WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THE RESEARCH THAT WON’T FIT INTO YOUR STORY

by Michelle Cusolito

One of the biggest challenges of writing nonfiction books is corralling the volume of research I uncover. And then, there’s always way more information than I can reasonably fit into the main text of the book. I used to get frustrated, but I learned all of that “stuff” is valuable.

I’ll share examples from my work with the hope that they’ll spark ideas for you.

My top 6 suggestions:

     1. Front Matter/Back matter/end papers: I always include an author’s note that explains how I came to the story and how I researched it. I also include selected sources and suggested books, films, websites, etc. so young readers can learn more. Sometimes we include a glossary, or a diagram related to the book. For example, In the World of Whales has a detailed diagram of sperm whale anatomy created by Jessica Lanan. Sometimes content is even included on the endpapers. My editor and I knew we wanted to include the life cycle of jellyfish in Jellyfish Scientist: Maude Delap and Her Mesmerizing Medusas, but it didn’t fit in the back matter. Ellen Rooney created a gorgeous illustration for the end papers.

2. Content for Classroom Teachers/Teacher’s Guides: Create materials for teachers. Sometimes publishers will create materials, as well. (Here’s an example my publisher created for Diving Deep). I’ve often shared my ideas in blogposts such as on Patricia Newman’s LitLinks. One post called Will it Sink or Float is a hands-on experiment that makes use of my first two books. How to Turn a Student into an Effective Science Communicator is a writing focused lesson that utilizes my second two books.

     3. Blog posts: I love to include “insider details” related to the making of my book in blogposts. For example, on Sue Heavenrich’s blog, I shared details about how I kept track of my research while living and working on a research vessel to write A Window into the Ocean Twilight Zone: Twenty-Four Days of Science at Sea. On Jonathan Roth’s blog, I shared how I prepared physically and mentally to be out at sea in the North Atlantic.

     4. Stories for School and Library Visits/Other Speaking Engagements/Interviews: There’s always a fun story or fact that you want to include in your book, but it simply does not fit the narrative or the structure of the book. For example, Maude Delap, the focus of my next book is known for being the first person to raise jellyfish through their full life cycle (in rural Ireland from 1899-1900!) But there’s this amazing story about her hiring some men to help her bury a (stranded) whale carcass in her garden to help decompose the stinky flesh. She later sent the skeleton to the Natural History Museum in Dublin where it’s still displayed. Oh, how I wanted to put that in the main body of my book, but it simply didn’t fit with the story I was telling. I mention it in the back matter and I love to elaborate upon it when I do public speaking events.

5. Social Media Posts: One of my favorite things to do in the lead up to publication is prepare short posts for social media that share additional details/behind the scenes information. I’m preparing some of those right now for Jellyfish Scientist. I’ve visited the island where Maude lived, so I’m creating posts with photos and/or short videos that show where she went to church, where she lived, where she discovered the sea anemone that was named after her, etc. I’ll also share photos of me with some of the experts who assisted with my research. (I did this for A Window into the Ocean Twilight Zone, if you want to see examples. Or, watch for my Jellyfish Scientist posts on Instagram, coming soon).

     6. Write a New Book: Both of the books I have publishing this year are examples of this. I learned about Maude Delap while I was researching for another (not yet sold) book. Likewise, I learned the remarkable story featured in the book, In the World of Whales, while researching for my book Diving Deep. In this extraordinary story, a freediver was welcomed at the birth of a sperm whale. I immediately knew it had to be a book.

What ideas came up for you as you read this post? Brainstorm a quick list while everything is fresh in your mind. As you continue working on your book, jot your ideas down as they come to you. And save everything, including drafts and dummies. Those are great materials for school visits!

 

 

About the Author

Photo by Marley Parker

Michelle Cusolito is the award-winning author of Flying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible Alvin, Diving Deep: Using Machines to Explore the Ocean, and Window into the Ocean Twilight Zone: Twenty-Four Days of Science at Sea. Jellyfish Scientist: Maude Delap  and her Mesmerizing Medusas comes out in April, and In the World of Whales publishes in June. Her not-yet-announced sixth book is a “land-based” book. Yep. She’s branching out. Michelle teaches writing in the MFA program at Simmons University.

Revising with Help from a Dummy

By Michelle Cusolito

If you haven’t read HeatherMontgomery’s post about picture book dummies, I encourage you to read it before you read mine. Heather went over the basics of making PB dummies. I’m going to dig into how I use dummies to improve my work with the hope that it will give you ideas for revising your nonfiction picture books.

