Instititute of Children's Literature

Rx for Writers

Transcripts

"Writing Animal Fiction and Nonfiction" with Marian Flandrick Bray.

Thursday, May 9, 2002

Moderator: is Kristi Holl, Web Editor for the Institute's web site. Kristi is author of 24 juvenile novels and 150+ articles and has taught writing at the Institute of Children's Literature for l5 years.

Marian is Marian Flandrick Bray, author of nineteen books and over 200 articles and short stories, and the theme that tends to run through them all is animals. Five novels published Chariot Books were about the ever popular Lassie. Marian has written for middle grade and young adult audiences, covering subjects from Brewster's blackbirds and grey squirrels to horses and dolphins.

Names color coded in blue are audience members who had questions.

Interviews are scheduled for Thursday evenings: 8 Eastern, 7 Central, 6 Mountain, and 5 Pacific.

Moderator: Good evening, everyone! I'm Kristi Holl, your moderator for the interview and the web editor for this site. Tonight I have with me Marian Flandrick Bray who will be talking on "Writing Animal Fiction and Nonfiction." Marian is author of nineteen books and over 200 articles and short stories. Tonight she'll be sharing with us how to turn our love of pets and other animals into salable writing. Welcome, Marian!

Marian: Glad to be here!

Moderator: Marian, how did you get started writing, and in particular, writing about animals?

Marian: I really started in ninth grade when I wrote a short story about a race horse filly. My teacher thought I copied the story. After that I just kept writing.

Moderator: Are you surrounded by animals and pets now? If so, do you use them in your writing?

Marian: Yes, actually I had to drag the dogs out of the room. The rest of the beasties are outside, but I almost always have animals in my stories.

Moderator: Why do stories about animals sell?

Marian: I think because kids love animals, and there is just something wonderful about animals in that they are honest in most cases--unlike a lot of people!

Moderator: What age groups enjoy stories/articles and books (fiction/nonfiction) that include animals?

Marian: I think all age groups love animals, and animals can help kids see themselves in a gentle way.

Moderator: What do you mean about animals helping kids see themselves in a gentle way?

Marian: I think that kids will accept difficult truths seen through the adventures or eyes of animals. Like parables and fairy tales.

SaraJ: Do you think kids like animal stories because the pets fill a need? It seems like more kids are lonely these days, maybe from moving around so much.

Marian: That could be true. I was an only child until 11 and my animals were my friends.

hockshop7: Don't you think the unconditional love that animals give is something children yearn for?

Marian: I think you're right!

Moderator: Do specific animals appeal to specific age groups or sexes?

Marian: Maybe. It seems girls are horse crazy at 8-12, although I'm 45 and never outgrew horses. Boys and dogs seem to be at 8-12. Think of SHILOH. In many fantasies that older kids read, animals are in them.

Moderator: Can you give us some examples from your own published work? Short stories and nonfiction as well as books?

Marian: Sure. I wrote lots of nonfiction about horses for regional magazines. I was on staff with THE THOROUGHBRED OF CALIFORNIA, and that gave me access to lots of stories in the racing industry, and my first short story was about a race horse set in the 1800's.

DellaRF: Do you anthropomorphize your animals or do your animals act like real animals?

Marian: Usually my animals are real animals. In THE BOUNTY HUNTER my wolverine is the main character's dark shadow, the dark side she hates to show, but the wolverine is true to his wolverine self.

angel1nikki: I know that kids who get attached to animals have a hard time dealing with them passing. Do you explain any of this in your stories?

Marian: Not really, although in FOREVER FRIENDS the main character's friend dies and she's left with her animal friends (human, too).

MBVoelker: Where do farm animals fit into marketing categories? I have several articles written and/or outlined but am having trouble figuring out what to do with them. They aren't pets and they aren't nature, but magazines for older MG and YA don't usually have the general "animal" category.

Marian: Good question. Trade magazines are a place, especially with horses, but there are farm magazines and magazines like THE MOTHER EARTH NEWS.

reader: What animals do think are the favorites? Which might editors want to see more of?

Marian: Who knows what editors think?!?!? Probably horses and dogs. I'm seeing some guinea pig books (dear to my heart!) and I'd think that unusual animals would be a plus.

