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Thursday, February 2, 2023

Nonfiction Tips

By Dow Phumiruk



I’ve had the privilege of working on several nonfiction picture books by incredible authors. I thought I’d share a few tips from my experience.

Universal theme and drama

Not all nonfiction picture books need to be dramatic. However, if the book is based on an incredible, true story, your readers will be intrigued. So, consider starting with a gripping story! 

In TITAN AND THE WILD BOARS by authors Susan Hood and Pathana Sornhiran, a Thai soccer team is trapped in a flooded cave system, and efforts to rescue them come from all over the world. The universal theme of teamwork makes for wide appeal. Everyone wanted those boys brought to safety!

Susan’s beautiful, poetic writing heightens the emotion.

Think about what themes you want to share. Some common nonfiction biography themes in books I’ve worked on are persistence, bravery, loyalty, friendship, and innovation.

Sketch from TITAN AND THE WILD BOARS: THE TRUE CAVE RESCUE OF THE THAI SOCCER TEAM, by Susan Hood and Pathana Sornhiran, HarperCollins]

Timeliness

AN EQUAL SHOT: HOW THE LAW TITLE IX CHANGED AMERICA, written by Helaine Becker, released just before the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Though this law focused specifically on equality for women in government funded institutions in the United States, it paved the way for legislation to protect people of all different sexual orientations, races, and abilities as well.

What milestone anniversaries will happen in the next few years? Look back in history a few decades. You may be able to generate ideas for your next nonfiction project. Keep in mind, your book may take a few years to be published after it has been acquired, so I’d suggest working at least five years ahead. If your book isn’t published by the milestone anniversary date, it can still be an important addition to libraries and schools. And it’ll be ready for the next milestone anniversary!

Research

Not unexpectedly, research is the most important part of writing a nonfiction book. You want to bring the most up-to-date, accurate, and thorough information you can find to your project. 

In HER NAME WAS MARY KATHARINE, Ella Schwartz brings the story of this early feminist to light with meticulous research on Mary Katharine Goddard’s life and work. Mary Katharine was a printer, the first woman Postmaster, and a fierce patriot. She printed the Declaration of Independence for circulation.

Ella was able to visit the Library of Congress to see some of the newspapers Mary Katharine printed. She was able to visit a copy of the Declaration of Independence with Mary Katharine’s name printed at the bottom as well. I, in turn, was able to use her photographs in the artwork: pictures of newspaper text became textured backgrounds in some of the spreads.

Sketch from HER NAME WAS MARY KATHARINE: THE ONLY WOMAN WHOSE NAME IS ON THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, by Ella Schwartz, Christy Ottaviano Books]


I’d suggest keeping organized records of your reference material. Your book will go through copyediting and fact checking, and you’ll want to be able to support all of your manuscript. You’ll also want to include sources in the book’s back matter. This way, students can be directed to additional reference material for further study. Teachers appreciate this!

Also, the illustrator may appreciate having your “scrap” materials. In general, authors and illustrators do not interact when working on a project together. But for nonfiction, we may make an exception with respect to researched materials. The publisher served as a go-between for this.

Connecting with a primary source is ideal when feasible. Helaine Becker talked to Katherine Johnson by phone for our book COUNTING ON KATHERINE. On the other hand, online resources abound for many public figures and field experts on just about any imaginable subject, so it is possible to write a successful nonfiction book from internet interviews, books, and images.

Helaine skillfully tells Katherine Johnson’s story tackling issues like racism and physics (such as how Katherine used math to predict the trajectory of the space shuttle) in an accessible, child-friendly way.

Sketch from COUNTING ON KATHERINE: HOW KATHERINE JOHNSON SAVED
APOLLO 13
, by Helaine Becker, Christy Ottaviano Books]


What to include and what to leave out

For a picture book biography, you may gravitate to a cradle-to-grave format, but this isn’t always necessary. You can frame the story around a smaller portion of someone’s life, such as from middle childhood to one of the person’s peak accomplishments. Children will be interested in the main character’s childhood, so including some aspect of the main character’s youth is a great idea.

