Instititute of Children's Literature

Rx for Writers

Transcripts

"Nonfiction: From Idea to Development to Sale!" with Mel Boring

Thursday, March 29, 2001

Moderator is Kristi Holl, web editor for this site and author of 24 juvenile books and 150+ articles. She also taught writing for children for 15 years.

Mel is Mel Boring, author of nine children's books, eight of which are nonfiction. He is working now on a biography, Albert Einstein: Gentle Genius. For l7 years he also taught writing for children.

Names color coded in blue are viewers who asked questions.

Interviews are held on Thursday nights: 9-11 p.m. Atlantic/Canada, 8-10 p.m. Eastern, 7-9 Central, 6-8 Mountain, and 5-7 Pacific

Moderator: Good evening, everyone! Welcome to tonight's interview with Mel Boring on the subject "Nonfiction: From Idea to Development to Sale!" I'm Kristi Holl, your moderator and the web editor for this site. Mel is the author of ten books, nine of which are nonfiction. Tonight we're doing something a bit different, as Mel invited viewers to send him questions earlier about article and book ideas they wanted help with. After a couple introductory questions, we'll get right to those questions and see how Mel helps you develop your own ideas. Welcome, Mel!

Mel: THANK YOU!

ôModerator: First of all, an often-asked and most important question: Where do you get your ideas?

Mel: The easy answer to this question is that ideas are everywhere, and they are. But let me be more specific. When I first started writing I thought of writing ideas like gems in a treasure chest. I was always searching for a diamond or even an emerald of an idea. And I asked published writers for ideas, as if they would take one of the gens of their treasure chest and give it to me so I could publish. But I have slowly concluded over the course of 30 years that writing ideas are more like plants in a garden than they are gems in a treasure chest. And the idea you start from scratch with may not seem obvious at first. Like when a garden starts out, the plants are barely visible, and when they are so small it's hard to tell a weed from a plant. Now you know why my wife doesn't let me near her garden!

Moderator: Do your nonfiction ideas seem to rather automatically develop?

Mel: If you think of grown ideas as in a garden then, rather than finding gems in a treasure chest already polished and valuable, you will treat your ideas differently. If you were to ask J.K. Rowling for one of her gems and if you were very fortunate, she MIGHT give you one of her highly successful HARRY books--a future one. But even if you could publish that book, it would not be yours. And I'd bet the rent that Rowling's idea started out like a frail garden plant she might've been tempted to weed out. But she spent weeks, months, maybe years tending, nurturing that idea, until it's become a tree!

ôModerator: Without further ado, let's get right to the viewers' questions emailed earlier. We're starting with some of the more general questions. First, from Richelle, how can you make a boring biography come alive without adding fictional drama?

Mel: There is captivating drama in an any life--even Mel Boring's (-:}. So you don't need to add fictional drama to the biography of any person. Instead, look for the drama in their life; and usually it will be even more captivating than fictional drama. Case in point: Albert Einstein was a nearly life-long pacifist. But when he found out in 1939 that the Nazis were developing an atomic bomb, he joined other physicists in writing to President Roosevelt and telling him that the U.S. should also develop an atomic bomb. In the spring of 1945, Einstein was party to another letter stressing that the atomic bomb was only to be used on an isolated island in the Pacific to warn Japan what could happen. Of course, in August, 1945 bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki which killed and injured 250,000 people. Just as Einstein's second letter arrived on President Roosevelt's desk, FDR died and the letter was never open. I could not fictionalize drama more gripping than that. So look for the real-life drama in the life of person whose biography you are writing.

Moderator: "Do you recommend the "Five W's, One H" approach [who/what/when/where/why/how] in nonfiction articles and book writing for children?

Mel: By all means use the "5 W's + H" approach--and thanks for adding the "H" to the "5W's," which is new to me. The reason for using these is structure, because these six questions will cover virtually every aspect of any topic. Another reason for using this structure is that it will anticipate many questions that children will have about every nonfiction topic. We oldsters may approach a topic with jaded boredom; but children approach a new topic with fresh curiosity. That is one that is most refreshing things about writing for children as compared with adults.

Moderator: "What are some ways to describe a historical time in an interesting way?"

Mel: I suggest two specific ways to describe an era. First, tell about what was happening the times, as if you were telling a story. By the way, the editor of my Einstein biography told me recently--while she was criticizing my first two chapters--to remember that I am a storyteller. Not that you'll write fiction about the real-life Einstein, she added, but pretend you are telling children in person the story of Albert Einstein's life. First, tell about what was happening during the life of the person or event you're writing about. I will tell children, for instance, that just after 1900 when Einstein proposed his first theory of relativity, the telephone was very new, as was electricity. I might also tell children what toys children of that era played with--as one way of describing that historical time. Secondly, tell about well-known people who lived during the times you are describing. I already mentioned FDR, president Franklin D. Roosevelt, who lived contemporarily with Albert Einstein; and children may be more familiar with Roosevelt than Einstein. And FDR was a most interesting person, and President.

Moderator: "If I were to take some of the viable nonfiction manuscripts I have read and make them 'faction,' how do you feel that would affect my chances at publication?

