Ella Berman: On Diving Into the Minds of Our Characters
Author Ella Berman discusses how her teenage self helped inspire her new novel, Before We Were Innocent.
Ella Berman grew up in both London and Los Angeles and worked at Sony Music before starting the clothing brand London Loves LA. She lives in London with her husband, James, and their dog, Rocky. She is the author of two novels: The Comeback and Before We Were Innocent.
In this post, Ella discusses how her teenage self helped inspire her new novel, Before We Were Innocent, how she wants to ruin readers’ mornings, and more!
Name: Ella Berman
Book Title: Before We Were Innocent
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: April 4, 2023
Genre/category: Suspense/Thriller/Women’s Fiction
Previous titles: The Comeback
Elevator pitch: A summer in Greece for three best friends ends in the unthinkable when only two return home.
What prompted you to write Before We Were Innocent?
In February 2021, I was facing another bleak winter lockdown in London and had just finished a third draft of a book I didn’t love, when my mum dropped over my teenage diaries. As I started to read, I was struck by the level of intensity within the pages, particularly when anything had to do with my small circle of close friends.
The more I read and remembered how critical everything felt at that time, the more I recognized the type of book I wanted to write—one about teenage friendship, the dark side as well as the good. Everything else in the book—the deaths, the trial by media, the present storyline—followed from there.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
I started writing the book at the start of February 2021 and finished a feverish (but flawed) first draft in three months. I then spent the following nine months working on it with my editor, and it was accepted in February 2022, nearly a year to the day after I started it. It will be published in April 2023 so all in all a little over two years.
The idea changed a lot in the process. It was my first attempt at writing a book with more of a suspense/mystery element, and it truly felt like I was learning a new skill as I wrote. My editor Jen really guided me here, and helped me focus in on certain aspects of the story, as well as highlighting the importance of linking the past and present as much as possible in the dual timelines.
I knew from early on that I wanted to focus on how a specific type of trauma (the world dissecting two teenage girls’ lives and morality after their friend’s suspicious death) could impact the trajectory of these women in very different ways, but that was really all I knew. The 2008 storyline stayed fairly consistent throughout the editorial process but, as I got to understand the characters better, I was able to add more detail to their summer in Greece. The girls are at the stage where they’re constantly testing everyone around them, and I found that I was adding in more and more specific moments that highlighted this power struggle.
The 2018 storyline was trickier for me, and I was constantly moving parts around to figure out the best moments to reveal the information that would compound Bess’s disorientation. I wanted the reader to feel as conflicted about Joni as Bess did, and the challenge was in balancing that sense of intrigue with drawing an authentic, full character.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
I think one surprise was how much I have depended on my editor for her input and advice with this book. With my debut, The Comeback, Jen absolutely improved on it with her notes but because it arrived with her almost-formed (and many, many drafts in) it felt different. This time, she was around from the conception of the idea and helped me to shape it in a way that felt truly collaborative which (as a lonely writer!) is a wonderful thing.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I write quite instinctively and without much of an outline, so my characters constantly surprise me, particularly in the first couple of drafts. For some reason, I’m not able to plot too much on a conscious level, so it’s only once I’ve got to know the character a little that I’m able to judge what they’re capable of.
In the past, I’ve tried to wedge my characters into some convenient situations or conversations, but it’s always obvious when it’s not working. It can be frustrating at times but is also the magic of writing fiction!
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I think Before We Were Innocent is both a deep dive into the mind of a young woman who has hidden parts of herself away for years, and also a gripping suspense novel. I really aim to strike this balance between sensitivity and propulsion with my books. I hope that readers can relate to Bess’s emotional journey as she reckons with her past, and that it keeps them up an extra half hour at night because they need to find out what happens next.
That’s my ultimate aim! To ruin readers’ mornings.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
I would say to outline as much as you want, but to always be flexible with it as you write. I don’t think you should hold onto anything too tightly in your first couple of drafts particularly, other than a sense of who your main character is and what they need from the book.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
