NONFICTION NINJAS
  • Home
  • Meet the Ninjas
    • Lisa Amstutz
    • Stephanie Bearce
    • Nancy Churnin
    • Susie Kralovansky
    • Pat Miller
    • Christine Liu Perkins
    • Linda Skeers
    • Peggy Thomas
  • Ninja Notebook
  • NF Fest
  • Contact

​Guide for a Successful Study Group

5/3/2022

1 Comment

 
Picture
By Linda Skeers
 
            One of the most important things a writer can do is to read, study and analyze books in their chosen genre – especially recently published, award-winning, and starred reviewed books. In the past, I would sit down to really study a book – to figure out what makes it tick and to somehow absorb some secret that would improve my own writing. Alas, I read and enjoyed a lot of books, but I wasn’t sure I was really learning anything from my own solitary study.
            That changed when I became a part of a Picture Book Study Group. You know the saying “Two heads are better than one?” Well, imagine how much better six heads could be!
            Reading the same books and sharing my thoughts and opinions with others and listening to their thoughts and opinions gave me a whole new perspective on HOW to learn from a mentor text.
            My group formed from a casual conversation about wanting to dive deep into picture books with the hope that analyzing great books would help improve our own writing. We’ve been going strong for over five years, so I guess it’s working.
            First, we agreed on some ground rules:
  1. Have one person lead the discussion each month. They’re in charge of choosing books (usually 5) and emailing the list to the group a few weeks in advance. It’s also helpful to include some questions to think about while reading.
 
  1. We have a yearly planning meeting and choose topics for the rest of the year and everyone selects the dates for their discussion. We used to meet in person but now “meet” online.
  2. The “leader” moderates the discussion, asks questions and keeps the group on track. Not always an easy task!
We select books published in the last three years since it’s a good idea to stay current on recently published titles.
We also select books in the same genre or category so we can compare and contrast and see how different authors handled similar topics. Any subject works – how about TREES? Here’s a list of titles we could read and explore:
BE A TREE! – Maria Gianferrari
SURVIVOR TREE – Marcie Colleen
THIS VERY TREE – Sean Rubin
TREES – Tony Johnston
THE SECOND LIFE OF TREES – Aimee Bisonette
BEFORE WE STOOD TALL – Jessica Kulekjian
THE WISDOM OF TREES: How Trees Work Together to Form a Natural Kingdom – Lita Judge
THANK YOU, TREE – Fiona Lee
LISTEN TO THE LANGUAGE OF TREES: a story of how forests communicate underground – Tera Kelley
Again, five titles work well but this gives you an idea of what’s “out there” and worth studying! Topics can range from food to frogs and space to scientists.
Possible discussion questions:
Did one book stand out among the group? Why? (it’s interesting that we almost always have a different favorite and it’s enlightening to discover why certain books resonate with different people)
What was the writing style? Conversational? Humorous? Lyrical? Straight-forward? What other styles would work with this topic?
What was included in the Back Matter? Did it enhance the text?
                  What did the author do to keep readers engaged and turning pages? Was there something unique or surprising about this book?
            Was a technique used that you could attempt with your own writing?
            Would this book appeal more to adults than children? Why?
            Other questions and comments will spring up during the discussion. Remember, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and you can learn a lot from someone else’s perspective – especially when it’s different than your own!
            This also works for Middle Grade and YA – you just might want to limit the list to 2-3 titles each month.
            Gather a group of writers interested in analyzing books in your favorite genre and start studying together – it’s a fun way to learn and share and it might just help you look at your own manuscripts in a new way!
 
 
 
           
           
           


1 Comment
Dena Davis link
7/26/2022 10:08:06 am

Great idea! I would love to be part of a group like this!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Authors

    We are nonfiction authors who support readers and writers through our writing, author visits, and workshops.

    RSS Feed

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Archives

    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018

    Categories

    All
    Agent
    Andrea Somberg
    Back Matter
    Bibliography
    Biographies
    Book Dummy
    Book Promotion
    Bookstore
    Breaking Writers Block
    Deadlines
    Editing
    Editors
    Ghostwriting
    Hidden History
    Holidays
    Holiday Stories
    Humor
    Inspiration
    Linda Skeers
    Magazines
    Market Analysis
    Mentoring
    Mentor Texts
    Middle Grade NF
    Nancy Churnin
    Nonfiction
    Open For Submissions
    Organization
    Pat Miller
    Peggy Thomas
    Picture Books
    Primary-sources
    Publishers
    Questions
    Reluctant Writer
    Research
    Rhyme
    Seasonal Stories
    Selling Books
    Stephanie Bearce
    Submissions
    Twitter Pitches
    Why
    Word Count
    Work For Hire
    Writing Ideas
    Writing In Sprints
    Writing Protocol
    Writing Strengths
    Writing Tips

    Disclaimer: The Nonfiction Ninjas are a group of writers with diverse ideas . The views expressed in each post are those of the author and may differ from others in the group.​
Copyright @2022
  • Home
  • Meet the Ninjas
    • Lisa Amstutz
    • Stephanie Bearce
    • Nancy Churnin
    • Susie Kralovansky
    • Pat Miller
    • Christine Liu Perkins
    • Linda Skeers
    • Peggy Thomas
  • Ninja Notebook
  • NF Fest
  • Contact