Mel: Faction is the combination of facts + fiction, of course. And "The order of the editor" today is not to fictionalize fact. Whereas biographies of the 1950s, for instance, entertained us young readers with a lot of invented dialogue, every editor I know today warns against even one word of invented dialogue. So I cannot recommend making fact fictionalized. There was a time in children's writing, about four decades ago now, when faction was more fashionable. Perhaps faction was the "bridge" from the very SUBjectively interpreted biographies of the 1950s to the OBjectiveness which editors insist on today. But of all the faction I have read through the years, I only remember one piece that seemed to work in conveying nonfiction facts. It was published in Jack and Jill in the 1960s or early 70s, and was the story of a brother and sister trapped inside the top floor of a hotel which was on fire while their parents were down in the lobby of the hotel. This faction piece was a good conveyance for what children should do in case of fire. But I cannot recommend writing nonfiction as faction today.

Moderator: "I have done some world traveling and would like to write short stories for children. Would it be best to write them as a story with a child as the main character and a bit of plot? My main audience would be under age 12. I've always heard that straight facts won't hold a child's interest. What do you suggest?"

Mel: Again, I suggest not to write faction, a story to convey facts. I suggest this because most editors are more than leery of faction. Also because most faction is too weak "to carry the heavy facts of nonfiction." I do believe that straight facts WILL hold a child's interest, and often even more strongly than faction. Writing children's-interest-holding straight facts must be done in a story-like voice recommended by my editor, that I mentioned earlier. Not that our story voice tells a fiction story, but that we relate nonfiction in a story like way. Whenever I hear someone suggest that straight facts won't hold a child's interest, I think of David MacCauley's marvelous nonfiction book with illustrations titled UNBUILDING. In a story-like way, MacCauley writes about dismantling the Empire State Building--which hasn't been done yet, to my knowledge. But in the process of writing that book, MacCauley tells young readers about every material that was used in constructing the Empire State Building and how the construction was done. It is one of my favorite nonfiction books.

Moderator: "In writing a partially fictionalized story of a known historical figure Do I need to be concerned about plagiarism? This main character lived in the 1600s and 1700s and has been written about in several books (historical and biographical). Can I use quotes and/or descriptions from these histories and biographies in my child's story?"

Mel: I would have to answer that a "partially fictionalized story" is still considered fiction. And I'm assuming that you want to write fact + fiction. Again, I cannot recommend this kind of nonfiction. If you write a fiction story about this known historical figure, yes you can use the real-life facts about the person without fear of plagiarism. The only time you need to worry about plagiarism is when you copy someone's published work word for word, and copy more than 50 words without crediting the original publication. Plagiarism could only be accomplished if you copied the exact words of a published work of fiction. You could use quotations and/or descriptions from nonfiction histories and biographies, as long as you don't copy too long a passage verbatim. My question to challenge you in writing this story is, why not make up your own quotes and descriptions? Sometimes I think we like writing faction because it will have the drawing power of fiction reading for children, while at the same time conveying useful facts to the children. But again I suggest writing straight nonfiction or straight fiction, not mixing the two into faction.

Moderator: "Is there a market for books/articles about serious crafts such as knitting, crocheting, hand-spinning, embroidery, quilting, and so on? Not the pipe cleaner and popsicle stick stuff--but real crafts that produce real items that you actually want to own? I would like to write a series of books about the crafts because of children's curiosity I see when I demonstrate them at a historical site, and include projects suitable for kids of various ages."

Mel: Yes, there definitely is a market for a series of books about crafts that feeds children's curiosity. And your experience at the historical site will feed such a series like giving spinach to Popeye! Many craft articles that you see in magazines are the pipe-cleaner and popsicle-stick stuff you mention. That is mostly because children's magazines are very short-lived and of very short length, and there isn't the space and time for a serious crafts such as knitting. But books are longer-lived creations, so they are the place to write about crafts that require more skill, and which are more time-consuming, like hand-spinning. Each one of your books in this series would be about a separate craft, of course. And I would think that docented historical sites with their shops would provide a ready market for the kind of children's crafts books you want to write. As for ages, I would think that children as young as six might be able to embroider, while it would take older children, perhaps in the age 13-15 range, to learn something like hand-spinning. Again, let the children's eager curiosity that you see when you demonstrate these crafts be your guide in writing the books. The books will be most interesting if you do a kind of "speak-write," imagining that you are demonstrating that craft in person.

Moderator: "In writing a children's nonfiction book about something like different games kids play in different parts of the world, is it more important to write about the most interesting ones, or more important to give each part of the world equal coverage?"

Mel: Why not do both in writing your nonfiction book about games kids splay? In your research, seek out the most interesting game you can find in each part of the world. To cover the world's continents, for example, seek out the most interesting game you can find in Africa and write about that, and the other continents. And if you covered seven games in the book for seven continents, you should be able to find a most interesting game for every one of the continents. You might have problems with the continent of Antarctica, but perhaps you could find a game that the children of scientists who have long-term assignments in Antarctica play, whether those children be American or Africa and or Asian. If you wrote this book for children in the, say, age 7-9 range, probably one, or maybe two games, per continent would do. You might also want to consider explaining why children on a certain continent, in a certain place, play this particular game you mention. If the game was played with water in a place where there was lots of rainfall, such as Thailand, you would be touching on facts about the country without just writing dull nonfiction.

Moderator: "Last year I went back to attend classes at a private Institute after five years of having left college. In the meantime I had married and become a mom. I want to write down my experience of going back to school. How should I proceed and describe the experience?"

