Shirin Yim Bridges
Shirin Yim Bridges
Author, Editor, Writing Coach, Retreat Leader, Teacher
Shirin Bridges comes from a family of writers and artists. She has lived in many countries around the world. Shirin’s book, Ruby’s Wish, a story that evolved from spending time with her grandmother on a family trip to Malaysia, is about a young girl in China who strives for more and is rewarded for her hard work and courage. Ruby’s Wishis anEzra Jack Keats Award winner and Shirin was highlighted in Publishers Weekly as a “new author to watch”. Thirteen years later, she was featured on the front cover as the founding goose of Goosebottom Books. She is also an editor, writing coach, retreat leader and teacher. She has taught writing and publishing at the NSW Writers’ Center in Australia, the AFCC in Singapore, the Writing Salons in San Francisco and Berkeley, and for eight universities including Stanford. She has just stepped down from a position as Executive Director of the Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference.
What inspired you to begin writing?
I don't remember any inspiration—I just always wrote. From the age of seven I was writing stories of a few short sentences. My nieces and nephews now do the same thing, and I save these little treasures so carelessly left on my desk, just as my mother saved whatever I was scribbling. I think that was an important piece of me becoming a writer: my mother's action communicated that what I wrote had value, despite my young age. So I kept going. I wrote unselfconscious little stories, then very self-conscious teenaged poetry, then short stories, then picture books, then nonfiction and a middle grade novella, and now I'm working on a historical novel.
How did your career evolve from advertising to becoming a children’s author and coaching and educating?
My love of writing landed me a job as a copywriter, but although there is a lot of skill in copywriting, there is not really any heart. So I kept writing for myself on the side, and one of the things I wrote was a picture book that launched my whole career as an author. And then my career as an author precipitated my stint as a publisher—I was the Head Goose of Goosebottom Books, a small press dedicated to making history fun for kids. So, at that point I had a rather rare perspective: I understood first-hand the aspirations of the author and the labyrinth of the publishing industry. I began to bring this dual insight to writers' conferences, not just in the U.S. but in Australia and Asia, and I began to teach writing and publishing courses for the Writing Salons in San Francisco and Berkeley, and for Stanford's Continuing Studies department. I offered to coach a handful of my best students regularly, and I also began to lead writers' retreats, and then I found my advice was in high demand, so I began to give Skype, and now Zoom, consultations...and lo!, that's how I arrived at this fabulous life.
Why were you attracted to writing children’s picture books?
I like stories, and it is a great challenge to tell a story well in a very short form. That's why I'm also very attracted to the short story medium. Picture books have their own appeal and challenge in that the story has to be complete. In the adult short story, you can often leave your reader hanging, or barely sketch things in. If you allude or evoke, that is good enough—better, even. But with children's picture books, you have to tell the beginning, middle, and end. It has to be complete to be satisfying. And it has to be well told and, to my preference, lyrical. There is often wonderful poetry in the language of a story book because it is designed to be read out loud. Not only the images but the sounds conjured are important. I like that. I like the resulting work, but I also relish the challenge of getting there.
What inspired you to write Ruby’s Wish? How rewarding was it to share the book with your grandmother?
My grandmother, Ruby, told me stories of her life as a child growing up in old China. Many details in the book are true. Her poem, for example, she remembered verbatim. So, I told the various stories as one picture book, Ruby's Wish. It was very rewarding for me when the book came out—not only because I had a published book, a long-held dream, but because I think the book catches a moment in history, and specifically in my family's history. But as for how rewarding it was to share the book with my grandmother, for the answer to that you have to know my grandmother. She appeared slightly tickled by the whole thing, but didn't dwell on it for very long. She donated her copy of Ruby's Wish to San Francisco China Town’s public library. In her pragmatic way she thought that was more appropriate than keeping the book, as she was not a child and did not read English! But I'm glad she lived to see the book.
What do you like best about coaching, leading and teaching?
Of everything I do, including writing, coaching is what I enjoy most. Writing, as any writer will confirm, can be an arduous, intimidating, frustrating task. Coaching, on the other hand, is instantly and consistently rewarding. All you have to do is care about the goals of whomever you’re coaching and then do your best to help realize those goals by sharing what you know, what you think, and sometimes what you don’t know, as long as you can suggest how one might find out. It’s about making a human connection and then sharing information about something you are knowledgeable about, and in this case, love deeply. You are rewarded with appreciation. You can celebrate more successes and feel that in some small way they’re your own. How can you beat that for gratification?
Why did you create Goosebottom Books?
I created Goosebottom Books specifically to publish a series of books about real princesses. My niece Tiegan had strayed into the pink cloud of Disney princess mania, and I wanted to share with her the many fabulous stories of real princesses who didn't sit around in big dresses waiting for the prince but went out and changed the world. I've always been a huge history buff, so I knew some of these stories. So I was very surprised when I couldn't find these stories being told for children. I decided I had to make that happen. And then from there we brought out a series about Dastardly Dames, and then Glorious Goddesses...and amongst them was Horrible Hauntings which used augmented reality to reveal interactive ghosts on every page. We had a hoot!
What are you currently working on?
I'm currently working on a novel which, like Ruby's Wish, is inspired by a family story. I say inspired, because the family story is only a starting point. Nearly everything else is imagined—it's definitely a work of fiction. I had a great-great-great-grandmother who was Native American, from the Puget Sound, who ended up moving to China. For half my adult life I wondered what that must have been like, and then finally I decided that I would find out by writing it.
Do you have any advice for a young person who is considering a major or career in writing?
It's not the easiest career to make for yourself, and it rarely leads to great riches. And, writing is one of the most frustrating undertakings you can brave. So, I believe that writers write because they have to. My advice to anyone considering becoming a writer is to be clear eyed about the amount of frustration and disappointment, even rejection, you might experience. If you've stared that in the eye and you still want to be a writer, welcome to the club.
If you could tell your younger self anything what would it be?
I once had a near-death experience, at a time when I was worrying a lot about Goosebottom Books and "success." That experience was a blessing. What it showed me was that my books, my publishing company, any definition of success were not important. Of course I was lucky that I had my books and my art...but all that was important were the human relationships. That's what I'd tell my younger self. And that's what I'd also want to regularly remind my older self.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
It's been a great honor to have been interviewed by you, Jackie. I wish you much continued success! If any of your readers are interested in learning more about me, please invite them to visit shirinbridges.com. They can also contact me through my website.
Shirin’s coaching, advice and guidance were instrumental for my creation of Fortune Cookie Surprise! A big thank you to a very special goose.
All art/photos belong to Shirin Bridges and are used with her permission