12:10.399 --> 00:12:15.320 Absolutely, Jennifer, what about use of AI generally? You know, 171 00:12:15.559 --> 00:12:19.159 in today's time, sometimes it can feel like, let me 172 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:22.039 test with AI. Not that you have wrong idea or 173 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:25.559 not a lesser idea, but sometimes you think maybe AI 174 00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:29.279 will take care of the knowledge gap better or come 175 00:12:29.320 --> 00:12:33.919 with a better idea than yours. That's a bigger problem sometimes. 176 00:12:34.039 --> 00:12:35.240 How did you deal with that? 177 00:12:35.879

--> 00:12:38.480 So it's great that you brought it up. It's such 178 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:43.360 a huge issue for writers right now. And luckily I 179 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:48.879 published this in twenty twenty three and AI had not 180 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:53.159 exploded yet the way it has, say in the last 181 00:12:53.360 --> 00:13:00.320 year or year and a half. So luckily I this 182 00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:04.879 before kind of before AI, and that was a blessing 183 00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:09.519 because I wasn't tempted to turn to AI. Now I 184 00:13:09.639 --> 00:13:14.799 use AI all the time, and it's an incredible tool. 185 00:13:16.440 --> 00:13:21.600 I think it has its proper time and place where 186 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:26.679 it's appropriate and it's helpful. They do say it kind 187 00:13:26.679 --> 00:13:30.799 of impairs your ability to think because it just does 188 00:13:30.840 --> 00:13:33.919 it all for you, So I'm kind of aware of 189 00:13:33.919 --> 00:13:38.200 that and try to balance that. But in terms of 190 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:46.080 original writing, I highly recommend not using it. Maybe at 191 00:13:46.120 --> 00:13:51.559 the end for tiny tweaks to your book, perhaps, but 192 00:13:51.639 --> 00:13:54.600 for the most part, like I would not use it 193 00:13:54.840 --> 00:14:01.919 because it's just going to make your story inauthentic and 194 00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:04.840 you want it to really be your authentic voice and 195 00:14:04.879 --> 00:14:08.679 if you want it to be of any quality, just 196 00:14:09.399 --> 00:14:12.720 would highly recommend it to avoid it. And the same 197 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:17.600 with illustrations. So the more you can do it on 198 00:14:17.639 --> 00:14:20.679 your own, the much better product you will have, the 199 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:26.279 much better, you will feel good about this product. So, 200 00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:28.879 but if you're you know, writing, like right now, I'm 201 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:32.000 in the marketing phase, and so it's writing a ton 202 00:14:32.039 --> 00:14:37.159 of emails to librarians or to teachers, or to bookstores, 203 00:14:38.960 --> 00:14:42.039 do filling out applications, all of that kind of stuff. 204 00:14:42.080 --> 00:14:45.320 I think AI is well suited for because you're just 205 00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:51.200 trying to get out your request. You know what you're 206 00:14:51.240 --> 00:14:54.720 asking for in a very concise way, and you know 207 00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:56.559 AI I think makes a lot of sense for that, 208 00:14:57.039 --> 00:14:58.320 but not not for the book. 209 00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:05.279 Right. What about the format of publishing self publishing going 210 00:15:05.399 --> 00:15:09.320 the traditional way? How did you navigate that part? 211 00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:17.799 Yes, so I chose self publishing, which if you are 212 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:21.200 keen or you just want to get your idea out there, 213 00:15:21.399 --> 00:15:27.000 I highly recommend that versus traditional publishing. If you are 214 00:15:28.159 --> 00:15:32.360 really set though on being a author and you plan 215 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:35.559 to do several books and it's like that's your career path, 216 00:15:36.519 --> 00:15:40.840 perhaps traditional publishing is the way to go. You have 217 00:15:40.919 --> 00:15:46.399 to really be determined and willing to stick it out 218 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:50.960 because it could take several months or even years to 219 00:15:51.320 --> 00:15:54.600 find an agent and a publisher it's willing to take 220 00:15:54.639 --> 00:15:57.600 your project on. But once you do that, you can 221 00:15:57.720 --> 00:16:02.399 really establish yourself as like a writer as a career. 