Mel: In writing this as an article or a book, the ages at which you attended the private Institute classes are important, and will determine the age range of readers who will be interested in reading about this feat you accomplished. If you were about--I'm guessing--25 to 30, then adults in that age range and older would be your targeted readers. As I'm sure you understand this would not interest children, but rather adults. If you wanted to target this article or book to children, you might write from the point of view of your own child when their mom went back to school. The experience of that child, rather than the mom, would be of interest to children. For example, did the child learn to cook as a result of mom going back to school? So you might be talking about two different pieces of writing here, one for adults and the other for children. In proceeding in writing this, you must first decide to which you will write it, for adults or children. Of course, you could write two different articles or books, one for adults and the other for children.

Moderator: "I have had several-plus out-of-body experiences, questions and answers that can be shared. They include acts of healing by nature and how it can be directed to people's benefit, and at the same time build our own understanding."

Mel: I believe there would be a place in writing about out-of-body experiences for children. But if you write about them for children, you need to keep it very simple and factual, and structured around people who have had OOB experiences. For example, if there were a movie star who said she had an out-of-body experience, you could quote that well-known person in an article about out-of-body experiences. Of course, you would tell children such simple facts as what that person ate before the experience, or if she had had other such experiences. And you would also want to include other people's opinions about that person's experience, so as to paint as objective a picture as possible about the experience from different viewpoints. An act of healing during that person's OOB experience would also be described as factually as possible. Incidentally, I believe in out-of-body experiences, though I have never had one that I am aware of. I do know that children would be intensely interested in such experiences; and I think older age ranges would be more appropriate, such as teenagers. And I'd love to read your book when it's published!

Moderator: "The nonfiction idea I am attempting to develop is gardening for toddlers. Any help would be appreciated!" --Dianna

Mel: My first suggestion, Dianna, is GO FOR IT! Since children have been doing things (such as swimming and skating) at earlier and earlier ages in the past two decades, I believe toddlers would be more than ready for gardening. Right off the top of my head, I can see a toddler making tiny tenny tracks in the garden, then perhaps sprinkling a few seeds in those tracks, and covering them with earth. Toddlers make tracks in a garden very naturally, and planting seeds in those tracks seems the very natural way to develop gardening for toddlers. Of course toddlers' gardening would not have the neat, straight rows that are seen in adult gardens. But it seems to me UNneatness and UNstraightness would be/could be extremely creative, and perhaps teach us old gardeners a thing or few about gardening. As for markets for such books, I would suggest Creative Publishing International in Minnetonka, Minnesota because they have long published craft books such as this, which would sell in grocery store racks and superstores like Target.

Moderator: "I want to write a story about my father's life as Cinderfella. How can I write this story without it sounding like the Cinderella story? Or if this story does resemble Cinderella is that OK?"

Mel: I looked through the thick textbook on children's literature that I use in teaching a children's literature course to adults at our local community college because I thought I had run across a book by perhaps that very title, Cinderfella. I know that idea has been written about either in books or magazine stories or both--and it's a great idea. (Two viewers mentioned seeing "Cinderfella" as a made-for-TV movie some years ago.) What you need to do, however, is to keep growing this idea into something beyond what has been done already. Here is a suggestion: since it sounds like your father grew up poor, and then had his life transformed in the fashion of Cinderella's life, could you write the nonfiction account of your father's true life? Or if you wanted to fictionalize and make it totally a story, perhaps you could "write a Cinderella story backwards." That is, what if a prince somehow experienced the exact reversal of Cinderella's transformation, and became a common peasant, making a success of his life ultimately, of course. Sometimes the best way to develop an idea that sounds like an old idea already developed, is to think "backwards" or "upside-down." I recently did an author presentation at a local school here and in one 4th/5th-grade classroom I was given a simple stick figure picture that teacher had given to the children as a story starter. When I took it in my hand I dropped it and it turned upside down. So I held the picture up upside-down and asked, "Does this suggest a fresh story to you?" One of the children answered almost immediately, "Yes, a story about a land where trees grow out of the sky." Of course that child's idea is not developed to any extent yet, but it was a great start on a fresh idea.

Moderator: "I am wanting to write a story about a young man who was aboard the second voyage of the St. Roch when it traveled through the Northwest passage. The problem that I am having is that I am basing my factual information on my father's diaries of the adventures he had on that voyage. I can't seem to make the story right for younger boys (teens). Any suggestions?"

Mel: My first suggestion would be that if you are writing the story for teenagers, it might work better to change the age range you write it for. On the one hand, people who traveled the Northwest passage years ago were probably all adults. But the adventures that you describe your father as having might appeal to an audience younger than teenagers. And if you wrote this story for the age 8-12 group, for instance, you would find most of those children very interested in adventure, as if they themselves were sailing through the Northwest passage for the first time, or perhaps for the first time that voyage had ever been made. If you are sticking too close to the factual information in your father's diaries, perhaps that factual information is not setting you free to write the kind of fiction you have in mind. I presume you mean to write fiction, since you talk about "write a story." So set the factual information aside--because you probably know your father's diaries very well by now--and "embroider it into" the kind of adventure story that children would go for. Of course, if you wanted to write this as straight nonfiction, maybe you should present your father's diary words, with interwoven factual comments about the time, place and manner of his experiences.

