Sunday, January 24, 2010
Award-winning Nonfiction
It is so gratifying to work in a business where there are so many exemplary writers and such an abundance of awesome books. Congratulations to all the award winners and honor books that were announced this past week: to Hester Bass for winning the Orbis Pictus for The Secret World of Walter Anderson; to Tanya Lee Stone for winning the Sibert Award for Almost Astronauts; and Deborah Heiligman for YALSA's Award for Excellence in NF for one of my favorite books - Charles and Emma, just to name a few. This year there were dozens of excellent books to choose from and these awards just help to publicize what the rest of us already know - the art of telling true stories is alive and well and good reading!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Revision Relief
The revisions from the copyeditor came back for "For the Birds" a biography of Roger Tory Peterson. For this book they came via email and when I saw it pop up on my screen, my stomach tightened. I always get a queasy feeling, afraid there will be questions I can't answer and glaring mistakes pointed out. Why didn't I write fiction, I wonder. They don't have this kind of pressure for accuracy.
I take a deep breath and call up the text and see how many notes there are - 41. That amounts to more than one on each page. Ugh! My stomach flips. Then I start to read them. The copyeditor's first query is whether to use italics or underline a particular heading. Okay, I can handle that. I keep reading. More style and format questions -- do we use italics or quotation marks or both for quotes? Another easy one.
Then I get the queries to double-check names and dates. Is it called the Rivers School or The Country Day School for Boys of Boston in 1931? Is the Hunts Point dump a proper dump with a capital D? Should I include the full name of DDT in this picture book or not? I relax a little. Nothing I can't handle.
But one point brought up by an expert reader does present a problem. He questions some of the details of an incident that happened in Roger's childhood. I have to weigh my sources. There are discrepancies. The writer Edwin Way Teale, a friend of Roger's, describes one moth incident, and Roger's sister Margaret describes it another way. Are they writing about the same event? Roger did not write about it, so I don't have his word, but I feel like Margaret, who was there, would remember it well. Moths flew all around the house. So back to the drawing board I go. Is there another source out there? And if not, how can I write this scene accurately without killing it with phrases like 'some sources described...."
The revision process is a necessary evil. I hate being questioned about my research, but I welcome the opportunity to fix mistakes. I want to be proud of this book, and the only way to do that is to make sure I get it right -- facts, format and feeling.
I take a deep breath and call up the text and see how many notes there are - 41. That amounts to more than one on each page. Ugh! My stomach flips. Then I start to read them. The copyeditor's first query is whether to use italics or underline a particular heading. Okay, I can handle that. I keep reading. More style and format questions -- do we use italics or quotation marks or both for quotes? Another easy one.
Then I get the queries to double-check names and dates. Is it called the Rivers School or The Country Day School for Boys of Boston in 1931? Is the Hunts Point dump a proper dump with a capital D? Should I include the full name of DDT in this picture book or not? I relax a little. Nothing I can't handle.
But one point brought up by an expert reader does present a problem. He questions some of the details of an incident that happened in Roger's childhood. I have to weigh my sources. There are discrepancies. The writer Edwin Way Teale, a friend of Roger's, describes one moth incident, and Roger's sister Margaret describes it another way. Are they writing about the same event? Roger did not write about it, so I don't have his word, but I feel like Margaret, who was there, would remember it well. Moths flew all around the house. So back to the drawing board I go. Is there another source out there? And if not, how can I write this scene accurately without killing it with phrases like 'some sources described...."
The revision process is a necessary evil. I hate being questioned about my research, but I welcome the opportunity to fix mistakes. I want to be proud of this book, and the only way to do that is to make sure I get it right -- facts, format and feeling.
Monday, January 11, 2010
There Is More to Writing Than Just Writing
Over the weekend I went to the SCBWI conference in Syracuse, NY and felt quite at home with the unofficial theme of the day - research. In the morning, nonfiction writer Clara McClafferty shared her process and the importance of keeping track of your resources from the start. Her tips:
About Internet information - "Print that baby out today." It might not be there the next time you need it. And note the date the site was last updated.
About calling an expert - know what you want and be specific. Don't waste their time.
And the best advice - When in doubt, ask. "I'm all about point-blank asking." (I loved her Arkansas accent)
Even the illustrators Debra Bandelin and Bob Dacey stressed their need to do research in their business. Bob noted that book illustration was 75% research and 25% illustrating. They take photographs, use magazine, book and Internet material, but the best reference is the real thing - that is why they still have 7 hermit crabs after doing a hermit crab book.