Moderator: Do you do research for fiction?

Marian: I love to research. For SUMMER BY THE SEA I got to meet a pilot whale for research. I also met dolphins and orcas. I get to hobnob with trainers and their animals all in the name of research!

Moderator: Does hands-on experience help stories? If so, how?

Marian: I think it helps a lot. Because I know horses I can hopefully write in a way that helps the reader experience that horseback ride--or touch that pilot whale or watch that wolverine shoot up a tree.

MBVoelker: About the farm animal question: I mean general articles written to teach children who aren't farm kids about farm animals. Articles about rare breeds and unexpected things like the 5 types of fiber goats. The "Wow, I didn't know that!" stuff. How can you fit these into a magazine's category lists?

Marian: Okay, I think I'd format it in such a way that a general magazine would want it. For example, RANGER RICK printed a guinea pig care article that I wrote for December in case a kid got a pet for the holidays.

SaraJ: With the hands-on experience, do you actually take notes of how you do things with the animals, then use it in the writing? Or do you just automatically write better, with more details and accuracy?

Marian: Yeah, I take notes. I also have a vivid daydream capacity and can see the animals in my head--does that sound weird?!

Moderator: Do you include photos of the animals for your stories and articles?

Marian: Yes. I sold an article to THE WESTERN HORSEMAN about my mare and how I rode her in the city. My husband shot photos of us that they used. Especially in nonfiction I take photos.

Moderator: You wrote several Lassie books. How did that come about?

Marian: I used to watch Lassie on TV and my dad used to bemoan the fact and announce, "It's that damn dog again!" A writer was slated to write LASSIE and he did an awful job, so I was called in to mop up and I had to write 5 novels (each 120 pages) in 6 months!!

MBVoelker: What resolution is required for digital pictures? I'm hoping to get a digital camera and need to know what to get.

Marian: I don't know anything about digital pictures. Sorry.

judykpb: How did you get your name in "lights" so to speak to be noticed enough to write LASSIE?

Marian: I had written two horse novels and an un-devotional for David C. Cook Publishers, and they asked if I thought I could do it. I said yes!

Granny Janny: Is there much of a market for fiction about talking animals on trips and animals that go on vacations without people?

Marian: Ha! Animals on vacation--I love it! I think so...fantasy is popular. Think of the movie SNOW DOGS, and the guinea pig novels I mentioned show the guinea pig's thoughts. I think kids love to imagine what animals think.

judykpb: Is it advisable, when writing a story involving the voice of the animal, to have the words typed in italics?

Marian: Not necessarily, but you need to be consistent in what you do. I probably wouldn't italicize. I'd do animals like people--they are just furry people anyhow!

judykpb: You mentioned that fantasy is popular. Any particular publishing houses?

Marian: Hmmm... I'm not sure I know, but I read talking animal stories in most major houses.

Moderator: Should you write about the more unusual exotic animals? Or stick to what you consider the "loves of your life"? What did you do?

Marian: I first wrote about my passion--horses--but I also wanted to write about more exotic critters that hadn't been written about much, such as the wolverine.

Moderator: So it really doesn't matter if you have firsthand experience as long as you research well?

Marian: I think that's true. I don't personally know any wolverines, but I like to think after reading extensively and visiting two at the Los Angeles zoo that I captured the wolverine well. They really REALLY smell strong!

Moderator: You mentioned to me once that keeping a horse could be a tax write-off. How?

Marian: Yes, for ten years I owned a Morgan mare. (I had to put her down when she was 31 years old.) I wrote her off on my taxes as research all those years because I couldn't have written many of my articles without her "input". Not just articles, but stories, too.

SaraJ: What criteria did you have to meet to have the horse be a tax write-off?

Marian: We had tax people doing our taxes, and they said on the virtue of my writing so much about horses that she would be considered a tax write-off. For the last 5 years she was a double write-off as I used her in my volunteer Search and Rescue team.

Moderator: I wish I had known this! I wrote about my kids for years--would have been nice to use them for a tax write-off! If a magazine rejects your animal story, should you try them again? Why or why not?