Moderator: "I would like to write a a nonfiction book that takes a boy or girl through problems with the law and follows him or her through the juvenile justice system and social agencies as he/she ends up in a juvenile correctional institution. I would like to add to this accounting important counseling information every step along the way that can potentially help the reader prevent those same problems from getting out of control in their life. How exactly should I proceed with this?" --Wendy

Mel: Wendy, this is a great topic for a nonfiction book for young adults! In fact, you may be talking about two slightly different books here. First, there is a place for a book to show boys and girls having problems with the law and ending up in juvenile correctional institutions. Such a book as this would focus on specific children who have had real-life experiences with the juvenile justice system and correctional institutions. So you would not use their real names, you would try to focus a book such as this first one that I'm discussing through specific young people, so that your readers would be able to focus on the book from the viewpoint of children. I believe such a book as this first one would help young people avoid such problems.

You may also be suggesting a second book here, one specifically written to help young people prevent problems they have nowadays from getting out of control. And I think separating this idea in order to make two books out of that would be best, with this second one actually counseling young readers on how to prevent problems with the law. Writing both these books into one book might make the advice you could very ably offer sound like preaching. But if you wrote one book about actual, factual problems young people had with the law, the justice system, and correctional institutions, that would be a factual presentation focused for the lives of specific young people that would "speak for itself" as far as any moral conclusions young readers might draw on their own. A second book, setting out specifically to offer advice in avoiding problems with the law could be in a kind of different voice. Rather than a "reportorial voice" to tell young readers about kids who had problems with the law, the second book could be in a "counseling voice" to offer children counseling, before they had problems with the law and after they had problems with the law.

Moderator: "I have an idea for a series of middle-grade fiction books that highlight those in government leadership positions, for example, the governor, and to portray their work to give the reader a greater understanding/insight into the workings of government. What is the best way to do this to make them books kids will want to read?"

Mel: Great book idea! First, you need to decide if you really want to make these books fiction, since you seem to me to want to convey a portrayal of the actual workings of the government. The best way to do what you are planning to do would be to write a nonfiction book which has, for instance, a chapter about a specific state governor and how she or he worked and learned during their time of government service. You might also have a chapter about a particular president, and/or senator, and/or representative--real-life, specific individual people who have succeeded (or perhaps failed) in government leadership positions. What children will want to read is the real-life amazing facts about a governor like the present governor of Minnesota, who was a professional wrestler and is now successfully/unsuccessfully governing Minnesota. The real life facts could be written about him, Jesse Ventura, and make very entertaining nonfiction for children. If you wanted to write this as fiction books, what naturally comes in to my mind is that they could be very humorous. But the best force of this great idea of yours would be provided by nonfiction, I believe.

Moderator: "I'm writing an article to submit to publishers about toilet paper, entitled 'Twigs, Leaves and Toilet Paper'. My local library has nothing on this subject, nor do the encyclopedias I've located. The only information that I have been able to access, after a lengthy search, is online. Will a publisher accept this source as being reliable enough?"

Mel: You have hit on a marvelous idea, for one reason because it is a nonfiction topic about which nothing much has been written. And it is a topic kids will love. With the success of books like EVERYBODY POOPS, you have the guaranteed interest of children in this toilet paper subject going for you. First of all, on-line information is seldom documented with author and title and date of publication. So, while on-line information is useful as an introduction to the topic you want to write about, its information may or may not be reliable. In actuality, probably part of it is reliable and part unreliable. Publishers would look at on-line sources with reasonable favor, but only if they were balanced with other magazine and book sources of your information. I would suggest you look into the large tones kept on reserve in the library, READER'S GUIDE TO PERIODICAL LITERATURE. Look under the heading of "toilet paper," and I am sure you will find some magazine sources for your article if you search the RGTPL over the past, say, 10 years. And it won't take you awfully long to make that search. And somewhere there must have an some at least one book written about this subject, or perhaps a more general book about the "sanitary practices" of people. The best way to find such books is look into the reference books BOOKS IN PRINT, there are adult and children's versions of these huge volumes--also usually on reserve behind the desk at the library. BIP, if you search under "toilet paper" as well as of the related categories, should turn up some book or books written about this subject. Include those magazine and book sources I've suggested, to include in the bibliography of your query to editors, and they will balance your Internet sources. (A viewer also suggested that the writer contact people who have traveled abroad and ask about their personal experiences in this area in foreign countries.)

Moderator: "I have a question about updating an article for a nursing magazine, which was a technical piece I did on children's drawings in a child psychology Unit. The title is 'Feeling Through Crayons,' use of an art medium in a child psych unit. I would like to revise this for a parenting magazine or cut it for a nursing magazine. It is 15 pages with references and bibliography."

Mel: With this good idea you might also have "two in one." First of all, you have a long and scholarly article of 15 pages with references and bibliography that, revised, would make a good offering for what I have called "parenting magazines." The many and growing number of magazines in that category are hungry for material, and for the kind of material you write. When you wrote this article in your clinical studies, it was thorough, long, and with references and bibliography. For a parenting magazine it would be shorter, perhaps one to five pages, or no more than one-third of its length. And references and bibliography would not need to be as extensive when you rewrote this article for parenting magazines. While your original article had a clinical focus, this article written for parenting magazines would have a parent-child focus instead. You could perhaps write about how children express their feelings with crayons. Maybe one article could be about why children write on walls with crayons, and what might be done about this if it's a chronic, and not a passing, problem for parents. Or your article might be a commentary on the examples of children's crayon art you used in your psych article, which would draw interesting-to-parent conclusions about children's crayoned feelings. I've talked about making articles of this piece; here is another idea: how could you rewrite such an article for a children's magazine? Children would be interested from a different viewpoint in crayoned feelings. For children, say and the age 4-6 range, perhaps you could write a crayon crafts project, one with softened crayoned shavings, for instance, and show the children how to express their feelings in a kind of "finger-crayoning," I'll call it. But I think you have more than one article here.

