RESEARCH WORTHY WEBSITES

I must confess I'm pretty pumped up today. My latest writing focus has been narrative nonfiction chapter books so I find my ears perking up whenever anything is mentioned about this particular genre. I've written two manuscripts so far...one about a train and one about a ship...so when I heard about NY best selling author Erik Larson coming to town to give a talk/book signing, I just knew I wanted to be a part of it.

I was really lucky. I managed to grab a front row seat for this event and I go tonight, eager to learn about another author's research and writing process. Mr. Larson's latest book is about the last crossing of the Lusitania and it got me thinking about the research involved in writing such a book. What reference material did he sort through when he was researching this subject? What internet sites might he have visited to help support his story line?

It probably doesn't matter whether you write for an adult audience like Erik Larson, or if you write for the elementary school crowd like I do. Accurate research details and a compelling story is needed no matter what the genre. But where does a kidlit writer begin their research for possible narrative nonfiction story ideas?

Below are just some of the websites I have come across that might be great for generating your next manuscript. Whether you are interested in nature or science, trucks or trains, or even outer space, these sites created with children in mind are a treasure trove of interesting facts to tickle your imagination. I'm going to get the chance tonight to step into the mind of a professional researcher and hopefully learn some new ways to spark my own writing. Maybe you will find some sparks of your own hiding in these sites...

http://www.kids.nationalgeographic.com/

http://www.encyclopedia.com/

http://kids.librarypoint.org/

http://kids.nypl.org/

https://www.zisboombah.com/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/prehistoric_life/dinosaurs/

http://animaldiversity.org/

http://www.animalfactguide.com/

http://www.exploringnature.org/

http://www.bbcearth.com/walking-with-dinosaurs/

http://www.funbrain.com/

http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln2.html

http://annefrank.com/

http://www.biography.com/

http://explore.museumca.org/goldrush/

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/hispanic/index.htm

http://www.civil-war.net/

http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/

http://www.foodtimeline.org/

http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/

http://www.learner.org/interactives/middleages/

http://billnye.com/

http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/

Blurb: Addie comes from a long line of readers or "story catchers" as her family likes to call themselves. Every time Addie tries to catch a story on her own the wiggly words play tricks on her. She tries different ways to make those words sit still but it will take a little faith for Addie to become the next STORY CATCHER.

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Non-Fiction: Kicking It To The Curb

Before I talk about today's post I need to mention something that happened to me last week for the first time ever on this blog. In the whole scheme of things it was only a little blip in the world of blogging but for me it was a chance to see one of my posts become involved in what I would call a mini-viral blogging event.

Last Monday I posted Step Three of my ongoing series about my personal process for researching non-fiction picture book material.  If you didn't get a chance to read it, you can go to this link...

http://donasdays.blogspot.com/2013/09/non-fiction-lineup.html.

I was just sharing how I approach the research part of writing non-fiction and was pleased when I got a few comments on my post.  Then my friend Donna L Sadd decided to tweet my post to her almost 2000 followers on her twitter account (@DonnaLSadd). From there five other people retweeted that original post (Stacie Theis @beachboundbooks, Olga Guseva @meOllyGreseva, Jenny Burnley @JennyBurnley1, Lawrence Wray @lawrence_wray, Scribe Quiver @writetips) and by the end of the next morning that one post had been retweeted to over 19,800 people! I am honored so many people thought my post was noteworthy and overwhelmed with the kindness of others as they share my journey with THEIR friends as well. I just wanted to publicly thank Donna for starting that ball rolling and to express my appreciation for this wonderful writing community.

That being said, this week I will talk a little bit about the types of information I am obtaining and how I'm going to sort through it all...

STEP FOUR: DIGGING FOR GOLD

When you start research for a non-fiction project you might not realize the amount of information you will receive. I knew my topic and I had a general outline of how I wanted to present my story but the deeper I got into my research, the more twists and turns I bumped into which lead me down new uncharted territory.

I had to keep an open mind of where potential gold nuggets of information would come from and had to constantly remind myself not to head off on a tangent.  While there is one major theme running throughout the story, there is some "backstory" which is crucial to the telling of my tale. So I'm talking to people. A lot of people. Librarians. Teachers. Judges. The police. Even innocent bystanders who were minding their own business one night so long ago when they were suddenly thrown into a historical moment their town still celebrates fifty years later.

All of these contacts want to tell me THEIR stories and I want to hear them. But as a non-fiction writer I have to make sure my information is FACT-BASED so I have to kick to the curb any comments suggesting a reason to the cause of the event (to this day it's never been solved) or some people's opinions as to the actions of others at the time. I also have to weed out of my interviews things like how someone's favorite cousin twice removed should have been the town's fall festival queen back then or how their best friend Willie sure could play a mean first base in the neighborhood ball game. I'm absolutely fascinated with those special moments blending to create a meaningful life but right now it won't help me tell my story. THAT isn't the reason for my research and I have to stay focused while I dig for the golden nuggets which will make my story sparkle and shine!

But what about all those other nuggets I'm uncovering along the way? I'll have to think about it. They just might make a good story some day...

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...

Non-Fiction: A Labor Of Love

I'm guessing it's only in the states that Labor Day is celebrated? It's a day when we are supposed to take a moment to honor the working men and women who are the backbone of our free society. A day when the working class is supposed to relax, kick back, and enjoy NOT having to work. While I'm not exactly working my regular job this Labor Day, I will be working to represent my TaeKwonDo school as we perform a Board Breakathon at one of the malls to help raise awareness and money for Muscular Dystrophy Association. We've been doing this for almost twenty years in our organization and I'll try to post some pictures on my Facebook page over the next couple of days.

There is another little bit of "laboring" I'm doing these days and today's holiday is not stopping me from working as hard as I can on one of my current writing projects.  Now that I've got a number of polished picture books in my writing portfolio and more in revising phases, I am turning my attention to one of my true loves...children's non-fiction.

I love learning new things and I was always one of those geeks in elementary school who couldn't wait to be told I had to write a paper.  That meant it involved research and THAT was addictive to me.  The rush to be first with a new bit of information others might not have.  Today it is the excitement of realizing I've stumbled across something few people in the world might know about and how can I turn my discovery into a compelling story?

I have to thank my sister, Janet, for the historical nugget she tossed my way a few months ago. When I read the blurb about something that happened more than 50 years ago I was compelled to find out more!  This non-fiction research path I've traveled lately has been a true labor of love. It astounds me how little written information is available and that there is NO published book ANYWHERE covering this moment in history.  So it's a challenge to me and a mystery I am determined to solve.

In the next few weeks I plan on posting about this particular journey...what I am doing research wise, what works, and what doesn't. Hopefully one day soon I will be able to announce the first draft of my non-fiction picture book is complete but for now it's...

STEP ONE: PICK A TOPIC

There are literally millions of non-fiction ideas just waiting to be developed so why not by YOU? Find something you can be passionate about. Something you've heard on the news, read on the internet, saw written in the sand...you get the idea...and run with it.  The first thing I did was Google anything I could find on my topic.  I literally found only half a dozen articles written over the past 50 years on this event. Does that mean I should give up and pick another topic? No, it just means I needed to dig further.

Next week, find out what I did to discover some primary sources who were very helpful with my research. Until then, look around and keep an open mind. You just might be surprised what idea seeds might begin to bloom...

WRITERLY WISDOM: Donna L Martin

Non-Fiction: Researching Your Options
by Donna L Martin

I've been thinking for a long time about dipping my fingers into the non-fiction waters.  You would think writing picture books, middle grade chapter books and young adult novels along with my essays and poetry would be enough to keep me busy.  But I've always had a fascination with non-fiction, particularly when it involves the historic lives of unique individuals.  There are many wonderful non-fiction authors out there and I imagine just as many talented wannabe non-fiction writers in this writing community.

But where to start?

Last week Tina M Cho showed us an excellent way to create a proposal letter to whet an editor's appetite for our stories.  But what if you are only starting out with an interest in writing non-fiction?

Where do you go from there?

Here is one plan on tackling your first non-fiction manuscript:

Choose A Topic

You can't write a story without an idea.  What interests you?  Historical figures?  Science? Nature?  Travel?  Pick a topic that fascinates you.  Something you might know a little bit about or something of which you know nothing at all.  Non-fiction writing requires a healthy amount of research and by the end of it, you will in some small way become an expert on your chosen topic.

Outline Your Chapters

While some fiction stories can be written at a drop of the hat, non-fiction stories require much more planning otherwise you will simply drone on and on about your topic while getting nowhere.  A publisher will want to know what each chapter will be about and the more detailed you are about how you will cover your chosen topic makes the actual writing that much easier when the time comes.

Plan Out Your Research

Think of how you will learn everything you need to know about your chosen topic.  Depending on your particular story idea, there will be a number of ways to go about researching the subject of your manuscript.  At the end of this post I will list various resources to help you with your non-fiction research.  Make sure you have index cards or a notebook for taking good notes or even a tape recorder for live interviews.

Stay Organized

There must be a method to your research.  A way to categorize your notes and organize your research so that you can properly document your sources.  Fiction dwells only in the imagination of the writer.  Non-fiction, even fictionalized non-fiction, must be based on documented facts which any good editor will ask for  when requesting to see your manuscript.

Write, Revise, & Submit

Once you have created your chapter outline, completed your research, organized your notes, and documented your sources, it is now time to write your first draft.  After many revisions, critiques from writing partners, and editing for content and accuracy, your manuscript will be ready for submission to a publishing house.  Time to celebrate a job well done and time to start researching your next non-fiction topic!