Marian: HA! Yes, you should. With RANGER RICK, for example, I wanted to sell them a short story and I submitted five different ones and they finally bought one called "What About my Guinea Pigs?" which was about a girl and her show guinea pigs, and I used the California drought situation as an angle.

Moderator: Are there really that many needs for animal stories and articles?

Marian: Yes because kids love animals and so much of our lives are wrapped around the animal world: food, clothing, pets, medicine, everything! We can't exist on this earth without animals.

Moderator: How can you keep a common animal (like a dog or horse) fresh in a story?

Marian: One way is what I did with my very first novel. I took an Arabian mare, then got specific and made her a Polish Arabian--a definite type of Arab horse. They are race horses, too, so my mare was an ex-racehorse who had been banned from the racetrack for bad behavior. My main character worked with her. This was a fresh angle from other horse stories. It's called SPRINGTIME OF KHAN. I knew many other horse novels and tried to make mine different.

Moderator: Why are girls and horses so popular? ( I was a horse-crazy girl too till I got my own Morgan as an adult.)

Marian: What is it about horses? In Britain the boys are horse crazy. I think because horses are so sensitive, yet ten times bigger than us, and this huge animal will cooperate with us humans. It's practically a miracle!

scribbles31: I write about talking magical animals; what about that market?

Marian: I think magical animals--fantasy--are extremely popular. Many houses, in fact, publish only science fiction and fantasy.

reader: Do you write just animal fantasies, or do you also write fantasies with speaking/intelligent animals in them?

Marian: I have written a little fantasy with intelligent animals. Most of my work has been non-fantasy, but I'm planning on writing more intelligent animal fantasies. I wrote one about a smart coyote.

bhte3: What is the best age market for animal nonfiction? Or are they all pretty open?

Marian: I think all ages are open. Everything from pet care to livestock, to exotic animals, like Herbie the rhino in TX who paints with his horn!

cindog: Do editors often ask you to rewrite your work?

Marian: If they don't, I think they don't know their job! Rewriting just increases as one writes more.

Penny: Some magazine guidelines say, "No more cute cat and dog stories! We have enough." Would it be appropriate to send them a story with another animal as the main character?

Marian: I think I'd submit non-cutesy animal stories. "Cutesy" would be something common and not very original. With LASSIE I tried to make her smart, and not just happening to save the day. I patterned a lot of her after my own dog, Wolfie, who was a search dog when I was with Search and Rescue.

DellaRF: Do you think rabbit articles are overdone, or is there room for one more? (@e just got a bunny!) If so, do I write a general "How to take care of a rabbit" article OR do I zero in on a specific aspect of rabbit care or behavior? Any recommendations?

Marian: If I wrote a rabbit article I would concentrate on something specific, like vet advances in Lagamorphs (rabbits' "real" name). Rabbits tend to make lousy pets, actually, although some rabbits are cool. They just tend to have no sense of humor!

judykpb: Marian, do you have an agent? Does he or she love animal stories, too?

Marian: I've worked with an agent before. I don't have one right now, but I'm thinking about getting one again.

MBVoelker: What are the key ingredients to successful animal nonfiction?

Marian: A different slant, something you haven't seen much before. So you have to research, often, and dig for that weird idea or concept.

Moderator: Are you widely read in the animal field so you know what's been done to death already?

Marian: I like to think so. If I was considering doing a particular animal story right now, I would check BOOKS IN PRINT, bookstores and other places to see what has been done. I did that with the wolverine idea and others. For magazine writing, I would do a search on that animal, however you can: at the library or Internet, the magazine itself, and be sure I didn't copy what has been done.

Moderator: Do people still use the old reliable Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature for that?

Marian: It's mostly on CD at public libraries now, but yeah, that works

judykpb: Would you consider a "talking" dog a fantasy story?

Marian: I would, yes. Though my dogs do talk!

Moderator: What are the benefits of research? Where will research take you?

Marian: Research takes you to places you would never have thought of and gives you serendipity gifts! Research gives me ideas for my characters, my plot, my everything! For example, I learn that guinea pigs are native to South America, so I can expand my story to Peru and the culture there that says guinea pigs are sacred (this is true!) and are used in medicine, telling the future, and social rites of passages! That makes my story richer.

Moderator: That's fascinating, Marian! On another subject, if you write about animals, how important are critique groups to your writing? Writers' conferences?

Marian: Very. I probably wouldn't have published so much without my critique group. We bounce ideas off each other, find out what works and what doesn't work. They are invaluable. Writer conferences help you make contacts. I sold my first novel because I met an editor at a conference.

Kelley: How can a writer become considered an expert in the field of animal nonfiction?

Marian: By carefully researching and documenting and really knowing your stuff. That speaks volumes.

Penny: Are animal stories more difficult to illustrate?

Marian: I don't think so. So many photos exist of most animals I can't imagine that it's a problem.

bhte3: Do you ever need to submit or show your sources/references in any form to the editor (if they're not being included or listed in the book itself?)

Marian: Yes, I send a bibliography most times, even for fiction. For example with SPRINGTIME OF KHAN I wanted to be sure the cover showed a Polish Arabian, dished face and all. A Quarter horse would not do! I sent photos of Polish Arabians to my editor.

Moderator: You've had stories reprinted and included in anthologies also. How did one paragraph in a horse book spark a story published twice, once in a magazine, then ten years later in an anthology edited by Bruce Coville?

Marian: When I was working at THE THOROUGHBRED OF CALIFORNIA magazine, I came across a paragraph in a history book about a mare who lived in Old California. She was raced against Governor Pio Pico's stallion and against all odds she won! So I wrote a short story about the race titled "The Flight of the Swan" (her registered name was Black Swan) and I sold that short story (my first) to a horse magazine. Ten years later Bruce Coville was looking for horses stories, and I send him that story, and he put my story next to William Shakespeare in the book HERDS OF THUNDER, MANES OF GOLD.

Moderator: You really choose unusual angles for your stories!! You also said you got an idea from the media, something about a legal battle in California over a horse tripping, which became a short story published in an anthology. Can you tell us about that?

Marian: Yes, the Mexican rodeos have an event in which the rider ropes a mare who is running loose (and terrified) and the idea is to rope her leg and roll her off her shoulder. But many horses were being injured or killed in the event. I saw the connection between the oppression of females in the Hispanic culture (which I grew up in) and these mares in the event. I wrote a short story called "The Pale Mare" that appeared in the anthology STAY TRUE: SHORT STORIES FOR STRONG GIRLS edited by Marilyn Singer. In my story the main character wants to go to a science weekend, and her parents want her to help at the Mexican rodeo because she's a girl and should stay home like a good girl. My main character goes to the corral at night and lets the mares out to be free. California finally banned this practice in real life. Horses bound for slaughter were often used, but if the ropers injured the horses, the slaughterhouses wouldn't take the horses back!

Moderator: I read that a wolverine sparked a 4-book contract! How did that happen?

Marian: Zondervan House published 4 books about a Hispanic girl, Reba, and the first book was about Reba and the wolverine, her dark shadow. I like to think because the first book went well, they wanted more until I'd written 4 novels about Reba.

angel1nikki: What made you say, "Oh a wolverine! That's a good one to write about"?

Marian: I wanted an animal that wasn't written about much, so I discarded wolves. And wolverines are VERY smart, shrewd and clever, and they don't take anything off anyone, and my main character was that way too. So they seemed to fit with each other.

Moderator: Even more amazing, you said a Morgan mare led you to your adoptive child. How?

Marian: I had 13 years of infertility and I wrote about how hard that was and how angry I was at God about the situation. Meanwhile, I had the stubborn, opinionated mare who fought me all the time and I realized that I was fighting God, like my horse fought me. My article was published as an alternative to Mother's Day in DECISION magazine about nine years ago. When my child's birth mother read my article, she decided I was to be the mother of her child.

Moderator: What a touching story, Marian! That is breath-taking! Wow! What are some of the well known children's magazines who publish animal fiction and nonfiction?

Marian: RANGER RICK is one. Actually I'd have to say nearly all of them do with the right slant. I sold an article to FACES (Cobblestone group) about arctic animals when they did Canadian natives.

Moderator: What about lesser known regional and local animal magazines? Are they a good market?

Marian: Yes, they're wonderful! For years I sold to small Californian horse magazines. I didn't make a lot of money, but getting those credits was great, and it set me up to write for EQUES and THE WESTERN HORSEMAN.

SaraJ: I've heard that editors don't want to receive stories dealing with the death of a pet. Is that true? It seems like a good way to help children learn about loss.

Marian: I'm not sure about that, but I think that death in general is still rather taboo. Maybe not in books, but in magazines. It's a harsh truth.

patmca: Currently, what animal stories are most likely to catch an editor's eye? Traditional pets (dogs, horses, cats) or less-written-about animals? Also, what grade level animal stories are most likely to get published? Fiction or nonfiction more successful?

Marian: Nonfiction is easier to sell because most magazines print more nonfiction. I'd guess that 8-12 year olds are more animal oriented. Teens love animals, too, but their hormones overshadow a lot at that age. I think initially an unusual animal would catch an editor's eye, but if you treat a traditional pet in an unusual way, that too would catch an editor's eye.

dickman: Do you work in factual information with your fantasy?

Marian: Yes. I wrote a story about a unicorn that was published. The unicorn got a thorn in his hoof and the main character pulled the thorn out with needle nosed pliers. A reader told me he wouldn't have believed the story if I used any other tool!

Kelley: Let's say the research is good but you are new as a writer. You have a passion for animals. How do you get taken seriously at first with no history of previous publication in this field, or any for that matter?

Marian: We all start that way. I first wrote horse articles about what I knew. I wrote about some colts I had green broke in college and just told what I learned while training them. For example with one horse he was too young to be successfully broken. He was only 2 1/2 years old and grew ill when I trained him. So the moral of the story was to let him grow up first. So the editor saw I knew what I was talking about/writing about.

dickman: I love animal stories, but there is a fine line between what I can enjoy and what I believe is contrived. I worry that if I write stories about animals, I won't be able to know if it sounds contrived.

Marian: That's where critique groups help, when others can read your work and tell you if a piece is working or not.

Blue Phantom: Here in my town there was a boy who caught a cat that had a mayonnaise jar stuck on its head. I wrote an anthropomorphic Middle Grade novel on that incident. But I used the characteristics of the real animals and didn't get too cute. Do you think the book would have a chance?

Marian: Yeah, if it's well written.

bhte3: What is the recommended format of photographs sent in with NF? (Negatives, slides, actual prints--what size, etc.?)

Marian: It depends on the magazine. Some want slides, some want B&W. You need to check market listings and writer's guidelines to find out what they each specifically want.

Kelley: How many nonfiction animal pieces do you have to sell before being preferred at better magazines, or does it make a difference?

Marian: I'm not sure. I suspect if you know your stuff and write wonderfully any magazine will be interested, whether you have published before or not.

bhte3: We just got a new guinea pig on Tuesday, and I was thinking about writing about them also--so it's neat to hear you talk about writing about them. Have they been done much lately besides what you've mentioned, or are they still a "fresh" subject? (I like to write mostly nonfiction--any neat angle ideas for NF guinea pigs?)

Marian: Guinea pigs have been overlooked for a long time, but I think they are coming into their own, so to speak. Think of Eddie Murphy's DR. DOOLITTLE and the guinea pig on the roof of the car! Kate Duke has done a lot of picture books with guinea pigs, and there are easy readers out with a classroom guinea pig. But I think there is room for more cavy books.

SaraJ: What about historical animals? Like "pets during the Civil War" or animals used in medical research in years past?

Marian: Yeah, great ideas! I've thought about doing a history of the world as affected by horses!!

Moderator: I'm sorry to have to interrupt, but we're out of time now. Marian, thank you for coming and sharing both your writing expertise and your fascinating stories with us.

Marian: Thank you--it was fun!

Moderator: Do come back in two weeks on May 23 when Jane Landreth will be speaking on "Holidays and Special Events." Holiday and seasonal writing is a matter of months, not moods. Each month holds potential for writing about one or more events. Editors need freelancers to think, look ahead, look back, plan, and offer them good fresh slants with timely tie-ins on holiday and seasonal subjects. Find out the marketing strategy to this overlooked area of writing. Jane Landreth is the author of over 1400 stories, articles, games and crafts, many of them seasonal and holiday writing. So come back in two weeks to learn from a pro! And now, good night, everyone!

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