Moderator: "I've been working as a docent at the Philadelphia Academy of natural Sciences and wonder if an article on a diorama featuring a gorilla would be interesting for children. How much additional research should I make? And our Egyptian mummy diorama is a very popular with children. I would let the museum authorities see the article before I submit it, but do these ideas seem feasible?"

Mel: Yes, with a capital Y! Gorillas and mummies are two very natural subjects for children because they raise a lot of curiosity and questions children can't find out about first-hand. That is, children won't associate as closely with gorillas as Jane Goodall did with them in Africa, and chances are that children who read your article will never get to touch a real mummy. So when you write about these things, Niki, keep in mind to enable children to "touch" gorillas and mummies, something most children would love to do and never get to, except in your articles. When you describe the dioramas, also describe how they were made, and by whom, and when--the what/where/why/who/when/how--of the diorama, so as to put your young readers as "touching-close" as possible. Of course, you will be able to provide excellent photographs of the dioramas, and that will help children to "reach out and touch" gorillas and mummies. I truly envy your experience as a docent because that is such a valuable channel through which you can absorb children's reactions to the dioramas of the gorillas and mummies. As for additional research, I would suggest you study gorillas and mummies in both magazine articles and books to enrich your writing--although that wouldn't be absolutely necessary. What I see in the articles you describe is a kind of "word snapshot" of not just a diorama, but of gorillas and Egyptian mummies. Many children's magazines would be interested in such articles, and I would suggest two in the same family, CHICKADEE and OWL as possibilities.

Moderator: "I'm a published newspaper writer with an interest in writing children's historical nonfiction books. I have an undergraduate degree in journalism as well as course work and a thesis written towards a Master's Degree in history. I'd like to write an article and eventually a book directed to kids 8-14 about the Women's Army corps. My mother served in the WACS during World War two. About six years ago I interviewed her and wrote a veteran's Day story highlighting her experiences. The weekly paper I work for published the story. After doing some preliminary research, the only books I could find written expressly for kids were a few on World War Two army nurses; I found nothing on the WACS. Do you think this is a viable idea which editors in today's market would be interested in seeing? Or do you think the lack of material on this subject implies a low degree of interest? [My sister has weighed in with a negative opinion of the story's sale value.] --Debbie

Mel: I think your sister is wrong, Debbie, and I think you have several excellent ideas here. Your work in journalism will help you write about both the WACS, a little-known military division. While there has been much written about women who took over men's work during World War two here on the home front, I have found very little written about the WACS. What I have learned is from my older cousin who was in the WACS in World War two. I would suggest to narrow the age range of the children you write this for to the 8-12 range--more homogenous. But you might also write the article for the age 13-15 group of young readers. Besides the resources of your journalism work that you have going for you, you have your mother's experience and what you wrote about her also going for you. Keep in mind that children will be interested in slightly different aspects of the WACS than we adults would be. For example, I was most interested in my cousin Louise's telling me she had never left the state of Ohio before she left on the train at age 20 to travel to Washington D.C. she also told me that where she worked in the U.S. Capitol, the male Marines were very much in charge and very protective of the WACS and other women in the military. While children today will understand that women serve in the military on a (hopefully) more equal footing and in more equal numbers with men, they may be surprised to learn that women's military roles were much more limited during World War two--my cousin was a secretary. There are magazines such as the VFW organ which would be open to adult articles such as this; and I mention the of the VFW only because they probably also have some kind of magazine for children or young readers that might be a good market for your article about the WACS.

Moderator: "I am thinking about doing an article for children of about age 10-13 on the meaning and origin of names. Is this something that might be of interest to magazine editors or has it and 'done to death'?" --Kellee

Mel: Yes, Kellee, this topic has been written about a lot, but NO, it has not been "done to death." That is because children are very intrigued with names, the names of people, the names of towns, the names of buildings, the names of everything. Maybe it's the old principle of "Name it, and you've got it!" that is at work here, but I have found children very interested in the names of everything, and in the origins of those names. And of course, there are zillions of different names, that billions of articles about names could never fully cover. And a child is usually intrigued to know what their name means, or originally meant. I have watched my own two children who are now teenagers read and reread books of baby names with great interest, calling out to my wife and me when they found a name that was very unusual. In the article you describe, you might either write about a category of names, such as girls' names or names of buildings or dogs names. Or you might want to focus on the 10 most unusual people's names in history--or most popular kids' names. You could also focus the article on people who were named after famous people and became famous in their own right, such as George Washington Carver. But I believe that children's interest in names will be never ending. I can even envision a regular column in a children's magazine that talks about one name per issue--what do you think?

Moderator: "Simon Estes is an African American opera singer. He grew up in Iowa in poverty and racism. Now, he is well known all over the world. He performs lead roles at opera houses throughout the world, including the U.S. Would he be a good candidate for an article? What about a book? I have found a few newspaper articles about him and an autobiography." --Gwen

Mel: Gwen, you taught me when I was your instructor, and you have taught me more yet with your question. I knew nothing about Simon Estes before your question, thank you. And if I knew nothing about Simon Estes, and am very interested, then (other) children will also be interested. Yes there would be a market for an article about Simon Estes. I think of HIGHLIGHTS FOR CHILDREN and their fairly regular articles about music and musicians as a good market for an article about Simon Estes. A book about him and his life would also find a ready market, I believe. If Simon Estes is as little-known as I think he is (pardon my ignorance if he is very well known), one challenge for you in writing his biography will be to find source material. Also because he is African-American, the coverage of his life may have been sparse. But hunt for every source you can find--and I know you're a good hunter, my friend. May you bag a book sale with Simon Estes's biography!

