Writing and Illustrating a Graphic Novel Memoir for Children
This blog entry was originally created for the Children’s Book Council of Australia, Tasmanian Branch Blog in December 2022.
I always knew I wanted to create something special from my childhood diaries, and over the course of almost ten years, I turned them into a graphic novel called Big Apple Diaries. It all started while taking a comics class in 2012 as a student in New York City, where I was born and lived my whole life at that point. When I moved from New York City to Tasmania in 2015 I realized how important the New Yorker side of my story was. There is something about seeing it from a distance that made it clearer to me.
I used my diary entries and experiences to retell the story of my childhood in New York City around the September 11 attacks in 2001. These entries were so important for creating this book because I could capture the mindset of a young teen instead of relying solely on the memory of it. Of course, memoir-style writing can be triggering, so I don’t think it would have been possible for me to write about that part of my life without enough time and space between the experience and now.
Big Apple Diaries is my first ever long-form graphic novel so it was definitely a learning curve for me. I’ve illustrated many picture books, but the jump from 32 pages to almost 300 was a lot to think about!
All of the writing had to be finished first, and that is something that often surprises people. The storyline is the most important part of any book. I started with very simple drafts and didn’t worry about the spelling or specific wording yet. I made sure to create story arcs within my “real story.” Once that draft made sense, I went back over it and carefully rewrote it several times.
A very important part of the graphic novel process that makes it different from other writing is that I had to choose which parts of the story would be told in words and which parts would be told in pictures. I used different colours in my Word document to make this easier for me. Everything I wrote in black was the words of the story, and everything I wrote in blue was for the pictures. One of the best parts of the graphic novel medium is capturing emotion and subtleties through imagery. Sometimes big feelings don’t need to be named on the page, and a simple expression can speak for itself.
Once all of that was ready to go, I roughly laid out the text and created simple sketches to determine the layouts, pacing, and timing. Next came editorial feedback from the publishing team, adjustments, and sample art. Once all of the stars aligned and everyone agreed it was ready to go, I returned to page one again. This part was the most fun for me because all of that difficult problem-solving with layouts and writing was done, so I could just enjoy the process of making the artwork!
I underestimated how emotional it would be to create the images to go with something so deeply personal. It was wonderful exploring the visuals of New York City from that time and recreating the relationships with my parents and friends.
It was very meaningful to put together a story that took place twenty years ago and can still be relatable to readers today and in the future. I’ve enjoyed sharing this book with students here in Tasmania and virtually in the US. Even though Tasmania and New York City couldn’t be any further apart, the feelings that come with growing up bring everyone together.
BBC Interview Worldwide
I cannot believe that me and my little comic book were recently featured on BBC News around the globe. What?! Here is a collection of it translated into other languages. I was interviewed for about an hour or so virtually and then it was edited into this really lovely video which incorporates my book, words, reflections, pictures from childhood, and more.
English:
Hindi:
Indonesian:
English:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-58496145
Vietnamese:
https://www.bbc.com/vietnamese/media-58477695
Serbian:
https://www.bbc.com/serbian/lat/svet-58488225
Chinese:
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/world-58475207
Indonesian:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79ziLtHxmtY
Hindi:
https://www.facebook.com/BBCnewsHindi/videos/329412558870091
Urdu:
https://www.facebook.com/bbcurdu/videos/425107372390022
Telugu:
https://twitter.com/bbcnewstelugu/status/1435898665118302209?s=20
HOW COOL
Big Apple Diaries Debut Buzz
This has been a crazy time. I wanted to remember and gather some of the launch time memories, articles and more.
My husband’s family showed up to pizza night celebration of Big Apple Diaries wearing some custom crafted t-shirts. <3
Big Apple Diaries Featured on BBC News Worldwide:
Honestly this is so insane I have a whole separate blog post about the BBC interview.
Comics Creator Chat - Memoirs - First Second Live on Instagram:
This was an amazing opportunity to talk face to face with other graphic memoir creators. So cool!
So cool talking to fellow memoirists.
Creator Chat with ALIA Graphic
ALIA Graphic Novels and Comics is intended to be a resource and network for library and information professionals who are responsible for and/or interested in comics and graphic novels. The group aims to support library staff interested in all aspects of collection development, advocacy and programming related to graphic novels and comics.
Official Launch with Word Up Community Bookstore:
Word Up is a multilingual, general-interest community bookshop and arts space in Washington Heights, New York City, committed to preserving and building a neighborhood in which all residents help each other to live better informed and more expressive lives, using books as an instrument of reciprocal education and exchange, empowering not only themselves, but their community.
Chatting with Remy Lai
Story Time: 9/11 20th Anniversary Kids Panel with Greenlight Books:
This event in particular felt very important, as it was commemorating the 20th anniversary of 9/11. It was a huge honor to discuss this with other amazing creators from various backgrounds and perspectives.
All of us!
My number one fan in Brooklyn tuning in.
A peek into one of my school visits this month:
I visited Claremont College and Sacred Heart Geeveston. It was just amazing and the questions and comments will stick with me for a long time.
Reviews and Media Collection:
As seen in BBC Worldwide: 9/11 attacks: ‘I saw the world as a scary place for the first time’
As seen in Shelf Awareness: “In this diary-style graphic memoir, a Puerto Rican middle schooler in New York City documents her embarrassments, joys and sorrows in genuine, comedic and moving cartoon-embellished entries.”
