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By Nancy Churnin I just sold my 11th book, but do I get stuck sometimes? YES. One of the problems that comes back to haunt me more than I would like to admit is gathering too much information. Let’s face it, one of the reasons you’re a nonfiction writer is that you love research. I’m going to take a gamble and bet that you’re one of those people that study old books, newspaper and magazine articles, lifting up your head to exclaim, Really? She did what? That actually happened? It’s easy to hoard all this delicious information and to get carried away by all the fascinating details. I’ve been there. I’ve done that. I’ve written in a previous Nonfiction Ninja post about A Theme to the Rescue – where a strong, kid-friendly theme helped me streamline (and, sigh, toss out) details that kept my story boat from floating. A theme is a lifeline. But in this post, I want to talk about how structure can also be your friend. When I’m worried that I’ve got too much information or narrative for a picture book to hold, I give thanks to picture book author and Storystorm creator Tara Lazar, and pull out her Picture Book Layouts, better known as dummies.Tara gives two options below. In one example, you have 14 spreads, plus 2 single-page illustrations. In the other, you have 12 spreads. Trying to see how your story fits into this limited number of spreads can wake you to reality very quickly. Given that you don’t want to have more than a couple of sentences on each spread, you realize you have to make big choices: do I really need this? Is this advancing my theme and doing it in a way that makes kids want to turn the page to a satisfying conclusion? If you’ve got too much information for a dummy to hold, maybe what you really want to work on is middle grade. But that’s another story.  
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 By Stephanie Bearce
Writing nonfiction ALWAYS means research. Sometimes it involves deep dives into the library stacks or wandering through jungles of internet information. But other times it means plunging into the ocean with a jellyfish, crawling through caves hunting for bats, or scaling crumbling cliffs collecting fossils. I've had some of my best adventures doing research for nonfiction projects. I've crawled through rooms full of artfully arranged skulls to learn about the Paris Catacombs. I've spent hours sitting outside in subzero temperatures to understand the mating habits of Gray Wolves, and I've traveled to the rivers of Australia to watch platypus play in their own environment. Each adventure has given me insight that I never could have found in a library or on a YouTube video. I learned that the adorable platypus is a hyperactive little bugger. He is constantly diving for food, coming back up to gasp for air with sides heaving and body still wriggling. In seconds he dives back down to waggle his bill through the mud hunting for supper. The best way to track a platypus is to watch for the air bubbles that escape when he is underwater. Follow the bubbles and eventually you will see the platy surface. I've learned how to tell who is the Alpha male in a pack by the way the wolves hold their tails. The alpha male's is usually straight out even with his back. I also know that the easiest way to tell a fossilized bone from a rock is to lick it. The porous nature of the bone will cause it to stick to your tongue. And yes, it is better if it is a clean fossil - but when in the field... I'm really excited about my next adventure. I'm headed to Lyme Regis, England. Home of fossil hunter Mary Anning. I'm going to spend time in her home town, read her papers, climb her fossil cliffs, and hopefully spot a few of the fossils that made her famous. What will I learn about her that I couldn't find in the library or on the internet? I'm not sure! And that's a part of the adventure. I know that by walking in her footsteps and seeing the place where she lived and died, I will learn something new. Something that I hope will make my book about her unique and enthralling for middle grade readers. It is not physically or financially feasible for authors to investigate each of their topics in person. But on those rare occasions when you are able to dive into the ocean with a scientist or walk in the footsteps of history - take advantage. Go on the adventure and soak up the knowledge. Your story will be all the better for it.  by Christine Liu-Perkins
My favorite part of the writing process is doing research. I collect as much as I can. The upside of extensive research is having a wealth of information to draw on and learn from. But the downside is getting overwhelmed trying to process all that material. How can one absorb and understand so much information? How do you get it off the page (or screen) and into your mind? Studies shows that students learn best when they actively engage with material. Likewise for writers, the more we ponder, wrestle with, and ruminate over our research, the more we comprehend. And the better we understand a subject, the more deeply and creatively we can write about it. How can we get research off the page and into our minds? "Get control over your topic by writing about it along the way," suggests one of my favorite books on academic research and writing (Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. The Craft of Research. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2008, p. 66). Reflecting on smaller chunks of research as you gather it will help you avoid being overwhelmed by mountains of information later on. Here are some ways to ponder, wrestle, and ruminate over your research:
Ponder, wrestle, and ruminate over your research along the way. You'll be well prepared when it's time to write that first draft!  By Wendy Hinote Lanier