Before I start, I want to say that I am not an illustrator, so I’m not only talking about dummies with sketches included. I don’t even draw simple stick figures as many people suggest. I think that’s a great idea. Do that if it works for you. In my case, it doesn’t feel like the best use of my time. Despite being a writer, I’m a very visual person, so I can visualize what might be on each page as I move my words around. As long as you make sure you have the correct number of pages (typically 32), there is no “right way” to make a picture book dummy.  Some people use clip art to indicate what might be there, others drop in photos they find on-line, while others do full out sketches. Do what works for you.

I would like to encourage you to do one thing though: take the time to try out making a physical dummy vs. a digital one, at least once. You might discover that you tap into some creativity when working analog that you can’t access when working digitally. This is definitely true for me. I return to old fashioned paper and scissors and tape often. Check out this post for a detailed description of a method I often use to make sense of my PB ideas before I get to the dummy stage. http://www.michellecusolito.com/blog/2019/7/31/magnetic-poetry-approach-to-writingrevising

I use dummies at various stages in my writing process. Most often, I start making a dummy when I have a reasonably put together draft with a solid beginning, middle, and end. At that point, I’m usually trying to work out the pacing and then I move on to wordsmithing. But I have occasionally used a dummy to work out the structure or flow of the whole book before I have even written a draft. I try to do whatever is best for each book. If I have a fleeting thought that I should dummy it up, even though I don’t have a full draft, I stop and go for it. I figure my intuition knows something.

I’ll share two examples:

I dummied up Flying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible Alvin, once I had a fully fleshed out (but not very good, yet) manuscript. The structure and POV/voice came to me first. Then, once I had written and revised many drafts, I turned to a dummy.

 

In these images you can see how my opening pages changed from the first dummy to the later one (and even then, I still did a LOT more revising). Right away, you’ll notice how different these pages are from each other, but I also encourage you to compare these pages to what actually ended up in Flying Deep. Much of the original was ultimately cut, but if you read closely, you’ll notice that some of the things that were once in the opening pages now appear later in the book. Certain things about a dive day must happen in sequence, but there are many details I added that did not have to be shared at a specific time. I moved them when it made sense for comprehension or pacing.

In the case of my second (sold) book, Diving Deep: Using Machines to Explore the Ocean (Charlesbridge 2022), I used a dummy to figure out the structure and pacing before I had a real first draft. I had some opening lines, a general idea of what would be in the middle, and some closing lines. When I made the dummy, I laid out the opening pages, the end pages, and then tried to figure out what would happen in the middle. I encourage you to read the blog post I referenced above. I didn’t name the project when I wrote that post, but I was talking about Diving Deep. This video shows that first dummy in all its messy glory.

One final note about how I use my dummies. First and foremost, they are about big picture items such as structure and pacing, but I also use them to help me wordsmith my work and make sure every word I use is the best possible word. Of course, I also do that when I work with the manuscript format on my computer, but I find that working in a dummy helps me focus on a smaller section of the manuscript at a time and really attend to it. And just like with my magnetic poetry approach, I often notice things in the dummy phase that do not register in the same way when they’re on my computer screen.

And finally, no matter how you dummy up your book, you should read it aloud many times. I read all of my work aloud over and over again. (My family has long since learned I am not talking to them or to myself.) I also ask others to read it aloud to me so I can hear how someone else will read it. Picture books are meant to be read aloud so I need to hear how it sounds.

 

ACTION:

Dummy up your WIP, no matter what state it’s in. If you already have a full draft with a beginning, middle, and end, pay particular attention to pacing and page turns. Visualize the art that might be on each page or perhaps even sketch in some rough ideas. If it’s not a fully formed draft, see if making a dummy helps you figure out the structure or flow or focus of the book.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michelle Cusolito's debut nonfiction picture book, Flying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible Alvin, was awarded the PEN-NE Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery Award and was named a “Must Read” at the Massachusetts Book Awards. It was also on the Kirkus Best Books list and the NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books list. Michelle's second book, titled Diving Deep: Using Machines to Explore the Ocean, will be published in 2022. Her debut middle grade nonfiction, Into the Deep Unknown: Exploring the Ocean Twilight Zone publishes in 2023. Michelle is dedicated to supporting BIPOC authors who write STEM books.

 

ABOUT THE PRIZE: Michelle is offering a 30-minute Zoom call to discuss whatever you'd like that's NF publishing related. For example, you could review a manuscript, talk about back matter for your WIP, review ways to engage in rigorous research, brainstorm places you could research for your WIP, or talk about working with experts. Whatever will be helpful to you. You'll set a loose agenda before the call so Michelle can prepare a bit.