222 00:16:02.919 --> 00:16:06.559 For this project, I kind of just had this one idea. 223 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:11.200 I don't really have a huge desire to be a 224 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:14.559 writer for the rest of my career. I'm probably going 225 00:16:14.639 --> 00:16:18.799 to go back to traditional social work after this. So 226 00:16:19.600 --> 00:16:23.440 if you have like one book idea kind of, I 227 00:16:23.480 --> 00:16:26.799 think self publishing is the way to go, because, like 228 00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:29.720 I said, traditional could just take a really, really long time. 229 00:16:31.200 --> 00:16:34.320 And the format again, I think Amazon is a great 230 00:16:34.360 --> 00:16:37.039 way to go because I wanted this to be available 231 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:39.960 for purchase. I wanted people to be able to find 232 00:16:39.960 --> 00:16:44.840 it to look it up, and I think having it 233 00:16:44.919 --> 00:16:49.600 on Amazon is a great way to do that. And 234 00:16:49.639 --> 00:16:52.919 then ingram Spark is a different platform if you want 235 00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:58.399 it to be available to librarians or in bookstores. So 236 00:16:58.440 --> 00:17:04.519 that's why I did both. And when you're in that process, 237 00:17:04.680 --> 00:17:07.799 I think it's helpful to consult with someone who knows 238 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:12.920 the ins and outs of how the specifications that Amazon 239 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:19.000 needs for your book. There's certain you know, guidelines that 240 00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:23.640 you need to fit for like paperback or hardcover or ebook, 241 00:17:24.599 --> 00:17:30.319 so you can do tutorials though online I think you 242 00:17:30.319 --> 00:17:35.000 know Amazon, you create an account basically and then it 243 00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:37.400 can walk you through it. I think I think they have, 244 00:17:39.880 --> 00:17:41.920 you know, some tutorials about how to set up your 245 00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:47.640 book and kind of get it ready to publish. But 246 00:17:47.759 --> 00:17:52.160 it's it's it can be a you know, a simple process, 247 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:54.759 depending on how you like

to work and how determined 248 00:17:54.799 --> 00:17:57.599 you are. So that's that's what I would. 249 00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:04.559 Say, absolutely, Jennifer. What about after? That means the marketing part, 250 00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:07.839 the publishing part, where you prepared for it, or where 251 00:18:07.880 --> 00:18:11.079 you not prepared for it. Was it easier than writing 252 00:18:11.640 --> 00:18:15.200 or this part was difficult even then writing a book. 253 00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:22.640 So I think it depends on the person whether that 254 00:18:23.279 --> 00:18:26.680 interests them or not. I have a sales background, so 255 00:18:27.720 --> 00:18:30.960 I before I published this book, I was starting to 256 00:18:31.079 --> 00:18:37.720 collect other materials about how to market your book. So 257 00:18:37.720 --> 00:18:40.279 it would say, okay, here's how you publish it, and 258 00:18:40.319 --> 00:18:43.160 then this is some things you can do once it's 259 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:45.599 published if you want to sell your book. So I 260 00:18:45.640 --> 00:18:49.079 would read all of that information and I'd say, Wow, 261 00:18:49.119 --> 00:18:51.799 you know, this sounds really interesting. I kind of can't. 262 00:18:51.880 --> 00:18:54.960 I want to just try it. This is very I'm 263 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:58.440 very curious about all of these different things, and I 264 00:18:58.519 --> 00:19:00.559 just want to see what I can do. So I 265 00:19:00.599 --> 00:19:02.960 was like yeah, I want to do workshops for kids, 266 00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:08.440 and I like the idea of doing podcasts, and you