Moderator: "What do you do if you cannot find enough specific information about your subject's youth for a biography? Is it ever appropriate to fill in with information about the times/area of the country he/she lived in and what his/her daily life might have been like?"

Mel: Jill Esbaum, the asker of this question, is herself an award-winning children's writer. I know from having presented her at least one award at a conference. If you can't find enough specific information about a biography subject, Jill, yes, it is more than appropriate to "fill in" with information about the times and area she or he lived in, and what her/his daily life was like. I ran into this problem when I wrote my first biography in 1968, about SEALTH, the Native American who was the namesake of Seattle, Washington. There was only one book written about Sealth then, and three pamphlets and brochures. So I researched what the territory of Washington was like in the last half of the 19th century, Sealth's times. of course, much of what I read was about what life was like for the "Bostons," as American Indians called the white settlers. But I also found books written about Sealth's Indian tribe and family, and other native Americans along the Washington coast whose life was very similar to Sealth's. The closer you can come to the person you are biographing in the information about the times and area and daily life, the better.

Moderator: "Nonfiction requires a lot of research. Recently, I have been researching the life of a children's author lived in the 1800s. I've searched online and gone to the library to glean what was available in children author-type encyclopedias using the references at the end of the articles, I tried to find the books about her but there were none in my library's system. I finally found a library catalog online that had a book written about her from the 1970's and have since put in a request for an interlibrary loan. Am I missing something? What else can I do to find primary sources yet keep research costs down for short nonfiction articles?" --Lori

Mel: You have asked an excellent question for all of us writers, Lori. And I would say you did an excellent job at your so-far research on this children's author. You have put a finger on the best sources for all of us in our research: the bibliographies at the ends of articles and books about the subject we are writing about. But of course if you can't find the bibliographies, you can't find the info. Here is one general suggestion: If you are anywhere near a large university library, through the reference librarian you can find bibliographies about almost any subject. Often the bibliographies are separated from the books and theses they were part of, and are available simply as bibliographies. So if you are near a large university (I have found these at the University of Iowa libraries) ask a reference librarian to help you find bibliographies. This will also keep your costs down because the libraries will generally have the books there are listed in the bibliographies they reference. It sounds like you have a very viable subject for a biography for children, a children's author herself; and since there has been so little written about her, the field is wide open for you to do it. Interlibrary loans are an excellent--and inexpensive--source of locating any book whose title or author you can come up with.

Moderator: "I found out about a holiday in September that sounds interesting to me. The problem is that the only information about the holiday exists in another language. I had it translated but I would have to make up information to link facts and put it in story form to write it up. This might distort the actual holiday from the facts. Since it is about actual events, I am stuck. I tend to be a stickler for accurate reporting of information, if I want to write nonfiction."

Mel: GOOD that you are a stickler for accurate information! You are a more ambitious researcher than I am, because I would probably have given up when I found out the only information about the holiday was in another language. I'm not sure I understand, however, why it would be necessary to make up information to link facts and put it in story form. But here is a possible route to take: Is there someone who fluently speaks the language that the information is in and, someone you could discuss the information about the holiday with in English? From your question, it sounds like you didn't have conversation with the translator of your information. So if you could find someone who speaks that language as well as English, that person could be your "missing link" to connect the facts into the story you want to write. And will this be a story, or an article?, is a question to ask yourself. Or maybe you could write as BOTH a story and an article.

Moderator: "I've than researching animals from a distant and little-known country that I have been passionate about for a long time. I have also been studying writing and want to write picture books. I found very few like the books I have in mind, and lots of publishers who want this kind of book. Have I overlooked a step in preparing? "

Mel: No, it doesn't look like you overlooked any step in preparing. You have "done your homework" about that little-known country and its animals. And you have also studied the writing, and know the challenges of writing picture books. You have done the market research to know particular publishers who want this kind of book. All of the preparation is there, its seems to me, and you need little by way of suggestion, except to write on! Animals are a passion for most children, even into their teens. And little-known animals would be even more intriguing to young readers. One more step I might suggest is to sit and chat with one child in your intended age range for the book--picture books can serve up to at least 8 or 9, by the way. Talk to that child about one of the animals you want to write about, and watch and listen to the child to give you guidance in the writing. No one knows more than the child about the end product our books need to be. And if you have prepared by a "chatting the book" with a child, I believe your preparation will be compete.

Moderator: "I have many, many ideas for picture books about animals in other parts of the world. And I've discussed these ideas with certain wildlife organizations who want to help me get the word out about my books. Plus, I feel my writing is of the quality that would make me a likely new author candidate for publishers. Should I mention this in a query letter?"

