---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My post-child period resulted in one…"
description: "\"My post-child period resulted in one instant change: I write shorter books for kids.\" — Berkeley Breathed"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dce/berkeley-breathed-14641_book_my-post-child-period-resulted-in-one-ins_2274286.png"
---

#  My post-child period resulted in one instant change: I…

![“My post-child period resulted in one instant change: I write shorter books for kids.” quote by Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dce/berkeley-breathed-14641_book_my-post-child-period-resulted-in-one-ins_2274286.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dce/berkeley-breathed-14641_book_my-post-child-period-resulted-in-one-ins_2274286.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dce/berkeley-breathed-14641_book_my-post-child-period-resulted-in-one-ins_2274286.png)

> “My post-child period resulted in one instant change: I write shorter books for kids.”

[Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The author notes that having a child changed his writing style to be more concise for younger audiences.

**In simple terms:** Having a child made him write shorter books for kids.

Key Takeaway

Embrace life changes to improve your work.

Themes

parenthood creativity writing audience conciseness

Mood

reflective optimistic

Type

personal creative

When to use this quote

- author workshops
- school reading programs
- family storytelling sessions
- publishing children's books

Key Concepts

developmental psychology literary adaptation

Questions to Reflect On

- How has parenthood reshaped your creative process?
- What benefits do younger readers gain from concise storytelling?

A Different Perspective

Shorter books may limit depth or complexity for older readers.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Change Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-write-1014098/) [Child Period](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-period-5282957/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Instant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instant/) [Instant Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instant-change-5282956/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Periods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/periods/) [Shorter Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shorter-books-748503/) [Write Shorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-shorter-1391145/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [I think shorter books are going to become more and more of the trend. So I don't think you have to write big, big,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-winget/i-think-shorter-books-are-going-to-become-more-and-more-of-the-trend/)

[Larry Winget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-winget/)

> [When you are young, hone your craft and write shorter pieces instead of novels, because it's really hard to finish a novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/when-you-are-young-hone-your-craft-and-write-shorter-pieces-instead/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [There is nothing I would change - to change it I would have had to write a totally different book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asne-seierstad/there-is-nothing-i-would-change-to-change-it-i-would-have-had-to/)

[Asne Seierstad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asne-seierstad/)

> [“Your life isn't some prerecorded movie where, no matter how many times you watch it, the ending remains the same. Your life is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/your-life-isn-t-some-prerecorded-movie-where-no-matter-how-many-times/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [You complain, friend Swift, of the length of my epigrams, but you yourself write nothing. Yours are shorter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martial/you-complain-friend-swift-of-the-length-of-my-epigrams-but-you/)

[Martial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martial/)

> [If I had more time I would write a shorter letter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/if-i-had-more-time-i-would-write-a-shorter-letter/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [One of the reasons I like immersing myself in different texts, putting myself in the company of other writers, is that they do change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-ronk/one-of-the-reasons-i-like-immersing-myself-in-different-texts-putting/)

[Martha Ronk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-ronk/)

> [“My pen is my voice. I write for change. I write for justice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitta-xinindlu/my-pen-is-my-voice-i-write-for-change-i-write-for-justice/)

[Mitta Xinindlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitta-xinindlu/)

> [I could write shorter sermons but when I get started I'm too lazy to stop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-write-shorter-sermons-but-when-i-get-started-i-m-too-lazy-to/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [I am sorry to have made such a long speech, but I did not have time to write a shorter one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-am-sorry-to-have-made-such-a-long-speech-but-i-did-not-have-time-to/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [A writer's problem does not change. It is always how to write truly and having found out what is true to project it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/a-writer-s-problem-does-not-change-it-is-always-how-to-write-truly/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

> [Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/)

[Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/)

> [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/)

[Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/)

> [To be positive at all times is to ignore all that is important, sacred or valuable. To be negative at all times is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/to-be-positive-at-all-times-is-to-ignore-all-that-is-important-sacred/)

[Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/)

> [Any moment,everything can change.. - Hilary Duff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-duff/any-moment-everything-can-change-hilary-duff/)