know, 267 00:19:08.720 --> 00:19:11.480 coming up with lesson plans. All of that seemed really 268 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:13.680 interesting to me. So I feel like you just sort 269 00:19:13.680 --> 00:19:17.079 of take one aspect and then run with it and 270 00:19:17.119 --> 00:19:20.279 then do another one kind of do it one at 271 00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:24.400 a time. I also would consult with other authors that 272 00:19:24.519 --> 00:19:27.720 have sold their book, and they also had some great advice, 273 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:33.799 So yeah, I think it's it is challenging, and also 274 00:19:33.839 --> 00:19:37.920 you're going to get a lot of no's, so you know, 275 00:19:37.960 --> 00:19:41.920 you may send out ten different inquiries and sometimes you 276 00:19:41.960 --> 00:19:45.079 only hear from one of them, so you have to 277 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:51.400 be persistent and not easily deterred. You can't yeah, yeah, 278 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:58.640 you can't give up to easily. But I think, yeah, 279 00:19:58.640 --> 00:20:01.799 it's a matter of if you find those types of 280 00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:05.480 activities interesting and whether you will enjoy them, and then 281 00:20:05.559 --> 00:20:07.400 I think you just take it one little bit out 282 00:20:07.400 --> 00:20:12.480 of time. I will also say that I do not 283 00:20:12.599 --> 00:20:16.599 recommend doing this kind of thing if you are strapped 284 00:20:16.599 --> 00:20:19.480 for cash, or if this is like you have to 285 00:20:19.599 --> 00:20:23.440 sell the book because you're in debt. I don't recommend 286 00:20:23.480 --> 00:20:30.160 doing this if you really need the cash right away. 287 00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:35.880 So yeah, I think eventually you could reap all you 288 00:20:35.880 --> 00:20:38.559 know and make a profit, but at first it's not 289 00:20:38.599 --> 00:20:40.079 going to feel that way. So you kind of have 290 00:20:40.160 --> 00:20:45.319 to be prepared for that and do small things and 291 00:20:46.119 --> 00:20:49.920 build on those successes and then you know, if the 292 00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:52.880 cost of feed, do a small fee, see how it goes, 293 00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:56.079 and then you can do larger ones as you're more successful. 294 00:20:56.160 --> 00:21:02.839 So smaller building blocks that to bigger you know, stones 295 00:21:02.920 --> 00:21:04.799 or mountains and whatnot. 296 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:10.599 Absolutely, absolutely, Now let's talk about the book. You know, 297 00:21:12.240 --> 00:21:15.400 how what is in the book? How should people know 298 00:21:15.480 --> 00:21:16.359 what is in the book? 299 00:21:16.599 --> 00:21:16.759 Why? 300 00:21:16.839 --> 00:21:20.480 Als this is you talk about, you know, emotional learning 301 00:21:20.519 --> 00:21:25.640 and imagination imagination building for kids. That's a difficult task. 302 00:21:25.880 --> 00:21:29.799 Entertainment is different. But all these things are very very 303 00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:32.680 you know, sensitive things. Tell us a bit about if 304 00:21:32.680 --> 00:21:35.119 any example is possible, please do give. 305 00:21:36.119 --> 00:21:41.559 So about the emotional learning aspect and imagination. Okay, yeah, 306 00:21:41.599 --> 00:21:45.319 so I think some of it is kind of innate 307 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:48.799 if you are raising children at the same time, because 308 00:21:48.799 --> 00:21:51.119 you kind of have to practice those things on a 309 00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:53.960 daily basis with your own kids, and so that's helpful 310 00:21:54.079 --> 00:21:58.599 and not making it is difficult. So kind of like 311 00:21:58.880 --> 00:22:02.160 those themes of trust, faith, forgiveness. That's kind of the 312 00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:06.079 emotional learning, and that was, you know, part of the plot, 313 00:22:06.279 --> 00:22:11.400 and children will get that from reading the book. And again, 314 00:22:12.799 --> 00:22:15.359 when you're parenting, those things don't seem as difficult because 315 00:22:15.359 --> 00:22:17.319 you're dealing with them on a daily basis and you're 316 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:21.079 reading lots of children literature that you're sharing with them 317 00:22:21.160 --> 00:22:24.759 daily and helping them through school and navigating friends and 318