Mel: animals and children go together like cookies and milk, so you're on a fast track to publishing with that subject, especially with the more other-world kinds of animals. Plus, you have the support of wildlife organizations to help you get your books out. I know how helpful that can be because I hear about my three science books selling at faraway nature centers and such. And, as you said, your writing is well practiced, making you a likely new author candidate. What I would suggest mentioning in your query letter--about one book per letter only--is the specific wildlife organizations from whom you've drawn information and support. The quality of your writing will show in your query letter nicely. Approaching an editor for the first time with a series idea may be too overwhelming for your tentative relationship with the editor. But querying about one book, your best book, could get you a "finger in the page" (like a foot in the door) toward publication. Remember in your query letter to keep it short and basically in three parts: first, start the letter with a "hook" for the editor, as you would start with a hook in writing for children. Remember that you must interest an adult editor before your book can get to children. Secondly, in the middle of your letter tell "enticingly little" about your book so as to draw editors into asking to see it. Thirdly and finally, tell about your qualifications to write this book. You DON'T NEED publishing credits; but tell the editor in this last part about the wildlife organization support you have--and, as I once heard Jane Yolen say, thumping good luck!

Moderator: "I would like to know more about determining the content of picture books that are collections of bits of information on one theme from around the world. For example, "Throw Your Tooth on the Roof" is a lot of short statements showing what kids around the world do with their teeth when they fall out, based on geography, continent by continent. Another was based on the alphabet, one country for each letter. My ideas don't seem to fit either geography or the alphabet. What other arranging styles are there for nonfiction books? How can I tell if an arrangement is working or not?" --Peggy

Mel: What you're talking about in your question, Peggy, is extremely important for any nonfiction book, especially. It's the structure that you alluded to in talking about the examples of geography of the continents or the alphabet. While you don't need those structures, it's good to know you realize that you do need a structure, or "arranging style," as you called it--I like that! This structure of a nonfiction book might simply be numerals, with 1. being the first subtopic, and 2. being the second subtopic and 3. the third subtopic, and so on. That may not seem like a brilliant structure idea, but if the subtopics are numbered children will have some sense of where they've been, where they are, and where they're going in the book. So simply numbering subtopics makes a clearer structure. Other structures for nonfiction books could be based on colors. If you wrote a nonfiction picture book about weather, it might begin with "Yellow is for the sun," and then talk about the sun for a little bit. Then green could be for grass, and what happens to grass during good or bad weather. Another structure might be simply chronological. In an old picture book I remember reading to our two sons who are now in their thirties called TIME FOR TOMMY, the structure was by the clock. At 6:00 a.m. the clock's hands were shown and Tommy was getting up, at 7:00 a.m. eating his breakfast, and so on. That is a structure that "translates" what might be even an abstract kind of topic for children. So do think structure, as you have learned, but also think more simply than geography.

Moderator: "At first I wrote my picture book as nonfiction science in story form. When I went to a writer's conference for an opinion from a well-known writer, I was told to do it in fiction form because it would have a better chance of selling. I rewrote it into fiction, but all the facts are true. It is called a "Llama Jamboree!" It's written in a fun way to introduce children to the world of natural science by focusing on intelligence, how they live, what they eat, how they treat the environment, how they perform in jamborees, etc. It's a fun approach to learning about nature and rousing children's interests. I've gotten editors' comments such as: "Liked it!" "Creative" "Enjoyed it!" "Exciting and well-written" "Jan, very interesting. I'll bet some research in the Children's Writers and Illustrators Market will turn up a few publishers looking for creative material on wildlife. Get to work!" So far, no luck. Any suggestions?" --Jan

Mel: Jan, when you say that you wrote your picture book first "as nonfiction science in story form," I presume you wrote it as straight nonfiction with the kind of storytelling voice that I mentioned earlier. Not having read the book my guess at a diagnosis of the problem is that the book would stand a better chance if you turned it back into straight nonfiction. Behind the editors' comments on the creativity and excitement of the book may be the unsaid criticism that it takes too much liberty with the nonfiction facts when you put it in fiction born. I disagree with the opinion that you were given that the book would have a better chance of selling in fiction form; because in fiction form, nonfiction takes on the faction form that I talked about earlier. And whatever else these editors think, you can bet they are concerned about presentation of the facts. Does that mean a person can't write straight nonfiction and be creative at the same time? No, a million times. Because it's the presentation of the facts, and not the facts themselves, which must be creative. Think of the book UNBUILDING by David MacCauley and its creative approach, a "what-if" approach. What if the Empire State Building were to be dismantled? And that's the only "fictiony touch of the facts" that MacCauley makes. And that approach helps provide creativity. I think it is a mind-set of any of us who ever attended public school that facts/nonfiction must be so straight, cut and dried, and therefore must be boring. Not true, not only can straight nonfiction be creative, but it must, if editors and kids are to read it--in that order.

Moderator: "Our children's librarian recently suggested four nonfiction topics for children. Calcium and chlorine were two of them. How can I not shoot myself in the foot by presenting either of these topics to the wrong publisher?"

Mel: First of all, check out some health-related publishers for these two topics. In magazines, the "Indianapolis Family" of CHILDREN'S DIGEST, CHILDREN'S PLAYMATE, and the others for varying age ranges, are up for health topics because they are partly supported by health organizations. In books, TURTLE PRESS is one that's interested in health topics, if it's a book you have in mind. If the publisher favors health topics like calcium and chlorine, you can't go wrong, and though you may not sell to them first, the shot won't hit you in the foot. (-:} In your query letter, be sure to start with a "hook," just as you will in writing the children's article or book. And in the third and final part of your query, tell why you are particularly qualified to write such an article or book. That might be that you are a doctor, a nurse, or even a mom, and know about the need for calcium, for instance, from experience.

Moderator: "Two fresh animal topics were suggested to me: the sugar glider and meerkats. But how can I write these up in winning proposals to publishers?"