In A LIFE OF SERVICE, Christina Soontornvat expertly focuses on key events of Senator Tammy Duckworth’s life to make the story work well. For example, Christina shares about Senator Duckworth’s love for flying as a helicopter pilot for the U.S. army before talking about the tragedy of her near loss of life after Senator Duckworth’s helicopter was shot down by Iraqi insurgents. This juxtaposition adds additional impact and weight to the horrific event. Then we follow Senator Duckworth’s recovery and eventual run for office. By highlighting key life events, we better understand Senator Duckworth’s drive and determination.

Sketch from A LIFE OF SERVICE: THE STORY OF SENATOR
TAMMY DUCKWORTH
, by Christina Soontornvat, Candlewick]


In TITAN AND THE WILD BOARS: THE TRUE CAVE RESCUE OF THE THAI SOCCER TEAM, the majority of the book covers just a few weeks’ time.


Style

Jeanne Walker Harvey’s style in writing MAYA LIN: ARTIST-ARCHITECT OF LIGHT AND LINES is light and lyrical, lending an artistic style to parallel the life of the main character. In creating the artwork, I also leaned into a style that would match Maya Lin’s: clean lines, soft colors inspired by nature, and the inclusion of some abstract elements. Together, I feel the subject, text, and art are cohesive as a result. So, think about your approach to writing based on your subject.

Sketch from MAYA LIN: ARTIST-ARCHITECT OF LIGHT AND LINES,
by Jeanne 
Walker Harvey, Christy Ottaviano Books]

 
An artist’s biography can be an artistic book. A comedienne’s biography or book about a funny subject can be written in a humorous style. I even imagine jokes peppered throughout the text! Don’t worry: your publishing team will find the right artist whose style will match your manuscript.

I hope you find some of these tips helpful. Good luck on your nonfiction writing journey!



Meet the Author:

Dow Phumiruk writes and illustrates children’s books, with twelve in print and eight more to come. She is the illustrator of A LIFE OF SERVICE, written by Newbery Honor winner Christina Soontornvat. She is one of the illustrators of YES WE WILL, by NYT bestselling author Kelly Yang. She is also the illustrator of COUNTING ON KATHERINE by Helaine Becker. MELA AND THE ELPHANT and HUGSBY, both written by Dow, are Colorado Book Award finalists. Dow is a retired pediatrician who teaches medical students part time. For more about her, visit


67 comments:

  1. Dow, all great tips! Thank you

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  2. Your work is beautiful. Congratulations on your success.

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  3. I love your work, Dow, and biographies! Thanks for sharing how these stories became amazing books.

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    1. (Oops, I forgot to change it to my name from Anonymous.)

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  4. I am just entering the NF writing world after years of fiction PB. What wonderful examples of choosing the right pieces of someone's life to highlight. Thank you.

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  5. Thank you for these wonderful examples!

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  6. Timeliness takes foresight and planning ahead!

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  7. Thank you for your tips on timeliness and how far out publishing can go as well as the reminder to keep organized records.

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  8. Thank you for all the wonderful examples.

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  9. Thank you, Dow, for writing and illustrating books that kids like to read.

    Your thoughts are appreciated.

    Suzy Leopold

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  10. Thank you all for your comments! I'm glad you found my tips helpful!

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  11. Wonderfully helpful tips. Thanks for sharing.

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  12. So concise! Thank you! Every point you make is important. As a writer, I love hearing an illustrator's POV!

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  13. Love these tips and examples. Thank you!

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  14. I really enjoyed this! Full of interesting stories and good ideas on fact finding organization and time frames to keep me grounded!

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  15. Your post has given me renewed hope in writing the biography I have wanted to write for some years now. Thank you for the mentor text suggestions!

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  16. These are great examples for anyone seeking different styles of presenting a story. Thanks for sharing them.

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  17. Great tips. Thanks

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  18. I enjoyed these examples and the analysis of what made them stand out in nonfiction.

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  19. Great post, Dow. Thanks for all your tips and examples of different styles for writing nonfiction.

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    1. I've got to remember to put my hame before hitting publish.

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  20. Interesting insights! Thank you.

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  21. Great insight from an illustrator’s perspective. Thank you for sharing your approach and your beautiful work!