00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:30.000 all kinds of stuff. And then the imagination part is, 319 00:22:30.839 --> 00:22:35.000 you know, bringing in the the idea of a two 320 00:22:35.160 --> 00:22:38.799 fairy or you know, an Easter bunny or Santa Claus, 321 00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:42.720 which is this make belief or per thing that it 322 00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:47.400 lives in the imagination and it's up to the family 323 00:22:47.559 --> 00:22:51.680 if they want to go that route. And we were 324 00:22:51.880 --> 00:22:59.839 really positively impacted by thinking of magic, you know, leaning 325 00:22:59.880 --> 00:23:04.960 in to the idea of fairies or mythical creatures. It 326 00:23:05.079 --> 00:23:08.920 seemed to have a really positive impact on my kids, 327 00:23:08.920 --> 00:23:13.160 who are actually really big story writers now. They write 328 00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:18.160 their own stories and they're full of just really interesting creatures. 329 00:23:19.519 --> 00:23:23.559 And I think, you know, fostering the idea of like okay, well, 330 00:23:23.559 --> 00:23:26.640 what what is happening? You know, what is the tooth fairy? 331 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:31.799 Like where does she live? Does she have helpers just 332 00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:35.640 helping them think of this this world that is based 333 00:23:35.640 --> 00:23:42.599 in imagination is such a wonderful exercise for kids. And 334 00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:47.359 there's all this research about how, you know, when you 335 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:52.279 think of things in your mind, it's really fantastic for 336 00:23:52.359 --> 00:23:56.599 your brain and for creativity. So it has actually a 337 00:23:56.640 --> 00:23:59.720 lot of health benefits besides the fact of just thinking 338 00:24:00.279 --> 00:24:03.759 it's it's just the tooth fairy, and it's kind of 339 00:24:03.799 --> 00:24:04.839 a lot more than. 340 00:24:04.680 --> 00:24:11.799 That, absolutely, Jennifer. Yes, So you also talk about curiosity 341 00:24:12.039 --> 00:24:16.720 and conflict resolution MISS, especially you know, in times of 342 00:24:16.880 --> 00:24:20.119 AI for the kids who are growing with you know, 343 00:24:20.319 --> 00:24:24.799 more gadgets and more AI later versions, the latest version 344 00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:30.559 of AI. MISS, this whole curiosity thing can be very 345 00:24:30.680 --> 00:24:33.799 useful if they understand it in their right way at 346 00:24:33.839 --> 00:24:37.400 the right age. What is your take when you talk 347 00:24:37.400 --> 00:24:41.880 about curiosity and also conflict resolution. In today's time, less 348 00:24:41.920 --> 00:24:45.880 and less people are interacting, you know, in person, but 349 00:24:46.039 --> 00:24:48.599 more through you know, gadgets and all that. 350 00:24:50.200 --> 00:24:55.519 Yeah, so I would of course encourage kids to go 351 00:24:56.200 --> 00:24:59.480 in the real world and make real friends and stay 352 00:24:59.519 --> 00:25:05.279 away from the gadgets. And I actually have a wonderful doctor. 353 00:25:05.359 --> 00:25:10.039 She's a psychologist that specializes in parenting for children, and 354 00:25:10.119 --> 00:25:13.240 I will I've been kind of meeting with her off 355 00:25:13.240 --> 00:25:16.680 and on since my children were very little, and the 356 00:25:16.720 --> 00:25:22.559 biggest advice she gave was limit technology and social media 357 00:25:23.559 --> 00:25:27.640 as much as possible for your kids and for as 358 00:25:27.720 --> 00:25:34.599 long as possible. So, you know, electronics, in electronic media, 359 00:25:34.640 --> 00:25:42.480 it leads to all kinds of behavior problems and disregulates 360 00:25:42.599 --> 00:25:46.680 the emotional system for children. So if you have any 361 00:25:46.759 --> 00:25:50.200 kind of behavioral issues, the first thing she says is like, 362 00:25:50.279 --> 00:25:55.640 get rid of the electronics. You know, go to wooden toys, 363 00:25:56.920 --> 00:25:59.599 things that aren't like making loud noises and have all 364 00:25:59.680 --> 00:26:02.519 kinds of lights and things like that. All of that 365 00:26:02.599 --> 00:26:11.559 it helps sue the regulation system your system. So and 366 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:14.279 then I think once that is all removed, and of 367 00:26:14.279 --> 00:26:16.680 course AI is part of that, and then there's all 368 00:26:16.799 --> 00:26:20.839 you know, social media, all kinds of bullying or social pressure. 