In the afternoon, Charlesbridge editor Randi Rivers outlined how to get the most out of your submission. And guess what? She encourages all writers to do their research. Read the kinds of books that you want to write. Know what is already on the market and how your story fits in or is different. Use market guides to choose the right publishing house for you and your manuscript. Go to conferences and meet editors.
It was unusual for a whole conference to have such a strong common thread running through it, but it reflects how important it is for writers to do the leg work. There is more to writing than just writing. And I agree completely.
About Internet information - "Print that baby out today." It might not be there the next time you need it. And note the date the site was last updated.
About calling an expert - know what you want and be specific. Don't waste their time.
And the best advice - When in doubt, ask. "I'm all about point-blank asking." (I loved her Arkansas accent)
Even the illustrators Debra Bandelin and Bob Dacey stressed their need to do research in their business. Bob noted that book illustration was 75% research and 25% illustrating. They take photographs, use magazine, book and Internet material, but the best reference is the real thing - that is why they still have 7 hermit crabs after doing a hermit crab book.
In the afternoon, Charlesbridge editor Randi Rivers outlined how to get the most out of your submission. And guess what? She encourages all writers to do their research. Read the kinds of books that you want to write. Know what is already on the market and how your story fits in or is different. Use market guides to choose the right publishing house for you and your manuscript. Go to conferences and meet editors.
It was unusual for a whole conference to have such a strong common thread running through it, but it reflects how important it is for writers to do the leg work. There is more to writing than just writing. And I agree completely.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
A New Year of Writing
I don't usually take New Year's resolutions seriously, because like most people I don't follow through. But I do find that January is a good time to take stock of the projects I have been working on. I think it has something to do with taking down the tree, boxing up the decorations and returning everyday nick-knacks to their rightful places on the shelves. I'm ready to get things back to normal and get back to work.
Here is where I stand at the start of this year --
- Picture book biography of Roger Tory Peterson - is at the illustrator
- Writing Nonfiction how-to - on editor's desk
- WWII novel - finished, but I need to look more closely at character development
- mid-grade fantasy - just read chapter 7 to my critique group
- Preliminary research for a new biography subject
So, this year I need to call the editor about the how-to, polish my novel and dig deeper into Milosz's back story. I will finish my mid-grade manuscript and decide on who I will focus on for my next biography.
One year from now, I'll be able to look at this list and see how well I did. And I promise to tell the truth. Honest.
Here is where I stand at the start of this year --
- Picture book biography of Roger Tory Peterson - is at the illustrator
- Writing Nonfiction how-to - on editor's desk
- WWII novel - finished, but I need to look more closely at character development
- mid-grade fantasy - just read chapter 7 to my critique group
- Preliminary research for a new biography subject
So, this year I need to call the editor about the how-to, polish my novel and dig deeper into Milosz's back story. I will finish my mid-grade manuscript and decide on who I will focus on for my next biography.
One year from now, I'll be able to look at this list and see how well I did. And I promise to tell the truth. Honest.
Monday, December 21, 2009
A Merry Christmas for Nonfiction Writers
Every year my mother would give at least one BC, a Before Christmas present. Sometimes it was a pair of PJs to wear on Christmas Eve, or an extra present that needed to be given early in order to even out the gifts on Christmas morning. One year my BC was a shiny pair of Maryjanes that I wore to the midnight service like Cinderella with her glass slippers.
This year all nonfiction writers got a BC. ALA Young Adult Library Services announced the creation of a new award for young adult nonfiction. What a wonderful and much-needed opportunity to highlight high quality exciting true stories that otherwise might linger unnoticed by the general public. If you are like me and are not on the list this year you might wonder why it is a BC for all. It is a gift because shining a light on these titles will also compel publishers to pay more attention to the design and production of nonfiction, and that will benefit all of us. And someday you may be on the list and that will make for a very happy New Year indeed!
The first finalists are:
"Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream," by Tanya Lee Stone, published by Candlewick Press.
"Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith," by Deborah Heiligman, published by Henry Holt. (a personal favorite - the committee looked beyond the lack of visual design and took note of Heiligman's voice, writing and research.)
"Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice," by Phillip Hoose, published by Farrar Straus Giroux.
