For our next installment in KidLit Craft’s Snack-Sized Author Interview, we’re nerding out about all things craft with Erin Becker, whose debut middle grade novel, Crushing It, was a 2024 Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Erin holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Erin draws on her storytelling strengths in her work with both marketing for adults and writing for kids and young adults. Her sports-themed Crushing It with queer rep celebrates the thrill of first crushes, the excitement of competition, and the joys of finding yourself.

Welcome, Erin!

Question 1: What's your writing superpower?

I think—or I hope, at least—that my writing superpower is my ability to identify my weaknesses and improve them. For example, I used to be pretty bad at writing dialogue. So I spent quite a bit of time studying the techniques of authors I thought were doing it well. I was able to tease out what they were doing on a granular level and incorporate those takeaways into my writing in a way that felt genuine to my work.

For this superpower, it helps to be pretty good at taking criticism—from critique partners, professors, editors, etc. That way, you can hear the feedback you’re getting and understand it as an opportunity to level up in a specific area. 

Playing sports my whole life really helped with this, too. You get used to being told where you need to improve, not take it too personally, and do the work.

Question 2: What’s an element of craft you explored in your latest project and what tips can you share with other authors for growing in their use of that particular element?

Crushing It, my debut middle grade novel that came out from Penguin Random House in August 2024, is a dual-POV prose novel, but I originally wrote it as a verse novel. In the version that was initially submitted to my editor, everything was written in a series of poems, and the entire present moment of the book took place during the championship soccer game. The rest of the narrative happened during flashbacks. I really liked that version of the story, and it was a fun structure to play with as an author.

At my editor’s request, I started rewriting it in prose and with a linear timeline. Although the prospect of rewriting the entire book seemed a little overwhelming at first, I noticed even in the first fifty pages or so how much stronger the story was becoming, particularly when I moved some crucial scenes from flashback to the present moment. They were so much more emotional and intense.

My takeaway from this is twofold. First, I think it’s not a bad idea to start out writing something in the most straightforward way possible. Then, if the story calls for a more experimental structure—one that will really serve it—go for it.

Second, I would counsel authors to, when possible, write as much of the story in the present moment as they can. You want to get your reader really close to the experiences of your protagonist, and these scenes will be the most vivid for them.

Question 3: If you could travel back in time, what advice would you give yourself as a new author?

Oh wow—so many things.

Learn story structure. Read more genre novels to help with this.

Don’t start writing a manuscript until you know what the main character wants and understand their emotional arc.

If you’re rewriting something over and over and over, and it’s still not working (whether it’s a sentence, a paragraph, a chapter, or a whole book), it’s probably time to just move on.

And finally: have fun with it! You’re making things up, telling stories. Enjoy the process and enjoy the ride.

Question 4: What inspires you as a writer in your career?

I want to write books that make people feel good. I wrote Crushing It during the pandemic, during a difficult time in my life. Writing this story was like a warm hug and a reminder that sometimes, things do turn out okay. 

My thought is: if I can help even one reader feel that same way, I did my job.

Question 5: What’s one book you think every kidlit author should read?

This is a bit of a throwback at this point, but I frequently return to Linda Sue Park’s A Single Shard. The economy of language is amazing. And the story takes place in such a different world from ours but feels so relatable. It’s a beautiful book and a great reminder of what middle grade can do.

Bonus Question: What can fans look forward to next?

Nothing official yet, but I’m working on something that’s very much in the same vein as Crushing It!

Erin Becker is an author and marketer who grew up in Iowa and now lives in Washington, DC. Her debut novel, Crushing It, was published by Penguin Random House in 2024 and is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.  

Erin holds her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and writes fiction, poetry, and criticism. She also loves to work with other writers (and people who want to improve their writing) across age ranges and levels of experience. Learn more about her teaching here.

In addition to her work as an author, Erin runs Spondee Studio, a marketing and content strategy studio for small and medium-sized businesses, and has more than a decade of experience on both the agency side and in-house on creative and marketing teams

You can find Erin on Instagram @beckererine, Twitter/X: @beckererine, and Bluesky: beckererine.bsky.social

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