Mel: To write a winning proposal to a publisher, include the "magic words" that you included in your question, "sugar glider" and "meerkat." Those two terms are enough to arouse curiosity in both children and their editors. Your question, worded as it was, aroused my own curiosity so strongly that I went straight to the Internet to find out what a sugar glider and a meerkat were because I just didn't know. What I'm saying is that the very mention of these two exotic animals will rose the curiosity of an editor, wake them up after a long Friday afternoon of reading only boring manuscripts (none by this boring writer, though.(-:}). And don't tell the editor much about the sugar glider, for instance. Write your query as if the editor knows what a sugar glider is--for indeed, many editors will. In the middle of your query letter, tell about the approach your article or book will take. Will you approach the meerkat, for instance, through its native country of Africa? But just the names of those two exotic critters ought to be enough to "hook" an editor and win a contract!

Moderator: "I love writing about science. Do you know which magazines would consider controversial articles that are well-researched, such as mad cow disease?" asks Wendy Haber.

Mel: I think I could safely say that a majority of children's magazines would consider an article about mad cow disease now, because it has moved beyond the realm of controversial. What with the hoof-and-mouth disease found in other animals, and the spotlights turned upon livestock these days, this topic is a hot topic. Again, I would suggest the "Indianapolis Family" of magazines, which are all health-related and would want to cover a current health-related topic like mad cow disease. Of course, a topic like mad cow disease could be written about from a number of standpoints, or viewpoints. The number of livestock being destroyed because of disease would be of interest to most children. The possibility of contamination of people touching the "mad cow" would look at the topic from another, different standpoint, and still keep it interesting for children. The secret of a successful sale with this article is, as you put it, the "well-researched." For editors will not want to compromise the facts of such a current matter. Tracking down the facts in this swiftly developing topic will be difficult, but rewarding for lovers of science writing like you and me.

Moderator: "For a nonfiction book, how much writing should you do before you query an editor? Can you query with a detailed outline and a writing sample or should you write several chapters and send them? On fiction I always finish a manuscript before approaching an editor and I'm wondering what the guidelines are for nonfiction. Some of their writers' guidelines are vague when it comes to how much they want to see of your manuscript!" --Linda

Mel: The quick answer to your good question is that you should do as little writing as you can before you query an editor because of course you won't be paid for it up to that point. But a more specific answer is needed. The requirements for submitting fiction and nonfiction have come down in the last decade to about the same. Even in fiction submissions nowadays, editors want to see only an outline and a sample chapter or two. And the same is true in nonfiction, that editors want to see an outline and a sample chapter or few. The outline should be detailed enough to show your idea as standing out from others about the same topic. But to play it safest, only send the query letter alone on your first contact with an editor, unless their guidelines ask for more. The query letter must be only one page, and only half a page to be best. At the end of that query letter, of course, you will offer to send the outline of your article or book, plus sample chapters, and bibliography in the case of a book. It's a safe guideline to always, only, ever write just the single page of a query letter to any children's editor at first. They can handle that quickly, and even write back to you on that same one page. I'm hoping, Linda, that that one page you get back will say simply, "Send it along!"

Moderator: "Do I need a technical illustrator to make diagrams of crafts I want to write about, or will a publisher be able to do the illustrations from my rough sketches and photos?"

Mel: No, you don't need a technical illustrator to make diagrams. In fact, most publishers prefer that you do not hire your own technical illustrator. Publishers have a whole "stable" full of illustrators, both technical and creative, whom they have worked with and prefer to use. If a particular craft has a step that is extremely complicated to describe in words, you might want to consider sending along just your freehand sketch that you can do without art training, and simply because you know what the craft and the steps in doing the craft should look like. From those rough sketches--and of course the all-important photographs you mention--the publisher's illustrator will make clear illustrations.

Moderator: "I have sold a fiction piece to a religious magazine, but the contents contain nonfiction material. I would like to sell it as nonfiction (the same idea, only in nonfiction). I think this will work as one fiction and one nonfiction. However, I have my own photos. Can I use the same photos at both places?" --Kay

Mel: Good work, Kay, making this a "Double Eagle," a fiction piece and its nonfiction counterpart. First of all, you know of course that a separate sale of the nonfiction is perfectly "cricket,"--even at CRICKET magazine (-:}. Whether or not you can sell the photos is not in question because you own them, and can use them as you please. If your photos seem to illustrate the nonfiction article as well as they illustrated the fiction piece you sold to the religious magazine, then by all means use them. If you think different photos might enhance the nonfiction article, then it sounds like it would be no problem for you to take other photos. Here's to at least a "photo finish" for your article!

Moderator: I'm sorry to have to interrupt here. Thank you so much, Mel, for doing this "hands on" critique session for so many viewers!

Mel: Thanks for a great night! Those were excellent questions, and I really enjoyed "talking" with you about your ideas!

Moderator: Do come back in two weeks on April 12, 2001, when we'll be having (back by popular demand!) Karen Hammond to answer your questions again on the subject of "How to Act Like a Pro Before that First Sale." When Karen was here to answer questions last time, we ended the session with well over fifty unanswered questions, so she graciously agreed to come back again and answer your questions in another "open forum" type setting. She'll talk about getting that first go-ahead from an editor, working with editors to make revisions, how to know when to give up writing or keep trying, how to juggle your writing if you have a day job or children--or whatever you find to be the most challenging part of being a writer! Should be a lively chat! In the meantime, thank you all, and good night!

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