ABC Hobart Radio Interview - Reliving a Childhood during September 11
As seen in The Manhattan Mercury: “Alyssa Bermudez bases “Big Apple Diaries” on her own diaries of growing up in New York, so her graphic memoir accessibly blends the trauma of 9/11 with the ups and downs of everyday life.”
As seen in The Queens Public Library - 9/11 Reading Recommendations and Resources for Discussion with Children
As seen in San Francisco Chronicle Datebook Review: “Reconstructed from the author’s own memories, this disarming graphic novel grafts optimism onto tragedy to plot the path forward.”
An interview with Fuse 8, A School Library Journal Blog by Elizabeth Bird
As seen in School Library Journal, “Educators seeking firsthand accounts of 9/11 will want to share this with their students, while middle graders looking for an engrossing graphic novel in the vein of Raina Telgemeier’s or Shannon Hale’s work will be pleased.”
As seen in Kirkus Reviews, “An authentic and moving time capsule of middle school angst, trauma, and joy.”
As seen in Publishers Weekly, “Combining eye-catching layouts with frank vulnerability … Bermudez puts her whole heart on the page, and the love she holds for her younger self can be deeply felt in every entry.”
As seen in Sequential Tart, “Super great stuff -- good for some history and points of view and ... a journal of just growing up.”
As seen in A Mighty Girl, We Remember: Children’s Books About 9/11 for the 20th Anniversary of the Terrorist Attacks
As seen in Reading Middle Grade, 52 Best Middle-Grade Graphic Novels, Review Here
As seen in No Flying No Tights
Guest Article for The Children’s Book Review - Illustration Inspiration
Joints for Jabs - A Pandemic Story about My Mom, Part 2
This is Part TWO of Joints for Jabs. If you have not read Part ONE, click here.
My mom told me this story the day after it happened. I could in her voice that she was giddy and excited about what she wanted to tell me. She’s a pretty animated storyteller so it was nice to hear her so happy. She was beside herself laughing.
Here’s what happened on 4/20/21:
There were actually more parts to this story. Linda’s first day out continued with walking to Washington Square Park where she was stopped for another unrelated interview. It seemed like everyone needed to hear from her that day after not hearing from her for so long. She literally saw butterflies in both parks that day.
And now, months later with everything gearing up again with the Delta variant, my mom describes being more at peace with spending so much time in her apartment. She says she will be wearing her turbans and caftans inside until it’s safe to emerge again. Her pandemic adventure continues.
Until she is allowed to come to Tasmania and stay with me…
Joints for Jabs - A Pandemic Story about My Mom, Part 1
It’s hard to put this experience into words. My mom’s pandemic experience… my experience being separated from her for almost twenty months now… When I moved from NYC to Tasmania, I was under the impression that I would be back and forth frequently. Once my mom retired, she spent months at a time here. Australia’s borders are still closed and parents are not considered immediate family under the exemptions.
This was never the plan. It of course was never anyone’s plan, but here we are. In many ways, we are extremely fortunate. We are lucky to be healthy, and lucky to be in the positions we are in. The luck of me living in Tasmania for all of this is a completely different story.
This story is part one of Joints for Jabs, a pandemic story about my mom.
Part two coming soon…
Real Diary Entries
The joys of looking through my diaries yet again! Sometimes this process is incredibly painful and cringe worthy, but other times there are small gems of entries like these:
No sign off, no nothing. All the important details of the day right there.
A bit of drama that day! I was eating a sandwich and then this happens…
Dear WHATEVER, I can’t even call you my DIARY today because I am so hot and bothered.
There are so many more funny entries embedded into those pages, but at the moment I am looking for anything redeemable from 2002-2004 - CRAZY teenage times. Most of those diary entries just need to be set on fire, but I hope to share some of the good ones with you in my next book.
Until next time…
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard!
Today I got some really great news! Big Apple Diaries is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. That means they have placed a big fat order in advance and my book will be in the hands of so many more library readers across the US.
Today, JLG is the leading book review and collection development service that helps thousands of K12 school and public libraries acquire the best new children’s and young adult books. Our mission still follows editorial board member Eleanor Roosevelt’s mantra to put the right book in the hands of every reader–fostering the love of reading and learning as a path to lifelong success. https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/about-us/
Behind the Scenes - Graphic Novels
Hey friends! If you are interested in knowing what goes on behind the scenes of graphic novel making, my friend Josh and I have you covered! Below you can see our combined discussion and then underneath that the full conversation. Everyone works differently, but the storytelling is at the heart of it all!
Here is the full chat:
Back to work, folks!
Latinx Heritage Month- Sneak Peek!
With Latinx Heritage Month 2020 here, I wanted to share this special sequence in my forthcoming book, Big Apple Diaries, where Little A (me) is questioning her own identity with heritage. It’s based on a real trip to El Museo del Barrio that my dad and I took together. I still have the Taino hat he bought that day from the museum shop!
The Eyebrow Incident
Dear Diary, So this week started off like a nightmare. I was just SO mad at my face…
I am working on a full manuscript these days for Big Apple Diaries, which is based on my experiences and diary entries from 7th grade. I recently read this diary entry aloud at a Hobart event, Read To Me:
Yes, I did shave my eyebrows like that in 7th grade.
The Time Capsule
The diary comic is back!
While packing to move out a few years ago I found a tupperware taped up and covered in stickers. Inside were various hair clips, toy parts, and most importantly this letter about my favorite things. The sealed envelope said "DO NOT OPEN TIL I'M 24." Here is a glimpse:
