Check out Roy Kaufman's post on Research Information. In Fighting Misinformation he mentions
the importance of copyright. Food for thought.
Ramblings from the mind of a writer of nonfiction for children.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Alternative Facts - A Nightmare
Time Magazine 1/2017 |
I had a nightmare last night.
I was standing in front of a gymnasium full of kids talking about my newest
nonfiction title. With a cool power point that played off every wall and
ceiling (it was a dream after all) I shared how I diligently researched and
vetted every tidbit from the weather on a certain historic day to the time it
would take to ride a horse to the Milky Way, when a kid
raised his hand. “What about the
alternative facts?” he said with a sneer. “Does your book have those?”
My scream upon waking made
the dogs bark.
It could happen. You know how easily a word or phrase quickly
becomes part of our everyday language. Think Obama care instead of the Affordable Care Act, political correctness, anything with -gate at the end of it, creative
nonfiction, journaling. New terms
are soaked up by our citizenry faster than my dog Lily can snitch a napkin off
your lap, especially when those words are uttered by someone who is in a
position of power and assumed
trustworthy.
It seems funny now, but I’m
concerned. And I think every nonfiction
writer should be, regardless of their political affiliation. We are in the
business of telling true stories. We
share facts with children. If kids
get wind of something called “alternative facts,” it will make our job just
that much harder. Why would anyone
believe us and our measly evidence-based information when its easier to go
along with a flood of “fake news.”
I’m sure every nonfiction
writer who goes into the classroom has been asked by teachers to address the
issue of credible sources. We’ve all given the spiel about .com, .org, .gov. (I
swear this is my only politically snarky remark) Will we have to put .gov in
the not credible category? How much
energy will we expend each day calmly explaining that an alternative fact is just another
name for a lie.
Yes, there is something
called bias, and we all have one, but that is not the same thing. I have always
said that a children’s writer sees the world through a lens of hope. That is
our bias. Even the bleakest subject is written to convey optimism for the
future. After all, that’s where our readers live. In the future. The future
that we establish with our acts and words today. There is no alternative fact for that.
For now I’ll just pray before
I go to bed that we leave the world a truly better place. A world with hope and optimism for ALL Americans regardless of
how you count them.
***FYI – listen to ScienceFriday and learn how we can inoculate kids from disinformation
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Get to Work!
Writers are an
insecure bunch. We are always sneaking a
peek at everyone else's writing process assuming our own approach is somehow
insufficient. Wrong. We need the
assurance that what we are doing is within the realm of acceptance so we humbly
ask, "How do you revise?"" What writing programs do you use?" " I use the Oxford comma, do you?" It isn't a
malady for beginners alone. Seasoned writers do this too, convinced that
better methods of note taking or editing shine on the horizon.
While learning new
techniques is a good thing, it shouldn't consume more than a fraction of your
writing time. I know a gentleman who has called himself a writer for years, but
has never submitted a manuscript. He is
, however, an expert on other things. Like going to writer's conferences, and
kibitzing in online chats. He is
constantly learning about writing, but not writing. If my mom were here, she'd say, "If
you're a writer, then write!" Not
to the man's face, of course. That would be rude. But Mom would definitely think it.
I'm reminded of all
this because I, too, have been wallowing in this pit of procrastinative
learning (Like my new word?). It tends
to happen after the holidays when I'm easing myself back into the world of
writing, and, thinking that other writers have marched into the new year with
novel things to say, I throw myself into surfing the net, keeping my ear to the ground, elbow to the wheel, or whatever. But I'm fooling myself. I'm putting off real
work. I know it, and my mother's voice in my head knows it.
So, if you are
reading this hoping you'll get sage advice that will catapult you onto the
Newbery list, you are in luck. Here it is.
Get off the Internet and get to work!
Write something!!
You're welcome.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)