by Jonathan Roth
You know the feeling: a
rising heartbeat, a quickening of breath, an urgent desire for passionate and
obsessive embrace. I am, of course, talking about writing non-fiction. That visceral
moment when you know you’ve fallen for an idea.
It usually happens in a
flash. One minute I’m sipping my coffee with the morning paper. The next I read
a strange, small fact near the end of an article, such as that a small
helicopter on Mars is carrying a piece of Earth’s first airplane, and fireworks
go off in my head. In this case, I turned it into a book: Almost Underwear:
How a Piece of Cloth Traveled from Kitty Hawk to the Moon and Mars, which begins
with two brothers buying a bolt of muslin in a Dayton department store in 1903,
and then follows that cloth on the most unlikely of adventures.
The vast majority of my sparks don’t turn into published books, but that’s okay. As I’m sure you know, writing is 99% butt-in-chair, long hours of honing your craft. And that’s okay too. But because the perspiration part is so often emphasized and the inspiration part seems uncontrollable, the Muse-like moments don’t get talked about much. After all, what can you do?
I think there’s a lot you
can do. And I suspect you’re already doing it.
Like me, you probably
geek out for a number of things. I’m obsessed with space stuff. With you, maybe
it’s plants or dolphins or the history of trains. Whatever it is, I know you
often read about it, think about it, delight in the minutiae. This is a prime
space where you’re going to find your sparks, those little nuggets or small
facts (“a piece of the Wright Flyer on Mars!”) that make you pause, make you
jolt, and want to dig deeper.
And deep you can go! Everything
is connected. When I pulled at the thread of that small piece of cloth on Mars,
I found connections from everything from Neil Armstrong to ladies’
undergarments. It led me to big themes like technological innovation and
commemoration, and to equally small, cool details.
Of course, your writing
ideas won’t just come from other writing. Non-fiction covers everything under
the sun (and the sun too!). Ideas can come from anywhere. Gaze at the stars, ride
some trains, swim with the dolphins. Your job is to be open, to be curious, and
to be ready to pounce when inspiration strikes. Carry a notebook!
Editors can smell the
lack of passion. So really, if you’re chasing some idea just because you think
it sounds good, or might sell, just like with fiction you’re probably barking
up the wrong tree. As they say, no passion (about some interesting non-fiction
subject) for the writer, no passion (about some interesting non-fiction
subject) for the reader.
So give yourself
permission to follow strange threads. Trust in your gut. Follow your instincts
and let yourself fall in love. Your interests matter, and by sharing them with us
you widen our lives.
About the Author:
Jonathan Roth is an Earth-bound but space loving author-illustrator
of fun, STEAM-themed books for kids including the chapter book series Beep
and Bob (Aladdin/S&S), the graphic novel series Rover and Speck
(Kids Can Press) and the surprising true story Almost Underwear: How a Piece
of Cloth Traveled from Kitty Hawk to the Moon and Mars (Christy Ottaviano
Books/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers), which is a Kirkus Best Picture
Book of 2024. He also teaches art to elementary students in Maryland. Learn more at www.jonathan-roth.com.