369 00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:24.400 Once you remove all of that, then you're back to, Okay, 370 00:26:24.480 --> 00:26:29.839 what's my natural curiosity about the world, And so you're 371 00:26:30.200 --> 00:26:36.240 helping kids develop that just by removing the electronics right away. 372 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:39.759 It's almost like all of your problems are sort of solved, 373 00:26:40.799 --> 00:26:42.720 a lot of them just just by doing that. And 374 00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:48.079 then with the conflict resolution again it's back to they're 375 00:26:48.160 --> 00:26:50.640 just able to think with their brains and their bodies 376 00:26:50.880 --> 00:26:56.880 without relying on this electronic device. And so there now 377 00:26:57.079 --> 00:27:02.400 they need to come up with, you know, conflicts just 378 00:27:02.440 --> 00:27:05.519 in their lives interacting with people because now they kind 379 00:27:05.519 --> 00:27:07.920 of have to because you don't have an electronic advice 380 00:27:07.960 --> 00:27:11.480 for them to use as a cratch. Uh. And then 381 00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:16.119 also reading books and that you can talk about what's 382 00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:18.920 happening in the book, like you know, if it's got 383 00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:21.039 a set of characters and they have some sort of 384 00:27:21.079 --> 00:27:24.960 adventure and so or a problem and so they get 385 00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:27.720 to see what's happening in the book and they're like, oh, wow, 386 00:27:27.759 --> 00:27:29.680 that's a conflict. How should we solve that? And you 387 00:27:29.720 --> 00:27:32.119 can have a discussion with your child while you're reading 388 00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:36.279 the book that can help them decide, you know, how 389 00:27:36.319 --> 00:27:40.279 to problem solve. So that, yeah, that's the advice I 390 00:27:40.440 --> 00:27:40.880 give there. 391 00:27:42.759 --> 00:27:46.880 Absolutely, absolutely, Jennifer, There is so much to learn about 392 00:27:46.960 --> 00:27:51.960 all this from you, from about writing for children, about curiosity, 393 00:27:52.319 --> 00:27:59.039 about conflict resolution, about emotional emotional activities and learning and 394 00:27:59.119 --> 00:28:04.000 IMAGINATIONIL for kids, and also you know about all the 395 00:28:04.079 --> 00:28:07.519 things about that you advocate for so what is the 396 00:28:07.559 --> 00:28:10.480 best way for people to learn all this from you 397 00:28:10.880 --> 00:28:12.839 and also from your book. 398 00:28:15.359 --> 00:28:19.680 Well, if they're on Instagram. I'm really working on that 399 00:28:19.960 --> 00:28:22.720 right now. I'm trying to build a lot of content 400 00:28:23.160 --> 00:28:31.920 that's around parenting tips and emotional like intelligence of learning 401 00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:36.000 for kids and parents. So that's one way to learn 402 00:28:36.039 --> 00:28:41.799 a lot about me. And then my website Jennifer Blue, 403 00:28:41.880 --> 00:28:45.039 author dot com and I have a blog which has 404 00:28:46.400 --> 00:28:50.400 I think a lot of helpful information and ideas for parents. 405 00:28:50.400 --> 00:28:53.480 Some of it's just kind of quirky and fun related 406 00:28:53.519 --> 00:28:57.720 to teeth or the tooth fairy, and then some of 407 00:28:57.759 --> 00:29:03.160 it's a lot more goes into some I think more 408 00:29:03.519 --> 00:29:08.240 meat issues like how to deal with jealousy around you know, 409 00:29:09.279 --> 00:29:11.559 sibiling loses the tooth and the other doesn't. These are 410 00:29:11.640 --> 00:29:15.079 kind of I think, deeper, real issues that can be helpful. 411 00:29:15.480 --> 00:29:22.559 So yeah, that's yeah. My website Instagram at jen Blue, 412 00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:28.480 and then also on Amazon you can just look up 413 00:29:29.240 --> 00:29:34.160 Under my Pillow Jennifer Blue and a. Roba Seek is 414 00:29:34.200 --> 00:29:35.400 the illustrator. 415 00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:40.519 Wonderful with this. It's set up on this very special 416 00:29:40.680 --> 00:29:43.920 edition of The Cage Masterclass Life. Thank you so much 417 00:29:43.920 --> 00:29:46.759 indeed for joining us thank you,