"The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous and Stupendous Life of the Showman P.T. Barnum," by Candace Fleming, published by Random House.
"Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland," by Sally M. Walker, published by Carolrhoda Books.
This year all nonfiction writers got a BC. ALA Young Adult Library Services announced the creation of a new award for young adult nonfiction. What a wonderful and much-needed opportunity to highlight high quality exciting true stories that otherwise might linger unnoticed by the general public. If you are like me and are not on the list this year you might wonder why it is a BC for all. It is a gift because shining a light on these titles will also compel publishers to pay more attention to the design and production of nonfiction, and that will benefit all of us. And someday you may be on the list and that will make for a very happy New Year indeed!
The first finalists are:
"Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream," by Tanya Lee Stone, published by Candlewick Press.
"Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith," by Deborah Heiligman, published by Henry Holt. (a personal favorite - the committee looked beyond the lack of visual design and took note of Heiligman's voice, writing and research.)
"Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice," by Phillip Hoose, published by Farrar Straus Giroux.
"The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous and Stupendous Life of the Showman P.T. Barnum," by Candace Fleming, published by Random House.
"Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland," by Sally M. Walker, published by Carolrhoda Books.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Ice Fishing
Finally, it is snowing like a proper Christmas season. It had been so hard to get into the holiday mood with the dog tracking in mud several times a day. Now Lily just shakes off a few flakes and hops on the couch where I sit still fishing for a good story. But it is more like ice fishing. It is cold and nothing is biting.
This is a hard time to be without a distinct project. It is easy to get distracted by cookie baking and Christmas shopping. Perhaps it would be best to call it quits, enjoy the holiday and toss in my hook after the first of the year. It will give my brain a chance to mull over the half-formed ideas I already have. So if you see me out shoveling just remember that I'm still working. If I'm at the market -- still working. Walking the dog -- working. Napping -- working very hard.
This is a hard time to be without a distinct project. It is easy to get distracted by cookie baking and Christmas shopping. Perhaps it would be best to call it quits, enjoy the holiday and toss in my hook after the first of the year. It will give my brain a chance to mull over the half-formed ideas I already have. So if you see me out shoveling just remember that I'm still working. If I'm at the market -- still working. Walking the dog -- working. Napping -- working very hard.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Gone Fishing
Back to the pond again. After handing in the revisions for my Roger Tory Peterson biography I am ready to go fishing for a new book idea. This is one of my favorite times when I can read in the middle of the day without feeling guilty that I'm not writing or washing the dishes. I drag out all of those scraps of paper holding hastily scribbled ideas and revisit previously past over subjects to see if they have fermented enough in the compost pile of my brain.
I tend to find that ideas need to sit in the dark like wilted lettuce, orange rinds, coffee grounds and egg shells. Under the layers of everyday thought they mesh and meld. An occasional stir now and then and soon new workable ideas surface. I see a different approach to an old subject that I hadn't seen before, or several bits combine to form an entirely new project.
Now is the time that I remember a librarian I met at the Rochester Children's book festival who rattled off several names of people kids learn about but there are no children's biographies about them. Do any have good stories to tell? I recall a radio show that mentioned Darwinian ideas long before Darwin, and watching on TV as an octopus uses a halved coconut like an undersea hovercraft. I throw out my hook and reel in a dozen books about forgotten aviation pioneers, women's rights activists, and nineteen century scientists. Will anything bite? I hope so. Something usually does, but they also might just end up in my mental compost pile until they are so ripe I can smell them. Then I have something new to write about.
I tend to find that ideas need to sit in the dark like wilted lettuce, orange rinds, coffee grounds and egg shells. Under the layers of everyday thought they mesh and meld. An occasional stir now and then and soon new workable ideas surface. I see a different approach to an old subject that I hadn't seen before, or several bits combine to form an entirely new project.
Now is the time that I remember a librarian I met at the Rochester Children's book festival who rattled off several names of people kids learn about but there are no children's biographies about them. Do any have good stories to tell? I recall a radio show that mentioned Darwinian ideas long before Darwin, and watching on TV as an octopus uses a halved coconut like an undersea hovercraft. I throw out my hook and reel in a dozen books about forgotten aviation pioneers, women's rights activists, and nineteen century scientists. Will anything bite? I hope so. Something usually does, but they also might just end up in my mental compost pile until they are so ripe I can smell them. Then I have something new to write about.
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