About Brigitte Brulz:
Brigitte Brulz is a homeschooling mom, author, journal creator, and freelance writer. Her book Pickles, Pickles, I Like Pickles was chosen for the 2019 Read Across Connecticut program and other writings of hers have been published both in print and online. She offers free coloring pages, activity ideas, and more information about her and her writings on her website.
What inspires you to write?
My daughters and every day activities inspire me to write. It seems like there are ideas for stories everywhere!
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Picture book authors that I often refer to for mentor texts include Jill Esbaum, Laura Purdie Salas, and Miranda Paul.
Tell us about your writing process.
My writing process seems to vary slightly depending on what writing project I am working on, and I tend to have multiple writing projects going on at the same time. With that being said, I often have pages of handwritten notes (on random sheets of paper), reference resources, and other additional materials spread out across my big table when I am working on a project. I have found having an outline has been very helpful to me for a nonfiction book I am currently working on for adults, but I haven't created any outlines for the children's books I have written. For those, I often write quite a few notes about my idea, who the character is, and whatever other ideas I have about the story on paper before actually starting. I have created dummies for each of the picture books I have published just to have an idea of how the finished books will look. I have considered using a program such as Scrivener to keep track of all my notes, but I like being able to spread the papers out in front of me as I'm working, so I haven't tried Scrivener yet.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I have not listened to or talked to my characters (yet at least).
What advice would you give other writers?
I have learned a lot in the past few years through monthly writer meetings, SCBWI conferences, writing webinars, books about writing, and more. My advice to other writers would be to keep learning about writing, find the time to actually write, and join a group of other authors who can support you in your writing journey.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I have done a lot of research about traditional publishing and self-publishing. There are definitely pros and cons to each depending on the goals of the author. My first two picture books were self-published so I could publish them quickly (due to some personal reasons). My third published picture book was also self-published. It was illustrated by my 12-year-old daughter, which wouldn't have been able to happen if it was traditionally published. With that being said, I have multiple manuscripts that I would love to have traditionally published some day. I would advise new authors to determine why they want to have a book published in order to decide which path is best for them. I am actually writing a book now all about self-publishing that has an entire chapter devoted to authors finding their why when choosing how they want their books published. (I hope to release that book by the end of 2020.)
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
People will continue to want books to read. I think there will be a lot of book options available as more people learn about self-publishing. Of course not all self-published books are quality books, but I think that professional self-published authors may be taken more seriously in the future. I hope to be able to continue to self-publish books, but I would also love to be traditionally published some day.
What genres do you write?: Picture Books, Adult Nonfiction
What formats are your books in?: Print
Website(s)
Brigitte Brulz Home Page Link
Link To Brigitte Brulz Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Twitter
Pinterest
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