In the world of writing, there are a multitude of short courses, books, and blog posts about writing fiction. They talk about plot, character development, story arcs, point of view, setting, and so on. And all of those things are important for writing a good work of fiction. But nonfiction projects don’t always work that way. Sometimes nonfiction writers use fiction techniques in their writing, but that part comes later in the process. As part of a recent discussion, the Ninjas talked a bit about how we approach new projects. We thought it might be fun to compare notes in a format that you (our readers) can share with us. In this way, we can all learn from each other. For me, the first step is almost always to log in to my CiteFast account and create a new bibliography. (Yes, I know CiteFast had a problem a few months ago. They were maliciously hacked, and I lost over 30 bibliographies! In the future I will be saving my bibliographies in other places as well. Lesson learned—the hard way.) CiteFast stays open on my computer any time I am looking for articles and information. And the moment I decide a source is worth using, I use this resource to create a bibliographic entry. This is a step that saves me time and heartache later. My next step is usually to do an internet search on my chosen subject. At this point I’m looking for information, websites, articles, and anything else that helps me better understand my topic. As a nonfiction writer who sometimes does work for hire, not all my topics are of my own choosing. Sometimes when I start a project, I don’t know ANYTHING about it, so I literally have to start with a definition. Other times I may have an idea about where I’m headed, but I’m going to need a lot more information before I am ready to start writing. As I begin reading articles and collecting information in earnest, I usually create a document folder on my computer to serve as a catch all for drafts, contracts, and anything else related to that specific project. I also create a literal folder (going old school here) in which to put printed articles, rough drafts, and other documents I may collect. I do this because I still like to print out and mark up web posts and articles I find helpful. Depending on the size of the project (article vs picture book vs middle grade), one folder can sometimes turn into several or even an entire box. I know some of the Ninjas use OneNote in this phase of nonfiction writing, and it’s something I keep meaning to add to my arsenal. But, true confession time, I still haven’t made the leap. After a reasonably thorough search of the internet, my next steps are usually to find books and sources other than online. A trip to the library may be in order. Or it might be that a field trip to see my topic up close and personal and speak with someone who is an expert may be just the ticket. This part of the process can be lots of fun. Not to mention tax deductible. But at some point, the collection of information has to stop. Those research trails can turn into rabbit trails that never end if I’m not careful. So there has to be a point where I stop to assess what I have and begin thinking about how I want to use it. It’s here I usually develop a rough outline. It looks nothing like the one my seventh-grade English teacher taught me to write. (My apologies to Mary Ann Carrier.) At this stage it is more like a list of all the things I want to include. Or, if the project is work for hire, the outline is determined by the guidelines. What I think should be included doesn’t matter. Once my outline is created, I start looking for holes. What needs further explanation? I formulate questions based on the information I’ve gathered and set out to find the answers. Once I’ve found them, I can adjust my outline accordingly. Now, finally, it’s time to start writing. But before I begin, I have to make an important decision. What type of nonfiction will this project be? Will it be traditional, browsable, narrative, expository, or active? Then, I have to decide what kind of voice I want to use. Am I going for something humorous or is this piece more serious? (Do I have a choice? If it’s work for hire the answer is no. They pay me to follow the guidelines.) For me, this part of the process sometimes means walking away for a while and letting a project simmer in the back of my mind a bit. Once I’ve made this decision, I have to decide if it works. If not, it’s back to the drawing board. But, after much deliberation and usually several false starts, a rough draft is finally completed! It would be great if, given all the work and effort that’s gone into a project up to this point, a rough draft was near perfect. Unfortunately, that is seldom the case. This is the stage where a good critique group is so very important. Every piece I write is shared with the Ninjas or my in-house editor (my retired professor husband). Their feedback is critical. Based on that feedback I make edits and corrections. And, as I’ve learned over the years, the editing doesn’t stop until the project is actually published. I wish I could tell you all my projects have been published. But the truth is I have boxes of folders in which there are multiple projects in various stages of development. Some are complete but unpublished. Others are in the outline stage. I even have an entire box just for ideas that contains notes scribbled on napkins, pages torn from notepads, and articles ripped out of magazines. (Sometimes I look at those notes and think, “That’s dumb. What was I thinking??”) The approach I’ve described here doesn’t apply to ALL my writing. Not all my projects are nonfiction. Some are informational fiction. (With my background as a teacher, I want every book I write to be useful for learning as well as fun.) But this does, in general, describe my process for nonfiction. I wish it worked as neatly and progressed in as orderly a fashion as it seems to in this post. But it does work. The key is perseverance. So, what about you? What’s your process?  by Christine Liu-Perkins
My favorite part of the writing process is doing research. I collect as much as I can. The upside of extensive research is having a wealth of information to draw on and learn from. But the downside is getting overwhelmed trying to process all that material. How can one absorb and understand so much information? How do you get it off the page (or screen) and into your mind? Studies shows that students learn best when they actively engage with material. Likewise for writers, the more we ponder, wrestle with, and ruminate over our research, the more we comprehend. And the better we understand a subject, the more deeply and creatively we can write about it. How can we get research off the page and into our minds? "Get control over your topic by writing about it along the way," suggests one of my favorite books on academic research and writing (Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. The Craft of Research. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2008, p. 66). Reflecting on smaller chunks of research as you gather it will help you avoid being overwhelmed by mountains of information later on. Here are some ways to ponder, wrestle, and ruminate over your research:
Ponder, wrestle, and ruminate over your research along the way. You'll be well prepared when it's time to write that first draft! By Susie Kralovansky Celebrated during the fourth week of September, National Dog Week is a time to honor and celebrate our pets and best friends. Teachers, librarians, parents and grandparents can share a weeks worth of activities to teach children more about these wonderful animals. 