[Hilary Duff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-duff/)

## More by Berkeley Breathed

> [“Neither knew it at the time, but a line had been crossed that could not be uncrossed- a running leap over a chasm of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/neither-knew-it-at-the-time-but-a-line-had-been-crossed-that-could/)

[Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/)

> [“Just the usual formality before the chaos begins. Like playing the National Anthem before a Cubs game.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/just-the-usual-formality-before-the-chaos-begins-like-playing-the/)

[Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/)

> [Despite what they tell you, there are simply no moral absolutes in a complex world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/despite-what-they-tell-you-there-are-simply-no-moral-absolutes-in-a/)

[Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/)

> [“Oodles of noodles help blue poodles mit der strudel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/oodles-of-noodles-help-blue-poodles-mit-der-strudel/)

[Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/)

> [And that's why any of my picture books exist: They all seem to be built backwards from a simple, emotionally optimistic story beat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/and-that-s-why-any-of-my-picture-books-exist-they-all-seem-to-be/)

[Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/)

> [I could draw Bloom County with my nose and pay my cleaning lady to write it, and I'd bet I wouldn't lose 10% of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/i-could-draw-bloom-county-with-my-nose-and-pay-my-cleaning-lady-to/)

[Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/)

> [Dear Lord, I've been asked, nay commanded, to thank Thee for the Christmas turkey before us... a turkey which was no doubt a lively,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/dear-lord-i-ve-been-asked-nay-commanded-to-thank-thee-for-the/)

[Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/)

> [Liberal, shmiberal. That should be a new word. Shmiberal: one who is assumed liberal, just because he's a professional whiner in the newspaper. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/liberal-shmiberal-that-should-be-a-new-word-shmiberal-one-who-is/)

[Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/)

> [I'd be a Libertarian, if they weren't all a bunch of tax-dodging professional whiners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/i-d-be-a-libertarian-if-they-weren-t-all-a-bunch-of-tax-dodging/)

[Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/)

> [Cartooning is about deconstruction: you gotta tear something down to make a joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/cartooning-is-about-deconstruction-you-gotta-tear-something-down-to/)

[Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/)

> [I knew 'Mars Needs Moms! ' would be a movie seconds after the title came to mind. Similarly, I also knew that my daughter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/i-knew-mars-needs-moms-would-be-a-movie-seconds-after-the-title-came/)

[Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/)

> [I happen to think nearly everybody - especially those one might find in the odd issue of 'People' magazine, including me - is frightfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/i-happen-to-think-nearly-everybody-especially-those-one-might-find-in/)

[Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/)

> [It was a huge challenge to learn digital painting well enough so that computers don't pop into mind when one sees one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/it-was-a-huge-challenge-to-learn-digital-painting-well-enough-so-that/)

[Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/)

> [The universe throws us some obvious little pitches sometimes, and we need to be awake enough not to let them slip by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/the-universe-throws-us-some-obvious-little-pitches-sometimes-and-we/)

[Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/)

> [The digital world has allowed me a connection with my reader that I'd never had before. I didn't meet the people who read my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/the-digital-world-has-allowed-me-a-connection-with-my-reader-that-i-d/)

[Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/)

[Explore all 46 Berkeley Breathed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My post-child period resulted in one instant change: I write shorter books for kids.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Berkeley Breathed"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/my-post-child-period-resulted-in-one-instant-change-i-write-shorter/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/my-post-child-period-resulted-in-one-instant-change-i-write-shorter/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dce/berkeley-breathed-14641_book_my-post-child-period-resulted-in-one-ins_2274286.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dce/berkeley-breathed-14641_book_my-post-child-period-resulted-in-one-ins_2274286.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dce/berkeley-breathed-14641_book_my-post-child-period-resulted-in-one-ins_2274286.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My post-child period resulted in one instant change: I write shorter books for kids.” — Berkeley Breathed",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Berkeley Breathed",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My post-child period resulted in one...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/my-post-child-period-resulted-in-one-instant-change-i-write-shorter/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/my-post-child-period-resulted-in-one-instant-change-i-write-shorter/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