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  22. Thanks for sharing these important things to consider when writing NF. I never knew that there was a women's name on the Declaration of Independence. I need to read the book!

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  23. Thank you for sharing the idea of using part of a person's life in NF.

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  24. Wonderful advice, Dow. The mentor texts are really helpful too!

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  25. Thank you, Dow! Wonderful and helpful post!

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  26. Dow - thanks for a great post and behind the scenes looks at some of your amazing books. I look forward to reading your upcoming work!

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  27. Great suggestions with apt examples, but your wonderful artwork stole the show for me!

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  28. It's interesting to get an illustrator's perspective on nonfiction. Focusing on how the style of writing and artwork can match the subject matter is an excellent tip.

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  29. I appreciate that you point out that kids like to know something about the person as a child, but it doesn’t have to be everything— just what highlights the main theme.

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  30. Thank you for your thoughtful and concise guide to writing nonfiction. Thanks also for the book recommendations. I am looking forward to reading them while enjoying your illustrations!

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  31. Wonderful post, Dow. Thank you for sharing your insights!

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  32. Excellent post, Dow!

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  33. Thanks, Dow! I appreciate you sharing Ella Schwartz's PB, I need to read it. The rest of the PBs you shared are wonderful mentor texts.

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  34. Such beautiful work. Thank you for the illustrator’s perspective.

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  35. So many great ideas. I would like to write a PB on Dancing Wheels, a ballet company which includes handicapped persons. You have given me confidence to begin to do the research. Thanks so much!

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  36. DOW: THANK YOU for the WONDERFUL insights into writing and illustrating children's nonfiction books. To have the POV from both worlds is TRULY INSPIRING! I especially appreciate the reminder to make sure our writing has "an artistic style to parallel the life of the main character" we are writing about. Seeing the MANY different styles of your artwork shows how you've done this SO BEAUTIFULLY! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

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  37. This is so invigorating to read. I love how you illustrated the photo and your style is perfect. I’m an illustrator too but just a beginner. I’m working on a few stories but this is just so encouraging to see this progression. Thank you.

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  38. Such beautiful work! Thank you for sharing!.

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  39. I love thinking about how the art compliments and enhances the voice and mood of a picture book!

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  40. Great post about style and how to know what to leave out. Thanks!

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  41. Dow, thank you so much for such a fantastic overview of what makes a solid NF PB story.

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  42. Great post Dow! Thanks for such wonderful mentor texts and tips for your own experiences.

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  43. Great idea and tips. Thank you, Dow.

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  44. Your tips are wonderful Dow, thank you for sharing!

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  45. Echoing everyone, really usable and tangible tips. Thank you.

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  46. Thanks for a great post and tips. Can’t wait to read your books.

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  47. Thank you for this informative piece about NF writing. Such great tips to remember! Thanks for sharing.

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  48. THanks, Dow, for your great perspective on NF picture books.

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  49. I find it always so helpful to hear the illustrator's perspective. It adds more depth to the story. Thank you, Dow.

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  50. Karyn Friedman-EverhamFebruary 5, 2023 at 3:18 PM

    Thank you, thank you. I so appreciate these great tips!!

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  51. Thank you, Dow, for these terrific tips and insights into particular books.

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  52. Thank you, Dow — the tip to look back at historical dates for pending anniversaries is a great suggestion. I will try that out!

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  53. Thanks for packing so many tips into one post! These are wonderful books to use as mentor texts!

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  54. These are great tips! Thank you for sharing.

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  55. As a retired teacher, I now write NF PB for ages 5-8.I love your passion for your subjects. It will sound authentic to our students. The illustrations are a delight and intriguing to little ones. Appreciate all you do!

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  56. This is great information, thank you!

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  57. Beautiful work!

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  58. Thank you for sharing so many beautiful examples.

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  59. I really appreciate the research tips you included.

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  60. Hmmm, I've had a topic for a long while, but I never really thought about its universal theme. THANK YOU for this! It opened up a way to me to tie this all together . . . I think. Time to play around.

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  61. Wonderful tips! Thank you!

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  62. You have given us some important things to think about. Thank you for your tips and encouragement.

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