 After my last post about whether you need an agent, a reader posed a great question: How do you find a reputable agent who represents nonfiction (or any other genre)?
Here are some places to start: 1. Querytracker lists tons of agents and publishers. When you visit the site, you can search by genre, find contact info, see statistics about reply time, and more. The site also helps you track your submissions. There are other similar sites out there as well. 2. Look at resource guides such as Writer’s Market, Children’s Writers and Illustrators Market, and the SCBWI resource guide. Writers’ magazines like Writer’s Digest and The Writer often list agents and feature interviews as well. 3. Google is your friend! Find out who represents other authors in your genre by checking out their website or by searching (author’s name) and agent. If you’d like to learn more about a particular agent, check out their agency website and google interviews with them. Take a look at their social media and at www.manuscriptwishlist.com as well. 4. You may want to subscribe to Publishers Marketplace for a month to search agents and their sales. (It runs about $25/month.) Please note though that not all sales are reported to PM, and there can be a long delay before they’re reported. 5. Network. Ask questions in Facebook groups like NF Fest, or at SCBWI meetings. Talk to your writer friends about their agents. Be judicious in asking for referrals, though, so you don’t put your friends in an awkward position. 6. If an agent offers representation, it’s fine to take a little time to answer. They should be willing to provide referrals so you can talk to current clients if you wish. This is certainly not an exhaustive list, but hopefully it gives you a start on researching agents. Feel free to drop any questions or other tips in the comment box below! Lisa Amstutz is an associate literary agent with Storm Literary Agency and the author of more than 150 books. Her most recent titles include Mammal Mania and Plants Fight Back. Learn more at www.LisaAmstutz.com.  By Nancy Churnin
When you write biographies, it’s hard to resist the urge to list all the great things your main character has done. You want your readers to know about all your person’s fantastic accomplishments. But if your story reads like a list, readers will be overwhelmed or bored. What’s the solution? Find a child-friendly theme that addresses WHY your main character did what he or she did. And limit yourself, if you can, to accomplishments that fit that theme. All you want and can do in a picture book is open a door –a slice of life that makes children hungry for more. At first, I struggled to find a theme for my biography of Henrietta Szold. This woman created the first night school in America, founded Hadassah, the first charity run by women, and saved 11,000 children during the Holocaust. As I researched, I began to understand why there had never been a picture book about her. There was too much to say! My breakthrough came when I discovered Henrietta’s admiration of Queen Esther, the Biblical queen who spoke up and risked her life to save her people. Every year, Jewish children celebrate Queen Esther at joyous, kid-friendly Purim celebrations. They dress up in costumes, eat hamentashen, and shake groggers – noise makers. What if my theme was how Henrietta tried to be like Queen Esther in trying to save her people in her own way? As soon as that light bulb went off, things fell into place. Henrietta called her charity Hadassah, which is the Hebrew name for Esther. When she traveled to Nazi Germany and pled for visas to save Jewish children, she, like Esther, was pleading with the powerful to save her people. That theme led to the title: A Queen to the Rescue, the Story of Henrietta Szold, Founder of Hadassah. Not only did this theme fit the story, it provided another takeaway. It’s great to admire heroic deeds done long ago, but what’s most important is to help others in our own lifetimes. Like Queen Esther, Henrietta saved her people in the way that people needed in the time in which she lived. And that encourages children to think of the good things they can do now. Susie Kralovansky, August 2021 I’m honored to celebrate my fellow Ninjas and friends Michelle Medlock Adam’s and Wendy Lanier’s book birthday for PUPPY DOG DEVOTIONS. To commemorate their special day and the fact that we have all written dog books, today will be a double giveaway! One will receive a copy of PUPPY DOG DEVOTIONS, published by New Hope Kidz, and the other will receive my newest, WE REALLY, REALLY WANT A DOG! (more about that below). My friends, Michelle and Wendy, are both powers to be reckoned with, so let’s get right to it.   