Non-Fiction: Reaching Out

(Wikimedia Commons)

I mentioned before I am on a new journey with my writing.  I was given a lead on a historical event not many people know about or if they do, it didn't much matter to them. But it matters to me.  It is a fascinating moment in time and I know I HAVE to learn more about it.

I said last week the first thing a writer has to do when they are thinking about writing a non-fiction story is to select their topic. There are literally millions of possible ideas to begin a story. I choose this one event as my topic. It is interesting, involves children, and is shrouded in mystery. So now that I know what my story will be about what do I do next?

STEP TWO: REACHING OUT 

The foundation of non-fiction stories must come from extensive fact-based research.  Publishers are not interested in risking their reputations with stories built on shifting sand. They need to know the books they print are based on facts and the more data a writer can provide, the better the chances their story will be accepted by agents and editors alike. Keeping that in mind I made a list of how I wanted to learn more about my topic.

1.  GOOGLE...I googled everything I could about this event.  The event itself, the place where it happened, any people involved at the time, etc. I printed off copies of newspaper reports and made sure I documented my sources as I went along.  I discovered only 5 or 6 small articles over the past 50 years covering this event and they generally say the same thing.  This isn't going to help me uncover as Paul Harvey used to say...the REST OF THE STORY. I knew I had to do something else.

2. STRANGERS...I decided to reach out and ask strangers for help. I wrote to one of the names that I saw in the articles, explaining what I was hoping to do with my discovery of this historical event, and I waited. And waited. Until one day I received an email thanking me for my interest and suggesting I contact a local librarian.

3. EXPERTS...I reached out again and this time I spoke to the librarian over the phone.  She was a lovely lady who not only had a wealth of knowledge concerning this event, I also found out she was in charge of a small museum housed in part of her library dedicated to reminding people of what happened near her town.  She graciously sent me a package containing pictures and other information about my topic that I would never have found through Google.  And then she gave me a special gift.  A name of someone who was a first hand witness. I didn't want to seem too eager but decided to reach out again...

4. PRIMARY SOURCES...The name I had been given belonged to a very elderly lady who has a very special connection to the event and after sharing a few emails with her, I have discovered we both seem to share a few special connections with each other as well. Some of the "coincidences"I have come across includes facts like my primary source has a daughter just a little bit older than me with the same name who published a children's book years ago, she has a son who has lived near Knoxville for the past 30 years, and she has another daughter in the medical profession (my son is in the medical profession and he was born on the 33rd anniversary of this historical event). She put me in touch with her son (another primary source) who told me much more about the event and I am now trying to arrange for us to meet in person.

5. SECONDARY SOURCES...I have also spoken to an editor on one of the newspapers serving this community and they graciously offered to run a "letter to the editor" as a way of a shout out for any other primary sources to be able to get in touch with me about my topic.

There is much more to be done but my first act of reaching out has opened many potential doors and all I have discovered on the other side are lovely people eager to answer my questions and help shed a light on a little known event.  I chose to boldly go where no writer had gone before and my reward for reaching out was a connection with some wonderful people and the beginning of a foundation for what I hope to be a wonderful non-fiction picture book some day.

I hope you will join me next week when I will show how I've decided to organize my research and how I plan to outline my story...

WRITERLY WISDOM: Deborah Amadei

It's time once again for WRITERLY WISDOM where every Wednesday we sneak a peek into the world of writing and publication. This month I'm covering non-fiction writing.  If it's an area you are interested in (like me) but you aren't sure where to begin (like me again), what better place to start than picking the brain of a librarian?  My friend Deborah Amadei knows all the cool places to get you on the right track so take it away Deborah...

How to Start Your Non-Fiction Research

By Deborah Amadei

Are you a writer doing historical research for the first time? How should you start? Let’s say your topic is George Washington. You can get a general idea by reading an encyclopedia article but only as a jumping off point.

In this hypothetical case, I want to write something about George Washington’s contributions towards United States government.

My first step would be to visit my local library and check out books on George Washington and the era in which he lived.

Here’s a couple of books I would check out: Washington: the Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner because I know he is well regarded as an historian. Another title I would choose is: George Washington, the Writer, a Treasury of Letters, Diaries and Public Documents, compiled by Carolyn Yoder.

 But I would need to use primary sources: documents written by him and his contemporaries. It could be newspaper articles and government documents. The writer needs to search primary sources for details that help the reader connect with the subject.

One source I recommend is the American Memory Collection from the Library of Congress http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/browse/

             This link will take you to a page where you can select Presidents only and then to the collection for George Washington’s papers. Diaries give the reader a window into their subject’s thoughts and George Washington was a dedicated diarist.

I went to this link: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gwhtml/gwhome.html

I chose to browse the collection and typed this phrase in the dialogue box: “exercised with Mrs. Washington in the post chaise.”

I selected this item and bookmarked it in Google chrome: http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/P?mgw:1:./temp/~ammem_qGzu::

What’s interesting about this? I learned how George Washington exercised.

He and Martha rode in a post chaise, which according to Bing dictionary is: “A horse-drawn carriage: a closed horse-drawn carriage with four wheels that was used in the 18th and 19th centuries as a fast means of transporting mail and passengers.”

Other forms of exercise for him were horseback riding and walking around the Battery (At the time, his official residence was in New York City.

And if I wanted to get a photocopy of a printed edition of a diary I could. The Diaries of George Washington (in six volumes) are available at some public libraries.

Deborah Amadei's research experience comes from her 25 years as a librarian.  She writers picture books (both fiction and non fiction) and is currently working on a middle grade novel.  Visit her at www.deborahamadei.com