As promised, here are a list of potential resources to help you research different non-fiction story ideas:

1.  Interview local experts
2.  Local & out of town newspapers
3.  Public libraries
    a. Research rooms
    b. Online databases
    c. Microfilm
    d. Microfiche
    e. Archived magazines & newspapers
4.  Universities
5.  Museums
6.  Books already published on your idea (how will YOUR story be unique?)
    a. Public & university libraries
    b. Amazon.com
    c.  BN.com (Barnes & Noble)
7.  Local & national corporations
8.  Government agencies
9.  Local & national organizations
10. Library of Congress
11.Smithsonian Institution
12.The National Archives
13. National Geographic Society
14. National magazines
15. Associationas & socities
16. Research institutes
17. Internet
18. Foreign embassies
19. Local businesses
20 Specialized libraries (like presidential)

The resources are out there.  It is our job as writers of non-fiction to search out and discover those little known facts about the topics which interest us and present them in a way to fascinate our readers.

No matter the topic, keep writing and have fun with it!

Blog:  www.donnalmartin.com

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/donasdays

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/donna.martin.9440

Email:  www.donasdays@gmail.com

WRITERLY WISDOM: Donna L Martin

WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE?

by Donna L Martin

If I were to take a poll of the people reading this WRITERLY WISDOM series I would imagine most of them would be either children's book writers or novelists.  Some may write picture books, others write middle grade or young adult but I believe the vast majority sees their path to publication through books as the preferred medium.  I, too, am one of those people who are working toward the goal of becoming a published author of my own books one day.  But if you are a beginner writer just starting to dip your toes in this professional writing pool, seeking to have a book published might be an extremely challenging goal.  It also might make you wonder...

WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE?

When I started writing professional three years ago I knew in my heart I wanted to write books...picture books...middle grade...and young adult.  I wasn't really sure how to go about it and I took the next two years learning as much as I could about the industry.  I quickly found out winning a book contract is almost like winning the lottery...almost impossible to do and subject to a whole lot of luck!

So while I continued to write stories, I looked around to see what other avenues might be available to help me establish some publishing credits.  I started to research anthologies and magazines as other possible paths.  Not exactly a way to see my name on the cover of a book, but still a viable way to add to my writing resume.

It helped that I liked writing poetry, short stories and essays because that's what editors creating anthologies look for...writers whose portfolio includes those types of copy.  And when my essay "Shortcut To Peace" was picked up by Chicken Soup For The Soul: Angels Among Us edition (published January 2013) I realized there was a whole other market I should consider.  If my goal was to become published then hard bound books wasn't the only way.

AN ALTERNATIVE TO BOOKS

New writers may want to consider the possibility of focusing on stories and articles for magazines...at least in the beginning of their career.  Magazines offer a number of advantages for the newbie writer:

1.  The stories and articles are usually shorter in the word count department than say, a novel, so new writers could quickly feel a sense of accomplishment by completing an assignment.

2.  Magazine publication cycles are much shorter than books so new writers must learn to work with tight deadlines.  This challenges them to work consistently and streamline their entire writing process for optimum efficiency.

3.  Even a small story in a small magazine with limited circulation  looks good on an otherwise empty resume.  I might only have one publishing credit to my name at this point, but you can bet I include it in my query letters.  It tells the world that SOMEONE took a chance on me and my writing is worth considering.

4.  Both fiction and non-fiction stories can be found in magazine which gives the new writer a chance to perfect their research skills.

EENY, MEENY

So which magazine should you choose?  Just like Agents or Publishers, you have to do your research.  Resources like SCBWI (http://www.scbwi.org) or the latest Writer's Market book (http://www.writersmarket.com) provide a list of kid's magazines being published today and there is always a Google search.

HOMEWORK, HOMEWORK, HOMEWORK

Just like you would do for your book manuscript, you have to do your research when it comes to magazines.  Visit their website, check out their submission guidelines, even buy a copy or two and READ what types of articles they are accepting.  Determine which of your work would do well in a magazine format, sharpen your query letter and send it off with fingers crossed!

To get you started, here is a short list of children's magazines along with the link to their websites.  Some of these names like Cricket Family of Magazines actually has a number of different maagazines to review on their website.  Take your time, be thorough in your research and good luck!

And in the meantime?  

KEEP WRITING!!

Sports Illustrated Kids (http://www.sikids.com)

National Geographic Kids (http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids)

Highlights (https://www.highlights.com)

Kids Discover (http://www.kidsdiscover.com)

Boys' Lie (http://boyslife.org)

YUM Food & Fun For Kids (http://www.yumfoodandfun.com)

Girls' Life (http://www.girlslife.com)

Discovery Girls (http://discoverygirls.com)

Young Rider (http://subscribe.youngrider.com/Young-Rider/Magazine)

Zoobooks (http://www.zoobooks.com)

Cricket Family of Magazines (http://www.cricketmag.com)

U S Kids Family of Magazines (http://www.uskidsmags.com)

Cicada (http://www.cicadamag.com)