Michelle, tell us about how this book came about for you. I’ve been wanting to do this one for a while. I did a book with Tommy Nelson in 2018 called Dinosaur Devotions: 75 Dino Discoveries, Bible Truths, Fun Facts, and More! Although I wrote it, Wendy helped me brainstorm devotion ideas, took me to Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose, Texas, and helped me take photos for promotional use. When that book came out, we both thought it would be great to have a doggy version of it, and this is it! Wendy, both of our books use dog photographs and illustrations. Had you planned those combinations all along? From the beginning, Michelle and I knew we wanted to stick to a format similar to her Dinosaur Devotions book. But since this book is through a different publisher, we had a little more leeway. Originally, we hoped my dad would be able to do the dog drawings, too, but we finally settled on the dogs being photos and my dad doing all the spot artwork. My dad will be 90 this fall, so we’re both tickled that he could be part of this process. Ladies, how did this collaboration come together? Michelle – Wendy and I have talked about doing a book together for years. And almost every idea we’ve discussed had something to do with dogs. Her involvement with Dinosaur Devotions meant she was familiar with the type of content I was going for, and it seemed like the perfect first project together. Wendy – Michelle and I have been friends for almost 20 years. We’ve talked about doing a book together many times. We finally hit on the right project at the right time to make it happen. We love Jesus and dogs, so it’s just a natural fit for us. How did you decide which dogs to include? We each called dibs on certain dogs right off the bat. Michelle wanted Dachshunds because she has owned at least one for most of her life. Wendy wanted Dalmatians because she and her parents have owned four over the years. From there we each just made a list of dogs we’d like to do and swapped lists to make sure we weren’t repeating any. It still happened though. We had to redo one because we both chose the same dog, but we worked it out. Thank you, Michelle and Wendy for dropping by! Thank you, Susie, for the opportunity to chat about our first (hopefully the first of many) book together! MICHELLE MEDLOCK ADAMS is a bestselling author of more than 100 books, with close to four million books sold, including her award-winning titles, Dinosaur Devotions and Get Your Spirit On!: Devotions for Cheerleaders. Michelle is married to her high school sweetheart, Jeff. They have two married daughters, two grandsons, two granddaughters, a miniature dachshund named Mollie Mae, and a rescue dog named Bella Marie. Follow her at michellemedlockadams.com.  WENDY HINOTE LANIER is a Texan, dog lover, and only child who always wanted a puppy rather than a brother or sister. She is a former elementary teacher who writes and speaks for children and adults on a variety of topics and is the author of more than 50 books for children. Susie here: As for my new dog book, I’m paws-itively thrilled with how We Really, Really Want a Dog! (Pelican Publishing) has been received. This lighthearted read-aloud describes a trip to the animal shelter to find that just-right family pet. Sidebars and back matter provide young readers with information on choosing and raising their dog. And, a donation will be made to animal shelters for every book sold.
To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment by September 1st, and I’ll pick three winners at random.  By Lisa Amstutz
“Do I need an agent?” I’m often asked this question by aspiring authors who are ready to start querying. It’s a good question. And the answer is…well, it depends. It is certainly possible to sell your work directly to publishers – plenty of writers find success this way, and some prefer the DIY method. Most smaller houses are open to unagented submissions. You can also connect with editors from larger houses at conferences, Twitter pitch events, etc. So an agent is not strictly necessary. Furthermore, if you’re self-publishing, writing articles, or doing work-for-hire projects, there is really no role for an agent in the process. And if your book is mainly of local interest or on a very niche topic, it will be difficult to interest an agent. You’ll want to look for a small press that will be a good fit and submit your work directly. The same holds true if you only plan to write one book. However, if your goal is to build a writing career in the trade market, an agent can be very helpful. An agent can open doors for you and get your manuscript a closer look. They may help you edit your work. They will handle submissions and contracts so you can focus on other things. Overall, an agent is a business partner who provides advice, support, and vision for your writing career. And that may be exactly what you are looking for. The truth is, though, that even getting an agent is no guarantee of success. Ultimately, writing success boils down to some combination of skill, tenacity, timing, and luck. So if you’re still in the query trenches, don’t let that hold you back. Keep learning and writing and putting your work out into the world. And agent or no agent, I have no doubt you will succeed! Lisa Amstutz is the author of ~150 children’s books and an associate literary agent with Storm Literary Agency. |